The Adair County news., 1921-08-30

SieCi W ShihC VIII
Fortune and Ny Dad's-"
tune and my dads; Patricia, like me,
was an only child. II had been all cut
and dried for US, for years. They put 1t
up to me like this: they said owed 1t to
them, that 1t was my duty; that had
always been a severe trial to them;
that my savagery had put gray into
my mothers hair, and a lot of things
of that kind. fell for it at last; it
was sort Of a matter of self-defense.
With Patricia, 1t was a case of-well,
case of simple obedience. Pat is
good girl. -"
A minute of silence; then:
"Tll hurry along with it, John More
land. had one fine friend back there.
1t was Robert McLaurin, a reporter
on the city's leading newspaper. My
parents didn't take to him because he
was a worker, and not a fop. Mother
wanted Pats cousin, poor dear Har-
ry' Clavering, for my best man. Poor
dear Harry and 1 had a fight, once
upon a time, and II had whipped
him; and l didn't like him. 1 chose
Bobby McLaurin for my best man, and
| wouldn't give him up.
at was only when we met before
the chancel in big crowded church
that I fully realized the tragedy Of it
for Pat I saw that her face was
clean white. and that her eyes held
| the shadow of something that was
very terrible. l turned my head and
saw the same shadow in the eyes of
my greatest friend, Bobby McLaurin.
l knew then. Bobby and Patricialoved
each other, John MOreland! Bobby
didn't have any money to speak of,
and that had held them apart.
1T had been the finest thing in the
world McLaurin's acting as best man
/ for me. There was friendship for you!
l couldn't take from them their one
chance of happiness. -.
Il couldn't see anything else to do,
so 1 ran. 1 went home, pulled off my
wedding rig and put on the clothes
I'm wearing now, threw some things
into a bag and hurried down to the
union station. l found that could
have my choice between a Rer for
Atlanta and the - the train that
brought me here / bought passage to
Atlanta; but | never meant to use it;
| ! meant to take the other train and
pay a cash fare. In doing that, l
hoped to lose myself from them.
wanted to. go unhindered to some
country where I wouldn't be consid-
cred "a savage, y'knOw.
81 went out to the train-shed, and
/ hadn't been there q minute when
Bobby McLaurin came. 1 asked him
how he knew where to find me. He
said:
"T thought you wouldn't care to
stay here after doing what you did,
and wanted to say goOd-by, Bill He
always called me that, and it made
me feel like a man. Then 1 put my
bag down and took him by.both shOul-
ders and told him this:
"Look here, Bobby, I'm going to
give you some advice, and you take
it. You steal Pat and marry her. Steal
Pat and marry her if you have to live
in hole in a hillside. You're as good
as any of them, and lots better than
most of them. You can work your way
to a better salary. You see,' l told
him, we get about what we deserve
in this world. Most Of US don't deserve
much
81 asked him if mother was badly
cut up. He said she was; that she had
tainted. Dad swore aloud, he said,
there in church. l told Bobby goOd-by
and got aboard the train without say
ing anything about where l was go
ing-but 1 didn't know myself where
l was going, at the time.
Nov you've heard it. Every word
was truth. If you'll trust me with the
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