Year: 1873




Ralph Hazelton sat before the fire
his head bent forward on his breast
and dark frown shading his hard
wrinkled face. He was alone-for
since the handsome boyish face and
ringing voice which had been wont
to tighten the gloom of the quiet
house had gone, the old had sd
mitted no one else into his life OF
heart. 4ta8 baa t


Just three years ago he had look
ed his last upon. the young fellow
whom "for PHYS sake'' at first, and
then for mis- own sake, he had given
the one warm place in his heart and
loved and cared for most tenderly
Just three years ago-snd hard and
stern as the old man was, he had
missed him terribly-and tonight,
sitting there with the gloom of the
silent room settling down upon him
thickly, he thought of "Rex" until
the fire burned low, and the @Wee
sma' hcurs'' were at hand.


He wondered if Rex's wife chow
strange to think of the boyish young
fellow with a wife was really as
sweet and lovable as Rex-poor fool
ish boy-had said; he wondered if
Rex's home was pleasant one--if
Rex himself was happy. And then
his old anger arose in his heart that
ne, for whom he had cared so much,
should have TUNED away from him
for stranger. ~


"You must choose between US, he
had said on that last night, sand if
you choose her-take her and never
let me see your face again And
Rex, pale and proud, had turned
away without a word, and left him.


That was three years ago-and
since then there had come no word
from the boy. He seemed to have
dropped out of the world entirely
his name was never mentioned in his
uncle's house; and his uncle seemed
to grow sterner, harder, and more 81
lent than ever, now that his cheerful
influence was gone.


Tonight, however, it had all come
back again-and the old man, read
ing over and over the letter which
be had received that day, said stern
ly to himself: ale choose between
ls. I'll never forgive him-but the
child is not to blame" and the next
lay letter was sent to Stockbridge,
containing just these words:


willie is very sentimental-call
,he child BILL and l viii look out
'or it."


From that day Ralph Hazleton
lad an object in life-his money had
| new value to him now, for "some
lay Bill would have the spending of
IT, and often, as he sat, apparently
in abtruse calculations, he
vas in reality thinking on of"Bilrs"
'uture.


Not that he ever thought of him
IS q little bOy-no indeed, he was
90 grim an old bachelor for that
t was always as a new edition to the
Sid time gay, handsome, reckless
Rex, that he throught of him. He
lad the old room frightened and
Kept in order with a vague idea of
having the boy down there some
line during the holidays. But one
line, just as he was on the point of
for him, a letter came from
Rex containing the information that
he young::hero was, for the time be-
ng, laid low with an attack of the
and so it was given up.
Boys are neisy," said Ralph. "Pl
wait until he gets a little sobered
Town." but the two months grew to
years, and still, though Ralph Haz-
elton sent occasional checks to his
nephew, accompanied always by two
words, "for Bill" he had never seen
him since the day he had quilted
ais house, or had he seen the son for
whom he was planning and working
10 earnestly.


To busy, money making man
ike Ralph Hazelton, the time passed
luickly-eYery moment is so crowd
sd-and it was not until an attack
If sickness compelled a season of
'est that he found an opportunity to
,hink quietly, and then a sudden
'ealization OF the flight of time
startled him.


"By all that's goodP' he exclaimed
one day during conValescence, after
4 little process of mental arithmetic