Page:Frank Owen - Rare Earth, 1931.djvu/72

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Rare Earth

came to him almost immediately, sleep and rest, better rest than he had had for months.

The completed picture was perfect in its lifelike resemblance to Ardell. When he beheld it, Hung Long Tom stood in amazement. Some time later Scobee explained to him how he had found his mother at last upon the battlefield. From that picture Hung Long Tom had derived great hope, for hope seemed to be shining from Ardell's eyes. Her expression of contentment could not have existed if her boy had to remain forever in darkness. Yet they had gone to Chicago to see Steinlin and his report was certainly not encouraging. Hung Long Tom sighed. Why, oh, why must there be so much sadness in the world?

Sometimes Mary Graham, Rad's mother, came across the fields to see Scobee. She loved to sit with him, to be near him so that she could talk about her boy. For Scobee she had a great love. How often with Rad he had played about her living-room when they were boys together. One of the tragedies of life is that

children should ever grow up. Childhood is

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