The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-01-21
The True Story OF Ponto.


"Willic! Kicking old Pontol Sup
pose L should kick you in the same way?
"Well, you might" said Willie, with a
very red face. eff I'd been half as hate
full as Ponto, anybody might kick me.
There I'd raked all the leaves into pile,
and lie came numbering along and just
walked right through them and sent
them every way. 1t wasn't play. He's
TOO stupid to play. He ought to be
killed"
81 know a little boy who ran into a
basket of clean clothes Bridget had just
taken to the top Of the stairs, and who
sent shirts and cuffs and collars flying
down together. Do you think he ought
20 be killed."
"Oh! well, / was running, and didnt
see the basket and it hadn't any bust
ness there, any way. Now Ponto saw
well enough. He's so old he doesn t
know anything. You can't have any fun
with him. wish we had new dog"
CT don't" said Grace, who had come
up behind. eyes, / do, too. I'd like a
new dog for play, and Ponto for the
comfort of it. He's so nice TO lie down
by on the rug"
"Then neither of you remember what
he has donel" Mrs. Allen asked. "Where
were YOU when he was sent here?"
CAT grandma's, guess" Oracle said,
after a moments thought. "He was
here when we came to aunty's. l know
she said you got him at the seaside, and
the letter that Was sent with him was
lost. 80 she never could tell why you
wanted him. Why did you, mamma -
"Then nobody understands why you
are here" Mrs. Allen said, patting Pom
to's beautiful head. "Poor fellow! Al
ter ten, children, we'll talk about it.
Grace and Will were ready at the ap-
pointed time, Grace curled up on the
rug by Ponto, and Willie in his low
chair, looking attentively at the deli
cate mother, with whom he said he did
not feel at all acquainted yet" This
was not surprising, as for nearly three
years Mrs. Allen had been travelling for
her health, often i'll for weeks at a time
and unable to get away from wherever
she happened to be; and the children
had been with Aunt Lizzie, their father s
sister.
Willie remembered perfectly their own
pretty home, near Boston, and the dread
full day when he and Grace, standing on
the piazza, had seen two frightened
horses dash up the carriage-way, drag
ging behind them fragments of what had
been the carriage. Now and then he saw
again in dream the group of men who
presently came III sight, carrying what
they thought must be their dead moth
-er, as they looked at the pale, motion
less figure. He could remember the
long days in which she lay unconscious,
her first sitting up, and then their be-
ing taken to grandmotlier's, while Mrs.
Allen went to the seaside for quiet and
change of air. She had grown better
very slowly. Something wrong with the
spine, the doctors said and, to save her
life, they had given up all thought OF
returning home, and had been i'll Eu
rope for over two years. Letters haC
come and gone constantly but the bes
letter can never take the place of spo
ken words and Willie felt ns if father
mother and little brother were three
agreeable strangers, who must become
friends IA soon as possible.
"You have drawing OF the light
house, and old Popto on the steps
haven't Jou, Willie, Mrs. Alien asked.
cts in Frame" Grace answered fo
him, changing up in Willies own room
Pumpkin Island lighthouse. What
queer name! Were there many pump
kins ""
"Not one," Mrs. Allen said, "no
was it real island, save at high water
The lighthouse stood on q point som
two miles from the village water OF
three sides and at the back long, 10,
-sandbar, covered at high tide, Oh hav
said, and only coarse green salt gras
growing upon it in patches here an
there. 1t was very lonely spot, an
vet 1 think you would have liked il
The salt spray dashed over our window
when a storm came-but that was Sc
dom and the blue wide sea, with NJ
Desert in the distance, was always befor
us. The beach was white and firm, anC
when 1 grew strong enough to go abor
at all, papa used to spread shaw
there, and lay hours at time lister
ing to the lap of waves or the shoi
and thinking about my boy and girl {
home.
"Ponto always kept guard, eitht
over me or little Fred. He had bee
famous in his time, having saved ma
from wreck, years before. All abo,
under the beautiful blue water wei
sunken rocks, and the lighthouse stoo
IA to warn sailors off the dangero-
coast. Ponto wa always restless whe