The Red Cloud chief., 1921-03-24
CHAPTER ONE
Which Introduces the Shepherd OF
the Birds.

VIC DVuSs
+
The day that Henry Sink met and
embraced Gasoline Power and went
up Main street hand I'm hand with IL Is
not yet forgotten. Their little journey
produced an effect on the nerves and
the remote future history Of Bingville.
They rushed at group of citizens
who were watching them. scattered II
hither and thither, broke down a Sec
ton of Mrs. Rlsley's picket fence and
ran over small boy. At the end of
their brief misalliance Gasoline Power
seemed to express its opinion of Mr..
Sink by hurting him against tele-
graph pole and running wild In the
park until II cooled its passion in the
fountain pool. In the language Of HI
ram Blenkinsop. the place was badly
"smixed up" Yet Mr.. Sink was the
object Of unmerited criticism. He was
like many other men In that quiet viii
lage-slow, deliberate, harmless and
good-natured. The action Of his in
tellect was not ut all like that Of
gasoline engine. Between the swift
ness Of the one and the slOwness of
the other, there was wide zone full
of possibilities. The engine had ac-
complished many things while Mr..
Sinks intellect was getting ready to
begin to act.
In speaking of this adventure. HI
ram Blenkinsop made wise remark
"My married life learnt me one thing"
said he. IF you are thinkin' of hitchin'
up wild horse with tame one be
careful that the tame one Is the stout
est or 1t will do him no good"
The event had its tragic side and
whatever Hiram Blenkinsop and other
citizens of questionable taste may
have said of 1t, the historian has no
Intention OF treating 1t lightly. Mr..
Sink and his neighbours fence could
he repaired, but not the small boy
Robert Emmett Moran, six years old,
the son OF the Widow Moran. who
took In washing. He was In the ma
ture Of sacrifice to the new god. He
became beloved cripple, known as
the Shepherd of the Birds and alto
gether the most cheerful person In the
village. His world was n little room
on the second floor OF his mothers
cottage overlooking the big flower gar
den of Judge Crooker--hls father hav-
Ing been the gardener and coachman
of the judge. There were In this room
an old pine bureau, Il four-post bed
stead, an armchair by the window, a
small round nickel clock that sat on
the bureau, n rubber tree and very
laxative little Old tin soldier OF the
name of BlOggs who stood erect on a
shelf with gun In his hand and was
always looking out of the window. The
day OF the tin soldiers arrival the boy
had named him Mr.. Bloggs and dis
covered his unusual qualities of mind
and heart. lie was IA wise old soldier,
II would seem, for he had some sort
| of answer for each of the many ques-
| lions of Bob Moran. Indeed. as Bob
knew, he had seen and suffered much
having travelled to Europe and back
with the judges family and been sunk
for year In u frog pond and been
dropped In n jug Of molasses, but
through II all had kept his look OF
inextingulshable courage. The lonely
lad talked, now and then, with the
round, nickel clock or the rubber tree
or the pine bureau, but mostly gave
his condolences to the wise and genial
Mr.. Bloggs. When the spring ar
rived the garden, with Its birds and
| flowers, became source of Joy and
co lpanionshlp for the little lad. Sit
IT,, by the open window, he used &c
II 20 Pat Crowley. who was getting
the ground ready for sowing. Later
the slow procession of the flowers
passed under the boys window ant
greeted him with Its fragrance ant
color.
But his most intimate friends wer,
'hc birds. Robins, IN the elm tree Jus
'wnd the window, woke him ever,
annual, tnnrninu \yhan ha mazda nj,