Year: 1876

silence and change of the subject


Sometimes, too, Benny could not quite un-
derstand why his friend stammered and


looked ashamed when making inquiry of


him about his mother. But there was no


distrust between them and no disagree


ment, and when, as they were speaking


one day of the boys father, and Perky


said suddenly, as if he had but just thought


of it, How would you like to have me for


a father?" Benny replied, without hesita-


ton and feeling, "Oh, that would be


splendidr' Then they walked home with |


out saying another word, and when they |


parted at the gate there were tears in


Perky's eyes. Benny lay awake a long


time that night wondering what it could


mean, and fell asleep at last to dream that


his father came to him in the vague white


robe of an angel, with a face that shone
like the sun. And the face was the face
, of Perky.


As the summer wore slowly away, Perky's
gloominess grew upon him day by day,
and he could not shake it off. 1t seemed


to him, also, that it took very little exer-
ton to overcome him with fatigue. He
: could hardly walk to the river ford, and
: back as far as the Widow Hainline's, with
, out singular trembling in his limbs, and
t dizzy sensation about the head, and he
S would often be obliged to stop and steady
| himself against the catalpa-tree by the
/ widows gate before he could go on, he was
S so tired, and there was such blur just
\ ahead of him. Once, when he was stand
e ing there, the widow came out of the house
e on an errand to neighbours, and as he
e lifted his hat to her he sunk down ex-
n haustedly at her feet, but he pretended
It that he had merely stopped to disengage a
/, wanton brier from her dress skirt, and
e when she bowed him her thanks he rose
l. and stood again like an athlete. lie had a
e harrassing cough, too, and slept ftfully,
If and in his thin, pale cheeks were ugly
5, spots of scarlet. When they told him he
y was sick and in need of a physician he
d smiled wearily and said: "Only little
'e bilious, that's ALL And on the days when
d he feltso weak that he dared not venture
e. out-days that came quite frequently in
nj that lazy, lethargic September weather-he
m was always ready with some plausible ex
so cuse to conceal the real cause of his stay
to ing indoors.


IN He consented finally to allow another
er printer to take his place in the CEario,
'n ofice-temporarily, and as his "sub" only


for the editor would not like it, he said i
y, he should give up his cases merely because
ed he wanted to loaf few days and get tn,
e, malaria out of the system" He visiteC
On the Office from time to time to see how hi
lie "sub " got along, and to take look at tn
n exchanges. They showed him the frs
4rs number of the new paper at KonomC
lrs which was to be the CIariOn's contestant 70
ne the county printing and he curled his lip
FOR at sight of its double advertisements, an
ey said the grave yawned for a paper tina
Ter started out by leading its selected matter
ter Some days he would relieve the "sub fo
ng half an hour, or read two or three galley
her of proof for the overworked editor, bU
ne usually he remained only few minute
of and many times he came only to the doc
KY, looked in as if seeking for somebody, the
aid turned and went away without speaking.
be He had abandoned his customary ran
nat bles nearly month before; and this fac
&C. though no longer new enough to be in itse
I'M remarkable, served to give unusual intere
ky to the report that Perky had been sec
ON going leisurely down the road again towai
lin the woods the morning of that importal
18th Saturday when +" the grim chieftain," Gen
18th raj Jim Lane, was to deliver his first speec
sed in Seward Center. Aunt Naomi Scybo
or had called to him three times from heFop'
nd, window, but he paid no attention to it e
h cept to quicken his pace little, and 81
not watched him g as stiddy as if she had a b
rib a-settin' for to have her picter took" 81
red said, until he passed the Widow Hainlin'
can and disappeared over the hill. Then s.
not hastened up to the store and the printil
her. office to tell what she had seen, and
e to hour later the surprising eventwas the ia
Ight of the town. With the afternoon, howev
uch came the grim chieftain with


speech, and after an early supper they
ind bonfire and another speech, and in {
dis. novelty and agitation of it all the incide
fact. of the morning was forgotten, and nobo
q go noticed that Perky did not return.


the must have been quite four o'clock of 81
chat day evening when his absence was first
med served. That some harm had befallen h


ont seemed the only reasonable solution of
the matter, and there was no time to lose
q he delay or in speculation. The editor,
, the companied by.such of the townsfolk as
we're. could readily get together, promptly ST.


the ed in search of him. They called to ms


For INQUIRY of Aunt Naomi Scybold, and
close went on with them to the Widow lis


was lines, repeating to them as she wall


how along her story of the day before.
ting widow could give them no additional in
owed nation indeed, the whole of it was


that astonishment and shock to her, she s.
mont and she questioned them very eag'
!, tbe about it, while Benny listened with an


da6nite dread and wished they would