Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29

LIE was a captive. He knew it. even before
the wedding Captive to thin. red lips, to
a thin, white body Never Never The words
beat through him. Never Never to see white
walled cities rising out of the dawn. Never to
hold quivering wheel In his hands. Never to
feel his lips blacken in salt water. Never.
Liz was his wife. She was up before him in
the morning Working Busting. That was
Liz. THE west field looks good for cuttin'."
THE roam COW is OF her milk" Eggs Is 40 q
dozen at the store" That was Liz.
Spring came. and Summer.
"Harv?"
"Yeah?"
"Harv', I'm goin' to have baby"
pause. A moment of wild thinking. A
baby. Another tie to hold him. baby.
why, thats-that's great, Liz'!"
ooh, oh, Harv'-"
The doctor. Liz in bed. Days-days OF
waiting. Nights of waiting. The baby life
paid for with life.
Liz was dead Liz was dead, but she had
left something of herself behind She still
smiled sardonically at him. He had to stay.
There was the baby. He had to stay.
A christening. John David Lyman. A good
name, q solid name John for that Franklin
who died exploring the wastes of a northern
sea- David for Livingstone. John David. It
was good name.
His SON. John David He would follow
Franklin, follow Livingstone. He would be
rover, a sea wanderer. He would be everything
that his father was not. He would do every
thing that his father had dreamed Of doing.
Years. Dry barren years Years Of toll,
years of fruitless work. Milking. Feeding.
But it was different now John David was
growing. He was going to school He was
able to listen to fathers voice telling adven-
turous tales.
"And he died?"
ayes, son. They found him. half in his
sleeping bag. half in the ground-fro0en, dead.
They guessed he must have tried to shake the
others by the hand They-the others-were
in their sleeping bags-frozen, too. Comrades.
They fought together, they died together. Scott
had written last note in his diary It was
this: cit Is far better to die here than to live
at home in sloth and ease :"
Or:
"Rio, daddy"
yes 1t is somewhere In South America.
broad, blue bay, think, with majestic
mountains rising above a swarming city.
Did you ever see it, daddy?"
shadow crosses the mans face. "No, son.
But you will"
Years. Years. The boy who dreamed once
Of the sea is gray now; he Is stopped, worn.
bent. But the son is growing. He Is going to
high school. He is going to college. Soon he
win be 20. And then
They have it all planned the father and the
son. He Is to go to New York He is to ship
before the mast. He Is to see Rio. VladivoStok,
Valparaiso. Singapore. Gold Coast. Java. The
Fits He will have his own ship some day.
He
He Is tall, 1.-THE, blue-eyed and yellow-haired.
His father dreams as he gazes at him. He sees
him leaping from rope to rope. He sees him ut
the cross trees of mast He sees him hauling
on long ropes. He sees him at the helm, alone.
JOHN DAVID. His son.
In month now he win be gone The
ticket viii be bought next week. It Is the
great adventure
month now.
The boy is restless. He moons about the
house.
dad, can have the car?'
"Sure, son. Where you of to tonight3"
"a dance"
"a dance, eh?" There Is girl. La Perrault
Short and plump. Golden-SEinned, golden
haired. baby face China-blue baby eyes,
Lii Perrault.
So one evening:
The man had sat in the sunset anG the dark
ness for long hours. Thinking. Dreaming AZ
last he climbed the stairs. But IN thu bed room
he did not at once go to bed. He sat before the
open window.
If uas then that ha heard them