Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1926-07-02

hnO ScOWl1ng so terribly tnat ne was
afraid to go near them.
After a while all of the men wen&
out to the barn-lot, where their horses
we're tethered. Uncle Fred and Uncle
Dan had their rifles. He stood at the
kitchen window and watched them
with wide excited eyes They alb
talked at once, especially his uncles-
and they swore, too. Then his grand~
pa stood In front Of them and spoke
very loudly, pointing his finger at them.
He heard him say, over and over
again:
"Let them 60, 1 sayl tell you, LET
them go!'
He wondered why his father was not
there, If there was any fighting to be
done.
The next day he went up to grand
pas with his mother to stay, and Uncle
Fred told him that his pa had gone on
to the war. He believed this, for were
not the rife, the powder horn and the
shot flask missing from the pegs over
the fireplace, and was not Bob, the
very fastest horse In all the world,
gone from the barnf He was vastly
thrilled.
But he was troubled about Minda.
Uncle Fred, driven to corner by per-
sistent inquiry, finally confessed that
Minda also had gone to the war, and
at last report had killed several ex-
tremely ferocious redskins.
1t was not until some time after his
mother went away-aftsr the long-to-
be-remembered "fooneral," with its
hymns, and weeping, and praying
that he heard the grownups talking
about the war being over. The red
coats were thrashed and there was
much boasting and Dragging among the
men Of the settlement
DO you s'pose pa will know how to
find me, grandmaT he would inquire.
"'Cause, you see, don't live where I
used to-"
And his grandmother, beset with this
and similar questions from one days
end to the other, would become very
busy over what she was doing at the
time and tell him not to pester her.
Then one day he saw his grand
parents talking together on the porch.
He distinctly heard his grandma say:
II think he ought to be told, Richard.
It's a sin to let him 60 on thinking"
The rest of the sentence was lost to
him when she suddenly lowered her
voice They were all looking at him.
Presently his grandfather called to
. him, and beckoned with his finger. His
grandfather took him on his knee, and
then and there told him the truth
about his father.
"Now, pay strict attention, Kenneth.
You must understand everything 1 say
to you. Do you heart Your father Ia
never coming home. We told you he
had gone to the war. We thought II
was best to let you think so. 1t is
time for you to know the truth. You
are nearly six years old. Quite man,
my lad" He paused to look search
ingly into the child's face, his bushy
eyebrows meeting in q frown.
'"The devil Of it is," he burst out.
"you are the living image of your fa-
ther. You are going to grow up to
look like him." He groaned audibly,
and went on in a strange, hard voice:
"Do you know what 1t Is to steal7 1t
means taking something that belongs
to somebody else"
Yes, sir. Thou shalt not steal It's
in the Bible
well, you know that Indians and
gypsies steal little boys, don't your 1t
is the very worst kind Of stealing, be-
cause it breaks the boys mothers
heart. 1t sometimes kills them. Now,
suppose that somebody stole a hus-
band. Your father was q husband. He
was your dear mothers husband. You
loved your mother very, very much,
didn't your Don't cry, lad-there,
there, now! Be a little man. Now,
listen. Somebody stole your mothers
husband She loved him better than
anything in the world. She loved him,
guess, even better than she loved you,
Kenneth. She just couldn't live with
out him. Do you sect That is why
she died and went away. She is in
Heaven now. Now, let me hear you
say this after me: Ny mother died be-
cause somebody stole her husband
away from her"
my mother died because somebody
stoled her husband away from her. Z"
repeated the boy, slowly.
"Say this: My mothers heart was
broken and 10 she died."
my mothers heart was broken and
she-and so she died."
you will never forget that, will you,
Kenneth?"
"No, sir"
Nov, I am going to tell you who
stole your mothers husband away
from her. You know who your moth
er's husband was, don't your
"Yes, sir. My pa"
Zone night-the night before you
came up here to live-your Auntie Ra-
chel-that Is what you called her, isn't
it1 Well, she was not your real aunt.
She was your neighbor-just as Mr..