The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-12-16

Thomas Mare, rancOr against his en-
ployer, against the little-girl daughter
of his employer, against the whole
scheme Of society that made his state
Of oppression possible, began to burn
and rage and finally sweep through
his being.
Another Christmas at hand, another
period Of beholding Adalia scraping
and pinching to afford her children the
minimum joy of this season; another
Christmas day, dreaded because it
would, expose the disappointment and
yearning concealed by the valiant
little faces of his youngsters; another
Christmas of being obliged to face
the denied face of his wife across the
lean dinner table, and of trying to ig-
more the fact that life was persistently,
cruelty passing them by.
The plan to improve upon the
scheme Of his universe and somehow
obtain for his brood some of the COM
pensations which had all Of their life
time been denied them, began to grow
in the heart Of Thomas Mare the third
month after he had obtained his posi-
ton as assistant gardener on the
Longman estate in Long Island.
For man to reconcile himself to
society that was built on foul under
growth was folly. Months Of that Sc
cret mental fodder succeeded in rous-
ing within Thomas Mare the impulse
and the courage to carry out an act
that two or three years before would
have seemed to him to be the act of
mad man.
Thomas Mare had reason to know
that in a drawer of desk in the room
in which Theodore Longman slept,
there usually reposed a roll of bank
notes sufficient to keep Mares family
in luxury over period of years. To
Longman this sum represented merely
the running funds of vast household.
To Mare this sum represented escape,
a fresh. start in another part of the
world with Adaiia, opportunity for his
children. And curiously, stubbornly,
almost insanely inthe mind Of Thomas
Mare was the determination that this
year there would be no little frustrat-
ed faces around his Christmas table,
no scheming on the part Of Adalia to
cover up heartache.
The Mares were going to have their
first real Christmas; and in his desper-
alton Thomas even said to himself the
Mares were going to have their first
real Christmas, even If a fiy-by-night
promoter named Theodore Longman
was going to be found dead in his
bed on Christmas day.
Secretly, cautiously, subtly and with
finesse that amazed himself, the
plans of Thomas Mare took shape. So
clever these plans, that even in the
eventuality of having to use force
once he found himself in the apart
ment of Theodore Longman, 1t would
be impossible to trace the crime to the
innocuous second gardener.
The family of Mare was about to
be emancipated.
Papa, am I going to get sled for
Christmasr
Here 1t came again, the innocent and
authentic desires of his innocent chill
dren, that frightened look in the face
of Adalia; that heartache look.
The plans of Thomas Mare took
shape, and there was within him neith-
er fear nor INDIGESTION.
Christmas eve came and with it the
rounding up of plans he had been care
fully making over period of nine
weeks. Nothing failing him, at seven
thirty O'Clock in the evening, Thomas
Mare had reason to know that repos-
ing in the upper right-hand drawer in
the bedroom Of Theodore Longman
would be a bundle Of bank notes