The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-11-06
You for being 50 kind o me, sir

.h9OA Ast SN4N6 y N-f-," ~ ---Sf Nr'
Goodbye
3aGgod d'bye,p I'said, and her li0lI
Heather shoes patted over the aislt
and down the stairs, add ! had seen
as / Thought, the lastd her, Wher
she was gone | missed strangely
went home when church wa
quite empty. It had not been a,
hard to bear as ] had g red, and odd
enough 1, found myselH thinking O
that child's little gyr y head; ant
those beautiful long ri nsed eyes
wondered atmyself, bu wasso.
"I should like TO So The child
again,n l saidsand5as1 i poke ! spiet
alcrowd about a tsrel door upon
the road,
It was o poor plaee and poor
rough people madesup he group
But IL was plainly no pmon quar-,
! tfel or drinking abod which had
brought them here, ~ their faces
EBefe all grave and the voices sup.
! pressed. Icrossed the ad. r
'eWhat has happened ffiepd2" ]
asked Of o thinker neas
9only "a blind fdd dropped
dead, 2 he said, aBut ete's a gal
there Wild about it,, 'a
And then / passed hi and went
in. Arnold man lay Up the floor,
and across his bodga a 81 handiflnng
herself Fknev the 81 hair and
the brown neck, the int cotton
dress, and the ,snn:bonns hungwith
a hapdfal Of wild flower Upon and |
bent over her TOUCHING her little
despairing head.
"My child I,eaid, qlp 5 happier
than we are.sss Z. E
And she looked up. Il:
"He was all j had" She said; aall,
ullla
SO l hadthought when letta gave
me back our betFoth4 ting. My
heart ached for her. Isaia no other
word, but led her to auother room,
while two men bore The dead man
upstairs. She wept wildly, but my
presence seemed to comfs her.
After a while she drew oloser to me,
and sitting on a alow'stool leaned her
forehead on my knee Soon my
hand rested on it, aud in 81 hour she
had sobbed herself toslse
j said a few words to b landlady
swhen & arose 70 leave. Da pfonl-
ised to attendito my ordlfsi enforced
by the contents ofmy pocket
"The girl shan't go until i hear
from you, SIR" she said. @Indeed,-
l don't know where she would CO.
She seems friendless; aud such child
for her age. Thank you, sir.'
And l went on my way again,
thinking not of Aletta, but Of the
dead fddlor's grandchild-this sun
Drowned waif, SO simple and ignor-
ant and friendless and alone.
l was young yet-not FIVE and
twenty-a bachelor, and likely to be
one my long life. 1, had no proper
home to take her to, and no friend to
aid me. At last, in my extremity, l
thought of Betty-old Betty, who had
once been my nurse, and who loved
me as she might her own son-and
in the cleaning 1 made my way to
her poorhome Ifoundher trimming
her vines in the bit OF garden-ground,
and had my usual kiss across the gar
den fence even before the garden
gate was opened.
"Tve been thinking of you," she
said. 81 knew it was you as soon as
l heard some one coming. 'Tisn't
every young gentleman would weary
himself coming to see an old lady
like me. Sitdown, honey, and rest" ("
81 came to ask you favor, Betty"
"Just name it, Master BERTHE"
"Will you take a boarder, BettyP"
"Bless mel in my two rooms?"
"only child, Betty"
"a child, Master AlbertP"
I told her of the fddler's death and
of the girl.
a have enough money" l said,
"but no female relative. / can only
come to you."
"You always were kind hearted
from a boy" she said. "I'll take the
little girl, Master Bertie."
Then she put both hands on my
shoulders.