The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-02-04
MARVEL DAY
By MyRTA A. LITTLE.

=. boy Dun WIS lonesome so Lonesome
there we're tears In bis blue eyes And
q choke in his throats9 But he clutch.
ed his fists manfully In his patched
pockets and he tried to get up real
stride for the ruts Of the frozen road.
There was .. heap o courage tucked
away in Boy Dams heart, and heap
o. faith. rg..,.'..
Besides, Boy Dan was running away
from the home with no mother In It,
running away from the loneliness, to
find real mother and a real dad and
house with a fireplace and a kitten
and fishing rod and baseball, all
today, and dog named Jip. There
was reason enough to stride ahead,
indeed
Once Boy Dan had had a father
with sandy hair and eyes Ike his, and
tanned face and nice kind hands and
smile. And once Boy Dan had had a
little dark-skinned mother who loved
him 10 pieces one minute and threw
saucepans at him the next. Once she
had hit Boy Dan so hard that the scar
stayed on his wrist. She hadn't lived
very long, and all the women Boy
Dams father had had to cook for him
hadn't been nice or patient or neat.
So, after while, one day, Boy Dams
father had taken him to the home, and
he hadn't smiled when he left him.
Boy Dan knew he was very sorry.
That was years ago.
All that time, Boy Dan had been
planning to run away. Now he was
doing 1t.
The day was lonesome-just gray
clouds and n brown earth, and hud-
died piles Of leaves. Only the little
cedar lane looked cheerful. And right
in the same town, little woman was
lonesome, too; Miss Sarah Graham,
who lived at the Cross Roads in the
brown cottage with the woodbine over
It.
Ten years before Sarah had lost a
dear friend. They were to have been
married. But one evening the man
had been late in coming to take her
for their walk through Cedar Lane.
and when he had come Miss Sarah had
sent him away without meaning it at
all. just for the sake of hearing him
refuse TO go
Then the marvel happened, MS mar
wells will come to pass. Boy Dan and
Miss Sarah met right In front of the
little town square, where the rows Of
cedars began to form Cedar Lane.
Miss Sarah stopped and put her hand
on the hoy's shoulder.
"SOn" said Miss Sarah. Then she
flushed and wondered why she had
said n. "Where are you goingf" she
asked. 9
Nowhere" said Boy Dan, Except
to >tind'R mother and"
Where do you live2" asked Miss
Sarah.
Boy Dan told her. and he told her
he couldn't stand 1t any longer with
out mother.
Suddenly Miss Sarah spoke. an
take you to my house, boy. I'll let the
home know. Wen have our dinner to-
gether today"
The boy chuckled. might s well
tell the home folks I've found a moth
er, guess, for keeps" he said. II like
you. Guess I'll stay at your house all
the time" He hestated. Have you
got a daddy?"
~ live all alone" said Miss Sarah.
"Would you be lonesomef"
without a dad | would" Boy Dan
told sher. Come on" ~
Now Wen go find our daddy" said
Boy Dan with II sturdy purpose, drag
ging his new-found mother toward the
path of cedars and the little town
square,
Chm though II was there were men
lounging in the square, tanned men
and untanned men, dark men and
sandy men. And there was one man
who began to look hard at the trudg-
ing boy.
All at once he hurried over from the
bench and ciutched Boy Dams hand
and looked quickly at the little SCARED
wrist Then he knelt right down and
Rugged Boy Dan close and whispered
jerky things
an boy, Dan. l couldn't git the
courage ter go ter the home and not
take yer along, back with me.
The man looked at Miss Sarah, start
ed to, speak, leaned closer. thrust out
trembling hand.
"This Is my new mother, dad" said
Boy Dan firmly. she's awful nice.
Guess she's cold She's shakin.' Glad
yer come long. Wen be startin' home
all of us now we've got together" He
stopped. rs there u fireplace and a
kittenT" he asked.
YES" said Miss Sarah family.
May Conner the man asked.
The last time Miss Sarah had heard
him speak he had said. IF you send
me away shall not come buck again"
And here he was. Truly such ways
are maryels. How had II all come to
pass?
Why, there was a heap O. courage 10
Boy Dams heart. and heap o faith.
And It was spiargel day in the morn
ing, aAA 0rS
Z The fire burned bright in Miss