Show A Mothers Mother's Sacrifice Sacrifice-By Sacrifice By Gorge George eorge Randolph Chester 1 j L I I TB HATED the stony hillside farm H HE L hated the very soil that so 80 grudgingly produced the living they ther wrested from it Through generation after generation M his hip forefathers had fought their dogged battle batte with nature never advancing never receding receding ing fag an and David Grayson's father and mother s stern rn silent grim were the numbed and stunted Blunted outgrowths of this weary warfare It was was not until he was a man grown that the first ray of light glimmered in upon his own own darkness Down in the troug trough of the hills lived a girl Hitherto she had been merely a part of his environment like the tho barren circling ranges and the little valley made its only stripe strip of bounty bount There too top green trees and waving grain flaunted their richness in derision at at the tho bare knolls knoUs looming above them and amid these she dwelt heiress of the valley David Grayson There came a day when awoke to find that this one detail of his environment had ceased to be commonplace In that day Ruth became no longer longera a part of his mere landscape With the untrammeled of a achild achild achild child Ruth watched for this grave young herself in his neighbor sho she threw way break down the barrier of she tried to that he had up between reserve serve them for his bis own protection One day she stopped him bim underneath the big oak atthe at home from be he was trudging the roadside as little village at the thed end d of the the poor valley vaHey picture Dave she said I I found your Just look here which flared magazine She held open a up at him bim a pu quickening pulse picture The Theartist Theartist Theartist artist had drawn a farmer boy standing erect at his plow handles plow handles and gazing with parted half-parted lips into the sky lIe He drew a deep breath and sat lost In Ina Inn a n reverie of wild conjecture With Instant instant instant In in- stant sympathy she followed his train of thought Weve an encyclopedia over at the house she presently ventured It tells all nIl about ever everything Come over and Ill I'll show it to jou you He went gladly and the visit was n a revelation He lie had heard rumors of the books n had and d magazines that lI laugh Hugh gh had bought to spoil Ruth but his ey eyes s glistened as he saw them She took do down the tho volume that contained an article on building bridge-building and he ho delved eagerly into It Alas hero herG was only more despair 1 The Tho article was comprehensive but technical technical technical tech tech- and required learning to understand it The illustrations spoke a plainer language language language lan lan- guage however and carried him bim from the simplest trusses to those vast spans of ot steel that are arc the wor worlds world's s 's wonders of modern engineering Plain Hugh came through the room where they were sprawled upon the floor absorbed in their eager eager quest Dont spoil Dave with your jour books Ruth Huth he be good admonished Hes lies too good a farm farmer lies Hes spoiled now she retorted with witha a glance of pride at nt David The Way once shown the task set he worked as he had never worked before before- and Ruth worked with him Again a bitter abstraction came camo upon him but this time he be was fathomed by the intuition of only one woman woma his mother With Spartan muteness muteness mute mute- ness she herself unlocked the last barrier that held him back from the world into which she knew she must lose him into which she could never follow tollow him bim where she would bo be bean an an alien nay alien nay almost a pariah She dug from a n hidden recess her own meager savings she coaxed other savings to the last cent from the sparse unwilling pockets of ot Abner Grayson and she gave her herboy boy boy money money S t Again g gleamed the light of promise e. e He lie bought textbooks instruments materials he worked as nS If f a a demon drove him Such fierce earnestness was bound to achieve There came a day when after c correspondence correspondence cor cor- r- r and samples of 1 his is work had passed to and fro an offer came at what seemed to him like a fabulous tion On the way home homo from the village ho bo homet homet met Ruth at their usual trysting-place trysting and showed her the letter a new gleam of fire in his eye an answering wave of color in her bel face Together they sat under the shade oj of the broad oak and planned ft it all nil out their wonder wonderful ul future But fate for those who would grasp her golden prizes holds the test teat of the white hot crucible At tI the door of his home Davids David's j joy was blackened by the announcement that that his father had fallen from the mow of or the barn to his biG death With eyes that burned because there ther had had come no tears to quench their aching Mrs Grayson sat still numbed still to to the weary days das that were yet to be lived through Presently she became aware of or a Ii voice that came out to her through the open window aAd the hc voice was that of her son The happiest hour of my life has come como ht 1021 by Le re Ledger Company and has gone forever fore Ruth David id was saying That hour was when I came ba back k from the postoffice with that offer and with it as my fortune asked you to tobe be my wife wiCe The offer is still open open but I must answer it U tonight I am going to refuse it There came no answer to this but presently presently presently pres pres- her son said My ry girl 1 An AnSI And the the- woman on the porch knew that Ruth had crept into the shelter of his arms to comfort him There is only one thing for me to do he be went on presently I must must take my my- fathers father's place as IlS he took the place of his father before him Min I must dig into these barren fields s he he and never left mother know how bitter is the sacrifice I must make There ensued another r silence and the then the gentle voice of Ruth answered Ill wait dear dar Wait I That one word ord opened at last forthe for forthe forthe the woman on the porch the floodgates of ot other her tears t Presently she arose with a strange peace upon her As she moved forward her face c came me into the light of or the sun which threw into sharp relief the shadows round the same ame firm jaw and stern lips an and open fearless fearless fear fear- less eyes pies that had bad descended to her lier son Turning she went quietly into the house and came upon upon David id where he still stood caressing caressing with his broad hand the head that rested upon his shoulder David id my boy bot and you YO my daughter she said and her clear even voice gave ga no hint of ot the stern cost Ive been thinking after all an that's happened here that this thin place is a mighty sorrowful one for tor me and andI I wish you jou could go away off and take m me me with you |