The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-01-10
The Tran7p's
Orchard
By MALCOLM BROWN.

-
joY:rjgnt. 1921. Western Newspaper Union.
The phenomena of converS:uE,S
said the evangelist to the p>ychol"-
giSt, ''ILay be. us You say, the cUlmina-
zion of :, series OF obscure mental im-
preSSi0n$ but the condition Itself IS
lhe result OF moment. Something
which was not in the sinners heart
enters there and drives out something
that was there.
L knew d man-neyer mind who or
. what he was. He was uneducated, the
sort Of average American countryman
who is the staple human product OF
! this nation. At the age Of thirty he
WAS tramp, plodding along a country
read in Carolina.
1t WAS early spring and the or
charGs were aglow with peach bios
SONS. As he passed outside 4 long line
! OF bloSsum-beariIg trees he saw a girl
standing on the other side OF the
fence. her arms full Of spraying boughs.
She was about sixteen.
He learned something Of her cir
cunStances Her parents had been
compelled TO mortgage their farm;
they were heavily in debt; they feared
the loss of their home. And she-her
dearest wish to obtain an education
could not be fulfilled If her father
were rich, she said, it might be.
The ragged man could see that this
was the type Of girl whom education
would bring the highest success. He
learned her name and that Of the post
office, thanked her for drink Of water
that she gave him, and, as he heard her
mothers harsh call from the house,
went on his way.
HE jumped q freight train and made
his way by stages westward. He Oh
tanned 4 ilellial position and every
penny that lie could hoard he put
sway Iii {; Da..a. When be had hua-
dred dollars he sent IL anonymously
to the 81. For YOUR education, he
wrote Oh ;,ia envelope. Then he be-
gan saving a%ain.
"Graau&iiy the memory Of this girl
Geek possession CT his life. AS the
morths c.:u..e,. into years lie pc
cured he. i:i'>l completing her course
in l;2a sc.oo., ;,scn gong to col ege.
Seven years late: h was a .:.;,a of
moderate n.y-uS, &nG he had spent
s. GO q, t..e pe&ca-;..uSSulH girl.
"Waat was size to becolae: 10
stcncg.apher o. clerical assistant in
any business, Of tliat he was resolved.
Why, size shculd 60 to Paris, Of course,
and achieve rriumphs there He SCI
aside his whole accumulation Of money
ST T,000--and sent it TO Ter.
''And at last the day came when he
turned his dreams into actual plans.
lie would return and humbly ask her
to be his wife.
'I was not until he actually de-
scenGed from the train III the obscure
little Georgia village that the futi!ity
Of his dreams suddenly dawned upon
him. He had heard nothing from her
during ten years 1t might be that his
money had never reached her.
when he heard the harsh voice Of
the mother at the door, he told me OF
afterward," continued the evangelist,
"he was conscious Of an absurd desire
to run away, just as when he had
passed by the house, tramp, ten
years before. But the woman, seeing
that he was dressed like man OF
means, invited him in to rest, and she
gossiped readily about her circum-
stances and was loud in complaint OF
her husband. He had acquired good
deal Of money. she told my friend, and
had squandered it all in speculation.
Ten years before he had been on the
verge of bankruptcy, and though things
had frightened he was still in the
same position. She wished that they
could sell out and move into a city
but it was hard to find purchasers for
peach orchard land in that section of
the state
There's one trouble I've got she
erumbed. and that's Bessie. She de-
clares she won't go to city. She
hates ciry life and says if go she's
going to hire out somewhere. jim re-
fuses to give her an education. She
! wanted to go to high school and Jim
, hadn't the money
"At that moment the farmer stamped
into the room casting a suspicious
look at the visitor. The woman in
troduced him. This gentleman talks
Of buying the farm she announced.
"The farmers visage cleared. May
be you'd like TO come and talk it over
outside he said, and my friend fol-
lowed HIM.
"And then, coming through the
trees my friend saw the peach-bios
som girl. and the old sense Of peace
came back to him. Except for q GER
tain maturity of face and figure she
was the same as When she was six-
teen"
We'll" SAID the psychologist, u can
guess t&n resi-. They were married
and sr;,,r" Down on the farm and