Mexico weekly ledger., 1921-03-10
MARVEL DAY
BY a A. LITTLE.

a choke In his throat But he clutch
ed his fists manfully In his patched
pockets and he tried to get up a real
stride for the ruts Of the frozen road
There was a heap O. courage tucked
away in Boy Dams heart, and a heap
o. faith.
Besides Boy Dan was running away
from the home with no mother in it.
running away from the loneliness, to
find a real mother and a real dad and
a house with a fireplace and a kitten
and a fishing rod and q baseball, all
today, and a dog named Jip. There
was reason enough to stride ahead
indeed.
Once Boy Dan had had a father
with sandy hair and eyes like his, and
tanned face and nice kind hands and
a smile. And nce Boy Dan had had a
little dark-skinned mother who loved
him to pieces n minute and threw
s%aucepans 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 a while, M 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 BoFry.
That was years ago.
An that time, Boy Dan had been
planning to run away. Now he was
doing It.
The day was loneseme-just gray
clouds and a brown earth, and hud-
died piles Of leaves. Only the little
cedar lane looked cheerful. And right
IN the anne town, a little woman was
lonesome, too; Miss Sarah Graham,
who lived at the Cross Roads IN the
brown cottage with the woodbine over
Il.
Ten years before Sarah had lost a
dear friend. They ere 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 1t at
all, just for the sake Of hearing him
refuse to go
Then the marvel happened, as mar
wells will come to pass. Boy Dan and
Miss Sarah met right In front Of the
little town square, where the rows o.
cedars began to form Cedar Lane
Miss Sarah stopped and put her hant
on the boys shoulder.
"Son," said Miss Sarah. Then she
flushed and wondered why she ha(
said it. "Where are you goingT" shi
asked.
"Nowhere," said Boy Dan, "Excep
to find a mother and"
"Where do you liver asked Mis-
Sarah.
Boy Dan told her, and he told he
he couldn't stand 1t any longer wifi
out mother.
Suddenly Miss Sarah spoke. IT
take you to my house, boy. I'll let th
home know. Well have dinner h
gether today"
The boy chuckled. "Might g we
tell the home folks I've found a mot
l er, I guess, for keeps" he said. II lib
: you. Guess I'll stay at your house a
the time" He hesitated. "Have yC
/ got a daddy"
: ~ live all alone" said Miss Sara
/ would you be lonescmeT
, "Without a dad I would" Boy Da
told her. Come on"
"Now wen go find u daddy" sal
Boy Dan with a sturdy purpose, draI
ging his new-found mother toward Il
! path Of cedars and the little tow
: square.
. Chill though 1t was, there were me
] lounging in the square, tanned me
4 and Unframed men. dark men al
I sandy men. And there was n ms
/ who began to look hard at the trud
: ing boy.
Ali at once he hurried over from q
bench and clutched Boy Dams hai
and looked quickly at the little SCARF
5 wrist. Then he knelt right down al
Rugged Boy Dan close and whisper
y jerky things.
d I'M boy, Dan. l couldn't git t
q courage ter go ter the home and n
, take yer along back with me.
The man looked at Miss Sarah, sta
ed to speak, leaned closer, thrust out
trembling hand.
"This is my new mother, dad" Sc
Boy Dan firmly. shes awful nj
Guess she's cold. She's shakin' CT
yer come long. Wen be startin' hol
all of us, now we've got together"
stopped. 'Is there a fireplace and
sr kitten?" he asked.
s. Eyes" said Miss Sarah family.
IS SHAY / Gomez" the man asked.
The last time Miss Sarah had hes
him speak he had said, "If you se
T. me away / shall not come back agai
y And here he was. Truly such VIZ
(, are marvels. How had 1t all come
y pass7
~ why, there was a heap o. courage
es Boy Dams heart, and a heap O. fai
he And It was marvel day in the mo
st ing.
az The fire burned bright in N
- Sarah's kitchen and in the flrepls
~ and the man said the dinner was
best-smelling one he'd ever waited
y Boy Dan2 There vas going to b.
baseball and q fishing rod and q
named Jip. Dad had said so. and h
said something about a wedding, I
. The day wasn't lonesome any mt
ne either. The leaves had music in u
We as they fiuttered down to the welc'
of ing earth. and the grayness had
rs, pearl light in 1t that is as a halo.
HH 49, =