Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1875-12-02

o deal OF trouble, but she never
speaks any sharper than that"
Don't she nowf It's q wonder
full pleasant-sounding voice"
BY and by it seems that the cul,
prit was hunted up stairs home
again; C merry hunt with much
laughing on both sides, and az they
passed Wills door q quieter "Wl-
lie, Willie ri ruC ef---~eL
Mr. Blake looked strangely re-
fiective. Il haven't heard anybody
say Willie in Just that cooling.
careful way, not since my sister that
died she was just like q sister to
me it's terrible long while ago"
These two are much the same
they live alone: she minds him and
keeps him, and sends him to
school" ...r
You seem to know all about her,
Will"
"All that am likely to know. l
have not seen her,. There are no.
strangers Ike fellow-lodgers, and
sbe is not the kind of o girl TO
meet one on the stairs accidently,
for purpose. f..
"That was how your mother and
1 got acquainted"
al did not know that, father"
Will spoke with an air of dread
full apology that was understood
and accepted. but silently.
Dreamily, in the hush of old
memories. the father walked away
to his work.
Will sat down before the window
to finish some drawings, but the
thick, square pencil made idle
marks while the eyes that hould
have guided it. sought the only bit
of nature within sight-the strip of
changing sky between the house
tops. Many n bold design he'd
come from those sweeping cloud
kaleidoscores. None came now
Win was musing. How could q
man work with that sweet, imperi-
GUS "Willie, Wiliie," ringing his
earsl 1t was q worse distraction
than bis mothers scoldings, for he
could not be sure that he really
wanted to forget this.
liam glad have never seen her"
he said, with long breath that did
not sound like content Then he
tried to say "Willie" in her tones,
and, as a look of patient disgust
marked his consciousness of failure,
he put on his cap and walked out
The haunting voice became \
presence all too soon. As VIII
came home she met him in the
passage q little, swift gliding fig
urs, with soft dark eyes set in u
pale, fair face. .Not o bit like
mother" he thought with curious
feeling of satisfaction: but as she
passed he saw that her eyes were
humid with fear and grief.
What is the matter f he asked,
involuntarily. a
"Willisl cholera the doctori'
she answered, rushing into the
street that was wet with q stormy
rain. -sa-.-=saal .---s.--.z z.l--
| "Stayl / can go faster" cried
Will, following her. "You go back
to your b.-other." She obeyed at
once, with the quick docility Of q
gentle intelligence, and he thought
again, Mother would have talked
for an hour"
The doctor came soon, but not
soon enough. Willie was very i'll.
Bravely the little fellow strug-
gled. but the foe was too strong
for him.
"Strange," the doctor muttered,
impatiently; "the lart cases are SO
often the worst. i thought it was
over for this year"
| A week before, another lodGer in
the same house, gluttonous man,
had made himself i'll, fe.ssting on
muscles and plums and beer; he
recovered, but the poison thus
brought into the house fastened on
the weakest there. Tho child died.
There was nothing more to be done
for him. All ut once, for the first
time in his life, " lille wanted moth
ing. not even his sister.
She went about her necessary
wo,k with an oppressive, bewilder-
ed sense of leisure upon her. And
Will-if the joyous voice alone had
distracted him SO, how could he
work nowf-now that it recalled
the meek, desolate face of tho
mourner; now that the cry had
changed into such pitiful, beseech-
ing "Willie! Willie !"
The day after Willie was buried
it happened that VIII paid his rent,
and took that opportunity to in
quire after his fellow -lodger.
Poor young thing said the
motherly landlady, ''it makes my
heart ache to see her, up there in
the little room, where they were so
happy, those two. She says the
very walls seem written wita his
name, and the things he used to
touch cry Alice, Alice Just as he
called for her at the last; it is
enough to craze her; there isn't an
empty room in the house, or she
should have il for bit
"Ask her to change with me"
said Will, eagerly: tell her should
be SO glad, if she would not mind /;
the light there would suit me bet
ter"
Alice consented doubtfully, ''It
seems like deserving Willie she
said; ''and yet one has no right to
let ones self get ill; tell Mr.. Blake
accept lis offer gratefully"
She had grown little stately in
her solitary grief, and Will STAN
mered over his premeditated speech.
"My name is Willie, too: couldn' {
you take me for your brotherf''
40, no." she answered, with di-
rect simplicity; "he was so naugh-
ty, the darling: 1 never could have
him out of my thoughts for q mo-
ment"
Alice herself had this kind of
naughtiness for VIII, and now, liy-