The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-12-30
SeAx.rowsgs.

/ non sansay 4 t,esaooa.l !.

sT,ixacTt TIC osssnnogand cgept backsto her
,,aars hesftie the aansh house keeper wife.
Syt,e s.int shark 81 aife they baa been watcfs.
sns, ssnse the dull winter night closed IN Wns
fiSekerinp still though the old steepie-clock
had INST tolled one, and The wood on the
queer black andirons had dropped into en- !
hers on the hearth. . -, !.
20 It,s slow work. y whispered the keepers
wife. eve might sfip down stairs TOT 2 cap
OF something warm while she sleeps, atia
never be missed" and the two stole noIs !.
ssS,,na az IL broke and fell on the hearth
Sras ahe onsy sound left behind thems tut
The ewes the keepers wife had said uere
siannino slowly nnclosed- brown eyes
MA 4 mir youus face--how had they ever
como into such q place? a slender hama
bgsied itself tremblingiy at a RIBBON shat
had eseaped the sleepy Watchers eyes--a
4 ,ihhn,s With something hanging from at that
cleaned in the flicker from. the hearth, and
q voice called softly, "Phil!
A child stirred in its sleep, tneH rose ana
came quickly to her side. ..tgs,9 S.
aMy darlingi Kiss me goodnight. once
.ncrey 1t is the last time. and be quick -, -
for the kitchen-door below creaked AGAIN
The keepers wife and Liz were coming g
hasE. aGoot night, my darling !" and the
trembling fingers fastened, the ribbon TouRd
Eis neck. .and remember Be always good
md brave for my sake, and Tor the dear
MTbey,ye neither OF them stirred, wills
,,srad tho keepers wife. "We might have
had another cup and no one the wiser.',
t.gS<
One by one the dark winter days slipped
away. srass and yiolets began TO appear;
erery one felt like beginning life over again,
and so did Miss Judith Pophurse with tine
rest. Ietook good deal to stir Miss judith
to such point, but when she once did make
up her mind to anything she was ready ZOE
it; and she marched with hrm step 10 ner
bnreau-drawer. There We're queer things
in that bureau; it seemed 70 have the
same taste for. old ways as Miss judy
herself. and out came - long yellow
straw bonnet that pokcd q hands length
over; her face, a round SILK mantilla that
reached lust to her waist, a peaked, green
parasol, and pair OF black lace mitts.
There was something else, too, that glitter
ed as she lifted the mantilla, and Miss Top
hurst shut the drawer very quickly when
she saw that. That was Toms sword. How
proud she had thought all her life was going
TO be with Tom-iust the same as son to
her; but when at last that endless war was
over, his colonel sent his sword home to
MissPophurst, and that was all. tf> g. :.
Miss Judith was quick walker, and that
yellow straw and peaked parasoi hashed
along the sidewalk like the turn OF kale1d-
oscope till the rap OF the sharp knuckles
pnvethe Acknowledgements wife start!
~ Miss Pophurst /" she announced grim
": III. heard you had q boy bere."
fis The lands sake, yes; and have had, as
you might say, for some months past" ,slf.
!" DO rou want bims asked Miss Pops
hurst, crisply, with snapof her black eyes.
The keeDer's wife answered with q slgni-
ficant little cough. .. I, I.
aTheu / do,''' said Miss Pophurst, step
ming in with one foot. / want somebody to
fake. care of my eoY, and ia glitter from
the hastily-shut drawer seemed to tremhle
before Miss Judiths eyes as she added
tsanG to love- ..,.' Il.
The next day was busy one with Miss
Judith Pophurst; she had made up her 20 q
again. -, i.
0Tbat child's going to have decent clothes
to his back! Ridiculous togGefy he's got
on! And the boards OF the attic floor
creaked. rs with lips drawn very tight she
marched over them to q trunk that had not
been opened since Tom went to the war;
Her fingers trembled. but what she had to
do she would dc quickly. and almost before
the creak had died away she was seated in
the rocking hair again with one OF Toms
full.grown suits ia beriap, and paper pat
tern she had used for him twenty years be-
fole in her hand.
ash, shook q thread Of bright golden hair
ou;; OF her scissors and began to rip, for
sensible clothes and eurls did not go to-
gefher, and she had been shearing them of
until only bristling little thickness Of taw-
nv white was left In their place. She drew
her chair softly little nearer to the bu-
rea1i-drawer; il was SO hard to see anything
that had been Toms falling in bits: but
some things the keepers wife had said
seemed keeping time with her scissors as
they went. 2: !",rs.
> "You see, ma'am, it's what might be
called proyidential accident, the snow
storm coming on and the stage going no fur
ther, aud SO that young thing being thrown
on our hands that night. She was looking
for her own folks, that was plain; for she
kept whispering to herself, Il must see him
tomorrow, for my child's sake! and her
very last breath was to cry out entreating
like and sudden, sFather - But this being
an announcement world. altogether not the
best, why you see by daylight she had taken
Journey quite another way"
Summer days are long, but they slip
away after all, and the evening came when
Miss Pophurst's precious cow came home
with tWig OF crimson maple leaves hang
ing from her mouth, and the next day the
Elm-Tree school mustered its deserters and
began again. I
.aIt's Just as WE'LL" unused Miss Judith,
standing at the window with broom in
her hand and proud satisfaction i'll her
heart, as she watched her new charge bur
rying toward the school; "the boy has such
al, uncommon hankering to find some COM
pany of bis age. That always aCuS a hand
some pattern for pants, too; so good and
slack in the, seat and square ut the ankles
IL I could only cure him Of that trick OF
hitching ut the waist-band, though" ~ IS
That was hard school, as everybody
knew. They had turned out their last two
masters, and were just ready for third,
though for once 1t did not seem quite Ger
tain who would come out first best. g Sets
up to be- little extra, y lauPhed Sam. Heb
berton, the tallest and stoutest rebel OF last
year; but there was only an uneasy ecbe oil
his laugh. The new master had been stay
ing week at Squire Phillips venetian
blinded, porticoed house, that n0t enc out
~ ten OF the boys bad ever seen the inside
of; and the Squire was q trustee into the
Eyes, added another tail rebel, Hal
Phillips himself; q and he told my father
JheiiutenGed to stay Ia that hoOi,loom. and
that az any one left 1t would be the FIRST boy
that didn't behave hinlself.' -
There was another uncomfortable pause,
sssd .Saso. tzrsed froa the stump he was
a Cr,t,iro