Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-04-02

t&r @R@4e 81 49, ~ ~&0WSA - ~
H11ned : pair of dark eye, that looked
iik0 - ey0s Of : hunted animal, TO hel
ny conscisncsps exclaimed the old
lady, ard fell Into 8 chair that stood
nsar, while Psteona dsSted out and seix.
"a hin shouting: "0ollyl got yo' wish
mighty soon dis time, Miss Peppard. Run
tof d constable. I'll hold him. Gould
hold = dosen like him-or two or Free
1Isst him alone, Ona," said her mis-.
trenh, while tho boy stood without max.
Ing The slightest resistance.
"Ain't he to be drug TO de lock upf''
aaked Ona, with q toss of her turbaned
head.
wait tillwe hear what he has to say
rid Min Peppard. Then, turning to
the boy, rho asked, a. mildly NJ ever
OF courss you haven't brought me
"Yes, / have," interrupted he. "Here
I'll, money and all, 'cept what l had TO
take 10 fetch me ont here. Hound your
name II It on = card, and where you
Nved.n
.But, bless you'll" exclaimed the old
lady, moro and more surprised, "what
made you take it II you were going to
bFingi Il backf Come into the kitchen
and tell me ill about it. Ona, give him
Z drink Of milk.
BY de Lor', Harry said Ona, roll
ing up her eyes until nothing but the
whites were visible, "nebber hear of
sich ating long n / lib gibbin' hullsale
robbers drinks of milk in my clean
kitchenl An I shan't do it. Spect rob-
bers gets Thirsty ~ we'll AZ odder folks,
dough-" And abe handed him the milk,
which he drank eagerly.
Nov 80 on" said Mim Pcppard.
!. Why did ron steal my pocket book
~ Why, having stolen il, did you
bsingit backf Are you q thief"
"6poe-I-am," he stammered;
" but i don't want to be no more. /
wouldn't = took il q year ago., when INV
mother Was alive; but she died, and faith
Of he went to prison soon after for beat
ing another man; and l hadn't no
friends; and it's hard gittin' along when
your mothers dead, and you hain't no
friends, and your fathers in prison."
"'Tain't soft, OATS de fac'," said Pc
teona, gravely.
"Eo1 fell In with a gang Of bad fel.
len, but / never stole nothinf but things
to eat till Yesterday. / come out of the
house Of refuge two weeks ago.
"House of refuge!" exclaimed Pc
teens, holding up her hands. can a.
settin' in my clean kitchen, on my clean
o~il-clofi Wot next"
"Iwas there for breakin' q winder and
sassin' q cop" said the boy, with q show
of indignation, and nothin' else. though
they did try to make me out a reg'i q
badun.n And then he went on, under
tho influence of Miss Peppard's steady
gaze: "And the fellers said I was a
softly not to have the game a. well a. the
name, and 20 / went into that store
cause I seen . lot of folks there, and I
stole your pocketbook. And"-drop-
ping his eyes and his voice. there was
: picter ofa little baby in It,"
my sister Polly's childl F" cried Miss
Peppard, her wrinkled ckeeks beginning
"Her onliest child-'ccpt fve," said
Peteona.
"And II looks like. continued the
boy, bursting into tears-"itl looks like
my-little-sister."
"your little sister?" repeated Miss
Peppard, her own eyes filling with tears
is she-with her mother?"
"It's TO be hoped she be- said Ona,
with . sniff, cor some odder place whar
she'll be washed. Her brudder's dirty
nuf for . hull family"
"8he's in q place ten miles or more
from here" raid the boy, "with a wo-
man who used to know mother. Mother
give her fifty dollars just afore she died.
She managed to q 1t and hide it from
father somehow. to keep Dolly till my
aunt in California could send for her;
but my aunt's dead too, and I'm 'fraid
DollyM have to 60 in the orphan asylum
after all. Father don't care nothin'
bout her. But IL she does, il I'm q
good boy, ] can 60 to see her; but if I'm
: thief And when / saw that pic ure
/ said I scM be good. It seemed as
though the baby was a-lookin' at me an
wantin' me to kiss her. Nobody eyer
kissed me but her and my mother.
Here's your pocketbook."
Miss Peppard took it from his hand.
opened IL, found Its contents as he had
described them, and then sat for fuli
Ave minutes In deep thought.
"You want to be good, honest boy,n
she said at last, $50 a. to be q credit in
stead of . shame 70 your baby sister,
eyes," answered the boy.
tits mostly yes ma'am, in desc parts"
corrected Ona.
"Well, I'll try you," said Miss Pep
pard.
"Youi"-starting from his chair.
"Yes, /. / want some plants and
seeds from the store where YOU sto-
took the pocketbook, and / am going to
trust you to get them for me. But be-
fore you, 90 there, do you know any
placo where you can buy a suit OF
clothes, from shoes to hat, for a very lit
tie money!"
"Yes, ma'am" answered the bow. in .
voice that already had a ring of hope
In it
secondhand Bobby's."
Well, 70 to secondhand Roberts.
buy the clothes By-the-bye, what is
your namefr
"Dick Poplar"
"And Dick" continued the old laav
"a. 10 yGu anoy any place where you can
",6 to Be- hoped he do" said Peteona.
EYES, ma'am."
take . bath, put on the new clothes,
throw with = slight motion of dis.
gust-" the old ones away"
rs to be hoped he will" aaid Peteona.
Then 60 to the seed store ano give
them the note / will write for you.
And here are two fve-dollar bills."
AN dAr money il soon parted!n az.
claimed Peteona. "No matter 'bout
the fust word"
But the boy fell on his knees before
Miss Peppard and sobbed outright,
AN he'll nebber come back any MOP
sung Ona, at the top of her voice, as she
went about her work that afternoon
after Dicks departure" NO, he'll neb-
ber come back any mo-"
But he did. Just Is the sun was sink.
Ing J the vest, q nicelooking, dark
eyed, dark-haired boy, dressed In a suit
ct gray clothes Z liftle Too la.aa 1a.L:-