Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-11-05
THE
REWARD
HE WON
By AUGUSTUS C. sHERWIN

~ LIZ Is ltult 4AiiilHNlphbs
w He was crack football
man of the Columbia col
lege eleven last fall"
ale looks It," with an admlring
glance at the handsome athletic fell
low who had just passed by. Call
after him and introduce me-"
1T would he of no use to call"
"Why notT
Because he is deaf-deaf as
post"
What pityw
Thus two young men conversed on
street Of Vlrden. Meantime the sub
Ject of their conversation went on his
way. His face was smileless his man
ner stern and grim. Tie acted as would
one who had met some great disap
polntment or setback In life and, I'M
able to overcome 1t, had resolutely
set himself hard definite task of
submission.
Deaf as post" was Dale Arm
strong, indeed Nature was to him q
closed book, for its bird and insect
orchestra he no longer heard. There
was something grotesque, quite terri
BILE to him In this monotonous pan
tomime life He could tell that
CHEEKY little fellow who passed him
was whistling. On the porch of
pleasant home lad with mandolin
was warbllng some mirthful tune. A
young lady passed him and bowed
and unconsciously she murmured
some formal words of recognition, a
mere mockory, almost torture to his
sensitive spirit, for he could not con-
strue their import
As his friend had said he had been
the crack man Of famous college
football team. He had made the rec
ord score OF the year, had covered
his team with glory, but at terrible
cost. A kick on the head had stunned
him. When he returned to CON
seiouness the frightful discovery
dawned upon him that he had lost
his hearing.
For a week skilled physicians and
surgeons worked over HIN. At the
last they shook their heads despair
ingly They bombarded his anxious
friends with torrent of technical
medical phrases. In their opinion
Dale would never hear again.
1t was anguish to Dale to realize
that all the hopes, plans and ambi-
lions Of his young life were utterly
blighted, his future blasted, the pres
ent dead sea level Of mere exist
ence. OF course he had to abandon
his college course. Music, his main
forte, was forever shut out for him.
All the dreary journey home he had
but one thought; how would Myrtle
take it-pretty loving Myrtle Parr, his
fiancee2 The news Of his calamity
had reached Upton however, before
he arrived and Dale soon had an add
ed grief to endure.
Mr.. Parr refused to allow Myrtle to
see Dale. In fact he had sent her
away to relative, where, he declined
to tell. In blunt practical business
like way he Informed Dale that 1t
would be folly to encourage his daugh-
ter to wed man In a condition even
worse than that of a cripple. In
measure Dale acknowledged the wis
dom Of this, for his business chances
In the world would certainly be lin
tied.
There was one ray Of comfort amid
his loneliness and grief however. He
received note from broken-hearted
Myrtle. She loved him still, she
would love him till the end No mat
ter what her father might say-deaf,
blind, pauper-sbe would marry
Dale the day he asked her, In def
ance Of all the world
But that sacrifice Of her youth,
beauty and happiness Dale felt that
he could never consent to ask OF
Myrtle. She remained away from
Upton at her fathers mandate and
Dale fell into dreary humdrum mode
OF existence.
ptme hung heavily on his hands
The doctors had insisted on rest and
recreation, for n few months at least
He tried fishing, he would take long
strolls out Into the country. While
In the village, however he made the
local billiard hall favorlte haunt
He liked the game and he watched
the players at the tables with inter
est. Thither he was bound now. They
had got to designate him as Deaf
Armstrong" Often he took a cue In
hand and had become quite expert
with the ivory balls.
Then, without stating his purpose