The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-03-07
DANIEL
GOT INTO
STORY-BOOK
STUFF
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TN ERTON KEITH was too we'll
bred to slam the house door, but
- certainly he had no scruples
against slamming his car door.
It helped immensely Letting his high
powered roadster have the wide street
at the limit helped, also. Another
quarrel with Eleanor! mediterranean
ing they were growing more and more
numerous. And always over nothing
why he and Eleanor had absolutely
nothing on earth to disagree about!
1t wasn't as If they had to clash
with poverty or struggle with the rear
ing Of children, or bear with inter-
fering relatives. Nor jealousy there
was nothing to cause discord along
that line. Being lawyer, Keith nat
urally strove to figure out reason for
the existing conditions in his home life.
But he could not do it.
So he let his car out-as he longed
to do his feelings, but never again
He hadn't killed the boy, thanks to his
four-wheel brakes-and the Lord!
probably the Lord should come first.)
At least Keith thought so, later. But
he, Keith (and possibly the Lord)
stayed by the boys bedside at the
hospital all that first night-though
Eleanor telephoned for him on an av-
erage of once every hour. She'd TAX
en- one Of her nervous headaches up
on learning of the accident, and why
did not Berton come on home to her?
The headache, Keith concluded,
would not kill her, but who knew
when the little chap would breathe
his last? Looking down at him
lying there so still and white brought
back to Berton Keith's mind the
morning he had stood-after a night
in hell-and looked down at the fine
little form of his and cleaners child
in the small white casket-the child
who had never breathed even one
fleeting breath Of human life.
He hadn't regretted it's death SO
much then-he had been too glad over
Eleanor, that she was coming back
to him-back from the icy, grasping
hand that had plucked at her strug-
Cling spirit through the long, long
hours of the night. But If he had
lived, that wee boy Of theirs, and some
angry fool had run him down-as he
had run this boy down
He asked Eleanor this question
when he reached home. And Eleanor
looked at him, a long, searching
glance, and shuddered What
was that she had laid up in her mind
to say to Berton? Anyway, she'd wait,
for Berton was terribly cut up about
the accident. If he felt like that she
really ought to go and see the child
herself.
That night at the table Keith sat
smiling broad smile.
"What in the world, Berton, do you
see funny?" inquired his wife.
II was thinking Of Daniel"
"Daniel?"
"The chap I hurt, you know. I
asked him when I came by the hos
pital a while ago If he was in pain.
You mean does it hurt, mister?' he
said, with his little face all white and
twisted. I'll say it does! But my
mother, she named me Daniel SOS I'd
be brave. Dye reckon she knew this
! was goin' to happen to me? I blieve
this is most bad as bein' in lions
sd 7 hot
the old Daniel didn't have anything on
this little Daniel when it comes to
bravery"
The next morning Eleanor went to
see Daniel for herself. And Berton
Keith found himself looking forward
to his visits with the boy. Even aft
err he was back home in the weather.
beaten old house on the corner of Mill
and Harvey streets, Keith always
stopped by to see him. He was glad
he had that case of Porter's, for it
took him by the child's home on every
trip. And he was lonely little chap,
living as he did with his spinster
aunt, whose every breath was COM
plant against the responsibility Of
| the child.
Keith carried books to Daniel-the
most wonderful ones he could find
and upon learning that the aunt had
no time to read them to him (Keith
wondered what she did with her time)
he, busy lawyer that he was, read
them himself. He found greater
thrill in watching the child's eyes
grow wide in wonder, or narrow in
pity, than watching the face of any
prisoner he had ever seen at the bar.
"Nice things al'ays happen to fell
lows in story books, don't they, Mr..
Keith?"
"Most always, Daniel, yes" agreed
| Berton Keith.
Gee, 1 wish 1 was story-book
boy"
"The same here, kiddie."
"Don't nice things happen to you,
| either, Mr.. Keith? Mis- Keith is nice