Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-04-21

lie chitG iieid out her lat h-SndS, ca
gerry.
Here" said Mr.. Smallpiec e, takin,
4 red apple out OF his drawer and toss
ing il to the man, who gave 1t to tn,
little lady i'll his arms, now go away
quick. I'm very busy"
The man laughed again ,aIbd touching
his hat v ithdrew, holding oJie of the
chubby fists III his great i.rown hand
and making believe to bite it, while the
child muncled the apple which she
held in the other.
When they had gone, Mr.. SmalIpiece
leaned back III his chair and reflected
upon his unparalleled weakness. What
interest had he ID children, that he
should feel so soft-hearted toward this
little one: Was re getting childish in
his old age? He did not know. Possibly
so. Az all events, new feeling, or
rather an old fe cling revived, had sprung
up in his breS.st and caused him 10 look
upon his own cynical nature in some
thing of Few light.
The uexJ afternoon the child appear
ed again upon the step and again did
the man toss her high above his head
when ne met her. Looking across the
little green common, the workman rec
y
and then began an uprOarious rOmp up
OH the soft grass with the child. He lay
down and allowed her TO roll over him,
He made believe to chase her and then,
when she turned upon him, ran away,
feigning great terror. so that the child's
clear laughter rang out into the still af-
ternoon air ike q peal of little silver
bells. He went down upon his hands
and knees, and, putting the little one on
his back trotted about the lawn, pre-
tending to be horse, and otherwise
cond letting himself in a manner extrav-
aga.t and ridiculous, and sending his
companion into such convulsions of
merriment, that Simon Smallpiece,
quite before he was aware of it found
himselfe leaning back in his clair laugh
ing almost as heartily as they.
II should like, to do that myself"
thought Simon. And although yeu may
not believe it, it is actually true that the
old lawyer left his work, ard, putting
on his hat, quit his Office by the back
door and walked across the common to
join them. To be sure, he took no part
in their sport, and only stood under the
tree to watch the proceedings, but before
he went back TO his writing, the child
he'd another great red apple, bigger this
time than both her chubby fists togeth
er. f
And so between these people sort of
half-familiar acquaintance sprang up,
which gradually became TO Simon Small
piece SO pleasant and agreeable, that at
last, whenever the workman and his
niece failed to appear on the pleasant
afternoons, the lawyer would experience
a shade of disappointment. Unconsci-
ously to himself,the attrition with the
innocent nature of the child was rub
bing off some of the hard protuberances
of selfishnes and uncharity upon his
own character. Somehow he could not
think OF this little one and his own
daughter, vino was once a child, too, at
the same time land when one was pres
ent in his mind SO also was the other),
with opposed or different feelings. When
he laughed at the gambOls of the work
mans niece or pinched her rosy cheeks
playfully, he could not find it in his
heart to utter his accustomed curse upon
the memory of his oWn child whom he
had driven from him years ago. And as
one thought led to another, he began to
reflect at times when he sat alone in his
chamber at night, that it would lie a
pleasant thing to have u woman's or
even a child's presence there, to bright
en- his declining years and TO make him
feel more kindly toward the world. But
who was there to do for him what the
workman's little charge had unconsci-
Ousiy accom- plished for her uncle? He
had no brother to bequeath him child
rem. His daughter had found better
shelter than he could give her, although
he knew not where it was. She was
happy dubtless, ,and in her daily thoughts
and prayers he never found place. Yet
he could almost have wished to see a
little child or two whisking about his
room and perhaps calling him grand
father. Ii would have been pleasant,
after all, to have a rosy elf, all smiles
and dimples, climbing up into his lap
after supper and burying a pair of pink
cheeks IN his waistcoat. But that, alas,
although it might have been, was not to
be thought of now.
The summer waned and autumn came
in her rustling robes of brown and gold,
strewing the grassy space behind the of
flee with loose carpet of crisp and
withered leaves. The intimacy between
Simon and the child, extending now
even TO taking her in his arms and kiss
ing her, had clandestinely smuggled an
element of kindness into the lawyers
nature, which had kindled in his heart
a warmth which it had not known for
years. On every sunny afternoon he
walked across the common to meet the
workman and his niece, and sometimes
stopped himself to gather q handful OF
the rustling leaves with which to play
fully cover the child's flaXen curls.
One afternoon he saw the man APP
preaching with singular, hating gait,
as though it were painful for him to
walk. The hour was q little earlier than
that of his usual return from work, but
the child was waiting for him under the
trees. AS she saw MIN coming, she
ciapped her hands with her characters
tic little shout and ran toward him. But
he did not catch her in his arms as usual
and as he took her hand, put his ewn
brown one up quickly to his heart and
staggered little unsteadily. Then, with
out q word, he fell forward suddenly up
on the grass.
"My goodness !" said Simon, leaping
at once out OF the low open window and
running across the common toward
them. Something has happened to the
man"
When he reached the spot, the work
man lay upon his face land the child was
clfnging to him with screams OF terror.
Several persons who had seen him fall
came quickly up and tried to raise him
10 his feet, but when they recognized the
truth, they laid him back again and tried
to unclasp the arms of the little girl.
1T was heart disease" said one, soft
ly.
"Is he dead ?" asked Simon, bending
over the PROSTATE form in awe.
Quite dead" replied the other, who
was "a neighboring physician. as the
child his?"
1.-The child is mine, now," said MI
Smallpiece, firmly, raising her in his
arms. ''Wili you gowith Inc, my little
one ?u