The Portland daily press., 1873-11-15

bell, but weeks passed. AMI the golden COACH
anu-six IN which Our Cinderella was 10 arrive
did not rattle up the dive to the oquiinps
academy.
| think we had almost given it up, and
Amanda Liza's base forgetIuihess AM III
gratitude were becoming au oiu story, Wuth
one dav at noon Jake came rushing III among
| II. hnt and shining aud holding between his
| tbnmh and folefinger a dainty billet. lie
| looked like an embodied "huirah' 1t tina:
| moment
But to t Il the truth, Jake could not quite
make out the writing, for with all his ''op-
portunities. as GU worthy principal desig
ia. ed his vicinage TO wisdom and learning in
the capacity Of shoe-black, the lad was una
BILE t" decpher mauuscript-"hadnt the pa
tience,' he d, clared.
Jenny Smith read the letter for him amidst
general applause Justice and righteousness
had trlumphed, it appeared. and Amanda
Liza had proved herself u regular BRICK" as
Jenny with Drumming eyes, observed. hand
Ing back The precious scrap OF paper to jake,
who Carefully wrapped it in his ragged hand
kerchief. the letter contained a brief invi-
taton to the lad, urging him TO come and
see his old frend-a day was appointed for
| the visit, and the street and number where
she was to be found were written out in
round. schoolgirl hand. A fashionable and
not likely to be very familiar.
Jake sci himself to work without loss OF
| time at backing his boots, albeit the ap
| pointed day was somewhere about week
ahead But it would axe deal of fixing,
he explained confde Ltially, to get ready, ana
| be hadn't much TO fix with. Jake's normal
condition was net that OF dandy, certainly.
He could only, as a general thing, be lured by
! the prospect OF drive to "red himself up.
as Mrs. Squimps sa 4. To be ragged and lei
alone was h S heaven. But this time he rose
to the greatness OF the occasiOn-he brushed
and secured. washed out his sole white shirt,
busted and Strengthened his battered old hat,
and mended his trowscrs.
Deeply interested il Jake's fortunes, we
watched the Proceedings.
but jake" said Jenny Smith one day,
"what are you to do for coat?"
Unhappy sugeestionl Jake looked aghast.
He hadn't thought of that. Certainly he
| couldn make mis- appearance in that over
| grown coachman's rig. in which he was wont
TO illustrate the academical responsibility on
the ROAD. And he had Tothng else. No
necessity had ever befule developed itself tor
any thing save shit sleeves and a WOODEN
jacket
And a full pause came over our delibera-
lions tor Jake. Miss Smith whistled, aud
finally suggested her water proot-we ali
were ready TO fling ours at his feet-but Jake
couldn't go mufiled like all Italian brieand.
He shook his he. d.
| Night closed without any solution OF the
! difficulty, but we trusted that somehow The
lad quick wit would find a way out of it.
The next morning, however, a new sensa-
lion turned us frcm the contemplation OF
JaKe's disasters. The horse had been rob-
bed We were all terribly scared. and Mr..
Squlnps was in fever of defamation and
wrath, His coat, his best beloved bue-black
coat, in which he was wont TO dignity trustee
meetings, ornament his pew OF a Sunday,
aud pay visits Of state to his DatroIs-his
coat had been stolen! His coat, a man so
devote / TO the interests OF education that he
sc,r.ely had time to go to the tailors; to
think that an uneratesui, inappreciative, idle
world should have permitteJ him to be rob-
bed. He raved, lie stormed, he threatened
vengeance, he lectured us on the desenelacy
of the times, amt forgot our Latin.
Vague fsrebodings of lurking assassins,
masked robbers, and frequent sklrmshes into
the wardrobe aud dormitories about this
time kept us all in nervous furry, to the ex-
clusion Of all thought of Jake. But late one
twilight afternoon, as we sat huddtd in the
windows Of the long School-room wal Jig the
supper-bel,, we saw him issue fiom the out
house. Oh, horrorl Oh, appal tion of terror
For with its tails nearly touching the gre und,
its long sleeves overlapping his hands, Jake
wore, without doubt, the uissing Coat, bold
ly marching in his stolen finery down toward
the road in sight o. us all
In sight of sharper eyes too, it seemed, for
not far from the house NJ. Squimps himself
pounced upon him.
Poor, kind, light hearted Jakel We held
our breath that day aud the next, fer Jake
had been marched off to prison, and Mr.
SquiIups's eloquence anu morality were in
full flow. He said a longer grace than ever
at dinner, anu we were all glad when, hum
gry eying the scanty board, we heard the
visitors bell summon him to the parlor. |
think we were in better appetite than usual
that day, and left little behind us for cur
Mentor as we flied up stairs, toward the
sclool-ro IN. Passing the plrl0r door there
rushed out upon us little iSure in trailing
silk dress aud bonnetful OF nod0ing French
flowers. 1t was Amanda Liza.
"Oh, eilsl' she cried, Historically, Devil
dered with an apparent desire to embrace the
Whole troop. "Poor Jake!'
Mr. SqulmpS. tall and solemn. rose with
dignity, and cl sed the parlor-door upon their
further conference. We heard him make
this consoling remark:
81 always knew he'd come to no coodl'
1t seemed that Amanda had learned of
Jake mishap through some stray newspaper
where The we-known lame OF the virtuous
and vengefll Squimps had met her eye. She
comprehended the situation, and came 10 the
academy to plead for her old friend.
We waited the news OF Jake tate breath
lessly, noddng and whispering among our
selves. For there would be trial or some
thug terfibe,of course we hardly knew what.
Mr.. SquimDs Was away all the afternoon, the
classes were demorazed, and we stood idly
gazing outsof the window at four O'Clock,
when carriage came up the drive. To our.
amazement Jake sat on the box, elate anG
erect Ee sprang down, and opened the
door with a flourish, and out stepped Mr..
Squimps..
cided not to prosecute.' said Mr.. .Squimps;
and if splendid new coat fresh from the
tailor's and plump siken purse OF unknown
manufacture hal anything to do with this
decision we were not informed OF it.
And Pm going TO live with Miss Mandy
Liza foreverv' cried Jake, when he came
among us, bis face lii with glory as if be
were departing for heaven.
Would Amanda LA dress him in blue
coat md brass buttons. and make him her
coachman at goo wages? All. vha. rise
for poor Jakel Amanda Liz, was his
saint, his angel, the hem of whose garment
he touched reverently. There was no common
place element about such 1--we as this, and
Jake would be content to let down her cani-
riage steps and look after her ponies all the
days of his life. we thought And that was
the last we saw OF him at the Squmpses'.
But years after, when 1 was travelling III
Australia with my husband, Mr.. Smith andEy-
self were invited to the ranch of one OF the
msg, trates there, whose broad estates cover
ed miles of mountain and meadow, and who
owned almost literally ''the cattle upon
thousand hills In the lady Of the mansion a
delicate and dainty Parsonage, l recognized
school-mate, Armand. Liza; but did not
know the portly oignitary upon yhose arm
she hung until I heard her laughing wins
per "Oh Jake don't you remember old