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Show I little Sir Galahad JXK ! A Story With a j Blessing J J f I By PHOEBE GRAY 1 j 11 1 1 Copyright by Small, Maynazd & Company SYNOPSIS. ; 8 While trundling the clean washing up Clipper Hill Mary Alice Brown is set upon up-on by some mischievous boys, who spill the washing Into the dirt. She Is rescued and taken to her home in Calvert street by Francis Willett. a Galahad knight. She Is punished by her drunken father for returning without the wash money. Mary Alice wanders away from home, takes a trolley ride Into the country and spends the night at the farmhouse of Sam Thomas. Thom-as. In the morning she meets little Charlie Char-lie Thomas, a cripple. Sam takes Mary Alice home and finds that he and Mrs. Brown are old acquaintances. Sam takes her and Mary Alice to his home for a visit while Lem Brown, the drunken father, fa-ther, is serving a workhouse sentence. Charlie is made a Galahad knight. Francis Fran-cis visits the farm and is saved from drowning by Mary Alice. Lem Brown gets out of jail and goes to work for Sam Thomas as hired man. lg,litfIFK'H;;K;;r1nlgT5rH'r5'5?H'lnjK'm:li::?ii:'5! I. To know all Is to forgive all, B says an old proverb. Lem Brown was a dirty, shiftless, a drunken bum. He seemed be- g yond appeal. Yet one person, a child, saw Into his scorched soul, saw opportunity to help him and did so. 1 Bl ' , 1 CHAPTER V Continued. It was too cold and stormy for little Charlie Thomas to be carried out of doors every day. He sat in the window win-dow and watched the new hired man shovel deep canyons in the snow. Everybody but Charlie disliked the new hired man. He was a surly, moody fellow, with hardly a word to say, and acted as If he were always ashamed of something. "The reason you don't like Lem," said Charlie, "is because you don't like him." "Gosh!" chuckled the boss. "That's a deep remark. Oh, well, boy, we'll give the critter a fair chance, you can bet on that." In fact, Sam felt that he had given Lem more than a fair chance. At this time of year it was hard to get the equivalent of the man's food out of his labor. Sam kept him on the farm for the sake of Mrs. Brown and the children; chil-dren; he had made a bargain. Once he ran away. Sam traced him to town, found him already half-drunk on what whisky he could whine for, and barely saved him from being locked up in jail. It may have been brutal medicine, but the thrashing that Sam awarded him for his truancy laid him up in bed for two days. The boss despaired of ever doing better with him than to keep him out of mischief for the greater part of the time. Anyhow, Any-how, he would force him to work and help support his family. Occasionally Mrs. Brown, Mary Alice and little Dick came out for Sunday Sun-day dinner. At such times Lem was encouraged to "slick up" and sit down with the family. At first he refused; but at length he allowed himself to be persuaded Martha was never quite sure how and a stranger would not I have known, by casual observation, that Lem was not in the entire good graces of all present. But he had very little to say. "I want you to understand, Lem," Sam would explain, "that I ain't got the least grudge against you, though you may think I act like I had. I'm goin' to treat you just as good as you'll let me. If there's a spark of manhood left in you well, everybody knows what a good blow'll do to a spark." Sam chuckled; the joke was coarse and harsh. But he knew his man. Here was occasion for no delicate measures, he thought. Kid gloves would be entirely out of place. Perhaps Sam's method of treatment was not wholly reliable. He was conscientious con-scientious in administering it, however. It was a case of kill or cure, he reasoned. rea-soned. But he didn't hate Lem Brown; and every time he wagged a fist under Lena's terrified and retiring chin Sam had, 'way down deep in his heart, a tenderness toward Lottie and Mary Alice and little Dick, of which his fierceness was a reversed expression. Little Charlie Thomas liked Lem Brown. He did not know why Lem TO working for his father on the farm instead of in the city, where he could be with his family; but the explanation satisfied Mm. Lem was needed to help the boss. To Charlte, too, it was an advantage that he was unaware of Lem's depravity, de-pravity, lie saw in him only a sort of woe-begone, sad-yed hulk of a man. working incessantly at tasks that called for a lot of brute strength. Brute strength and physical prowess delighted Charlie. Hercules and Sir Galahad shared about equally his regard, re-gard, with a shade in favor of Sir Galahad, in spite of his father's cordial indorsement of Hercules. Lem was as powerful as an ox. In the early winter, with tie first sledding, sled-ding, Sam began to haul stones for the foundation of bis new creamery. Charlie watched Lem Juggle the great rocks, and his eyes sparkled with intense in-tense admiration. "Gee, Lem!" said he, when the big laborer esaoe in for his dinner. "Ain't you Just the strongest feller. I been watchin' you all the forenoon." "Yes, I am pretty strong," agTeed 8 Hm. It was the first sign of self-re spect he had shown since he had been with the Thomases. "I'm a Galahad Knight," said Charte. "Of course I ain't so strong as I'm goin' to be. But I'm gettin' stronger. Come here and feel." Lem looked foolish, but put out a large paw and gingerly tested Charlie's imaginary biceps, which he flexed with great vigor. "The boss says I'm a reg'lar Hercules." Her-cules." "I don't know what a herc'luss is," said Lem; "but you sure are a strong little feller." Then Lem smiled. Nobody on the Thomas place had ever seen Lem Brown smile from the day Sam had ' brought him there, snarling and scowling. scowl-ing. Lem's smile was really a creditable credit-able thing. It spread slowly across his heavy countenance and lighted it up with the genial glow of a jack-o-lan-tern. , "Ain't you a comical little cuss!" said Lem. Martha came in from the shed, with a comforter tied around her face. Lem looked up, sobered instantly, reached for his cap, and scrambled out like a boy caught stealing apples. "What was you saying to that critter, crit-ter, dearie?" asked Martha. "Oh, I was just havin' a little er con conversation with Wm," said Charlie, licking his lips pleasantly at the taste of the big word. "Lem's a awful nice feller, mummee." "Heaven help us," murmured Mrs. Thomas. "Such a boy as you are, Charlie!" "Lem's so turrible solemn." said the child, nodding his golden head vehemently. "I was cheerin' him up. Ain't it funny, he's a great big strong man, and I'm a little boy. He's strong-er'n strong-er'n most anybody a million times stronger'n me; but just 'cause I'm a Galahad Knight I can help him and make him feel real good. He's awful pleasant, Lem Is." One day Charlie had been reading to Lem from his Galahad book. The man had found out, by cautious experiment, ex-periment, that his friendliness for Charlie did not entail the 111 favor of Sam and Martha. So he now very boldly and confidently pulled his chair alongside the little boy and allowed the pleasant intimacy to grow un checked. "How'd you ever get a-hold of all that about them knights and things?" he asked. "Why, didn't I tell you?" cried Charlie. "It was Mary Alice." "Mary Alice!" "Sure, your little girl, Mary Alice. Only she's quite a big little girl. I love Mary Alice. Ain't you just proud of her? She's my bestest friend, next to the boss and mummee. It was this way." And Charlie went at length Into the story of how his "bestest friend" had had him made a Galahad Knight. With all the necessary circumlocutions, the recital took a long half-hour. Charlie was quite breathless when he finished. "So that's all there is to it," he concluded. con-cluded. "Only Mary Alice can't be a Galahad Knight, 'cause it's in the rules that only us fellers can be one. But she's 'Lady Mary Alice' whenever she comes to see me; and wit ye well, Sir Lem, lovelier lady hath never trod this earth. So there, now." Lem looked at the little boy. Martha came and stood over the pair. "Now Charlie-boy," she warned, "don't you get all tired out." Lem got lumberingly to his feet. "Oh, my gosh!" he said. "Oh, good gosh! What a kid!" He did a queer and presumptuous thing. With a leathery paw he reached out and patted Charlie's golden head. "Ain't you the comlcalest kid, though!" he said, and turned toward the door. The boss stood there, eyeing Lem, and in his face the hulk that had been a man saw something far different differ-ent from the usual sternness. The boss did not give ground to let Lem pass out; instead, he said: 'Tut her there, Lem! By jinks, I don't know but you're human after all," and gripped Lem's hand as ons man to another. an-other. Lem Brown stalked across the yard to the drag and began to pile off the big rocks. He worked as if he liked It, even when the jagged edges bruised and cut the leather of his blunt fingers. fin-gers. "Good gosh!" he muttered to himself. Down inside of his being something was waking up. It was what we call a soul. Lem Brown had begun his fight. CHAPTER VI. John Willett and His Son. John Willett of Sheffield made no parade pa-rade of personal virtue; yet he was, If you believed his neighbors, a good man. At the banks, in the church, in the homes of his friends, his reputation reputa-tion was secure. Scrupulous to a penny, generous to a fault, an able business man. folks pointed him out and nominated him for a life membership member-ship in the Salt of the Earth club. He was always giving, yet he definitely declined to be called philanthropic. He hated the word "charity," yet he was above all things charitable. His heart was so tender that it sometimes hurt him. A character like that of; John Willett Wil-lett collects friends and followers and supporters as a poppy collects bees. Rich and poor, good and bud, all had a good word to say for him. He nevei could see any use in having enemies, when it was so much easier and pleas-anter pleas-anter to have friends. Willett was an Ideal family man. His friends said it was too bad he had only one child, since he passionately loved all children and was such 8 model father. Little Charlie Thomat stirred his tenderness anil prompted, him to arrange for his old friend, Billy Jackson, the great specialist, to sen the child. If Jackson undertook tho case, Thomas would be allowed to think be was paying the physician fol his services, and any differences be1 tvreen his customary large fee and tin amount Thomas could afford would come out of Willett's pocket. Sam Thomas could thus profit by Willett's assistance and still hold to his own self-respect. He thought his wealthy friend the finest in the world. Willett's interests were diverse. Without following any specialized line of business, he had acquired shares in a score of enterprises. Thus he was a power in Sheffield. A pretty valuable and useful citizen, to be sure; any city must be fortunate which possesses pos-sesses a John Willett. It was a foregone conclusion that John Willett would use the utmost discretion dis-cretion in picking out a preparatory school for Francis. He studied catalogues cata-logues and wrote letters all summer, and not until a fortnight before the beginning of term time did he make up his mind. For this beautiful boy he required a schooling among the sons of an aristocracy, aris-tocracy, not alone of wealth, but of breeding. Francis must be surrounded by Influences that would continue the shaping of his manhood as John himself him-self had endeavored to shape it at home. Francis had always responded eagerly to bis father's affection; John Willett had reaped richly in the respect and admiration that alotle can repay such a love as his. "Francis, old man," he said, on the day before the boy would start for school, "you and father have been good als, haven't we?" "The best ever," replied Francis with enthusiasm. "Remember it," went on John Willett. Wil-lett. "And remember that no matter what a man does in the world, no matter mat-ter what success he may achieve, it is nothing compared with his pride in a fine son. You are a fine son, my boy, a fine sou. I could trust you anywhere to do the right thing, couldn't I?" "Yes sirree, you could dad!" "Well, then, boy, you are going away where you will have a lot of chances to choose between right and wrong. Yon won't have mother or me any more to run to and ask: 'Shall I do this?' or 'May I do that?' Sometimes Some-times you i will not feel like putting your problems up to your masters. You will have to decide for yourself. Do you realize it?" "I'll try to, sir." The boy was quite grave. "Then perhaps it will help you to draw a little picture in your mind of mother and me, with you standing by us asking our consent or advice. In this little picture ask your question; then try to imagine how we should answer an-swer It. See what the expression of our faces tell you; decide just what the most likely thing will be for us to say, Isn't that a good way?" ' Bully, sir; great!" "So you see, you can say to yourself whenever you have to decide what to do or what not to do: 'My father has set me a good example. My mother is as good as gold.' " "I'll always try to do like you, pop; honest, I will." "You will grow up and be a bigger man and a better man than your father, fa-ther, dear little boy. I expect it of you. I am going to be so proud of you " Francis threw his arms suddenly about his father's neck. Sobbing a little, lit-tle, he hugged him close and patted the bearded cheek, which, oddly enough, ha found a little moist. Thus John Willett did his duty by his son. And when next day he stood on the station platform and saw Fran-els' Fran-els' white handkerchief flutter from the rear door of the diminishing train, he turned to his wife and said: "The makings of a fine, clean man, dearest; thank God for him and pray God to make him all you and I have planned." Mary Alice Brown, working happily ten hours a day in her little armed turret at Stacey's. missed the occasional occasion-al calls of the Galahad Knight. He was the nicest boy, she thought. The salesgirls liked him, too, and good-naturedly chaffed her about her "gentleman "gentle-man friend." When his Jovial round face with its thatch of red hair bobbed into sight down the crowded aisle It was delicious to greet him with: "Hello. Francis!" and to have him reply: re-ply: "Hello, Sadie; hello, Grace; hello, Minnie! How's trade?" p, Does It seem to you the wise a j thing to send a boy away from g home to school Just at the pe- & riod when his character is most ij Impressionable when he needs B mothering and fathering the lj g most? (TO BE CONTINU).) |