The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-03-27
TERMS, $500 PER YEAR.

say, said Miss I'eppard. Then. turn
ing 10 the boy she asked as mildly as
ever. -Df course yCu haven't brought
Inc back
Yes, / have" interrupted he. Here
tbs, money and all, 'ccpt what ] had
10 take 10 fetch me cut here, | found
your name in il on a card. and where
| you lived
~But, bless your exclaimed the old
I lady, more and more surprised. "What
made YOU take it il you were going to
bring IL back2 Come into the kitchen
and tell me all about it. Ona, give him
( "A drink Of milk"
"By de LOr', Harry sail Ona roll
ing up her eyes until nothing but the
| whites were visible, "nebber hear OF
sich ting long rs lib-gibbin' hull
sale robbers drinks Of milk in NY clean
kitchen, An / shan't 90 it. Spect
robbers gifts thirsty as well as odder
/ folks, dough" And she handed him
the milk, which he drank eagerly.
@NOw go on" said Mss Peppard.
"Why did You steal my pOcket-bOOk ?
and why, having stolen it, did you
bring il back? Are you thief2"
! S'pOse-I-am," he stammercd; but
/ l don't want to be no more. | wouldn't
"A took it year ago, when my mother
was alive; but she died, and father he
went to prison soon after for beating
another man; and / hadn't no friends:
and it's hard gittiR' along when
your mothers dead, and you hain't no
friends, and your father is in pri5-
/ on"
'Tain't soft, dat's dc fac said Peteona
gravely.
$50 fell in with a gang of bad fel-
lers, but / never stole nOthin' but
| things to cat till Yesterday. l come
out OF the House Of Refuge two weeks
! ago
~HOuse. of RefugeT exclaimed Pete
Ona, holding up her hands. AN asset
tin in my clean kitchen, or my clean
fOil-clOf! Wet neX'E7
Il was there for breakin' 4 winder
and sassin' a COP" said the boy, with
show Of indignation, 'nOthin' else,
| though they did try to make me ont 4
reglar bad un." And then he went on,
under the influence of Miss Peppard's
steady gaze: "And the fellers said l
was a sOfty not TO have the game rs
well as the name, and SO ! went
| into that store cause 1 seen lot Of
! folks there, and / stole your pocket
book. And dropping his eyes and
his voice-"thcre was pictcr Of lit
tie baby in it"
MY sister Polly's child" cried Miss
PeppGpd, her wrinklcd cheeks begin
ming to glow.
"iIer onliest chlid-icept iiYc,' said
PcteOna.
"And it looks like" continued the
boy, bursting into teaTS-"it looks like
-my-littIe-sister"
"Your little sister, repeated Miss
Peppard, her own eyes filling with
tears. as she-with her mOtherY
as TO TO be hoped she be-" said 0na,
with q sniff, cor some Odder place whar
she'll be washed. Her bruddeT's dirty
nuff for a hull family"
"She's in a place ten miles or more
from here" said the boy, "with a wO-
man who used 10 know mother. Moth
or give her fifty dollars just afore she
died. She managed TO save IL and hide
il from father somehow, to keep Dolly
till my aunt in California could send
for her; but my aunt's dead too, and
I'm 'fTaid DOllyll have TO 20 IN the
OI1iian Asylum after all. Father
don't care nothin' bout her, But if
she doet, if I'm a good boy, | can go to
soc her; but If I'm a thief And
when | SAW that picture l said / 1Ojy
be good. Ii seemed as though the baby
was a-lOOkin' at me and wantin' me to
kiss her. Nobody ever kissed me but
her and my mother. Here's your
pOcketbOOk,"
Miss Feppard took It from his hand,
opened 1t, found its contents rs he had
described them, and then sat for full
i've minutes In deep thought,
"i0u want To he good, honest boy"
she said at last, $50 as TO be 4 credit in
stead of a shame TO your baby Sisterl
"YeS," answered the boy.
"ltS mostly yes, HlG'dEl, in desc
parts" corrected Ona.
"WCl, III try YOU said Miss Pep
pard,
"Youl--starting from has chair.
@YeS, /. l 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 go there, do you know any
place where You can buy Il suit of
clothes, from shoes to hat, for very
little money!
"Yes, md'am," answered the boy, in a
voice that already had a ring of hope
in il. secondhand BObby's."
"Well, go to secondhand Roberts,
buy the clothes Dy-the-bye, what is
your name?"
"Dick Poplar"
eAnd, Dick" continued the old lady,
do you know any place where you can
take a bath iR
as to be hoped hc DO" said Peteona.
Yes, ma'am.'
Take a bath, put on the new suit Of
clothes, throw a slight motion
of diSgust-'the old ones away"
IS to be hoped Inc WILL said Pete
ona.
rrhen go TO the seed store and give
them the note l viii write for you.
And here are two live-dOllar bills
AN dar money is soon partedI' eX-
claimed PeteOna. NO matter bout
the fust word"
But the boy fell on his knees before
Miss Peppard and sObbed outright.
San he'll QeEbGr come haok any
mo-" sung 0na, at the top Of her voice,
us she went about her work that after
noon after Dicks dcparture-"nO, he'll
nebber come back any mo-"
Bat he did. Just rs the sun was
sinking in the west, a nicc-lOOking
d2rk-eyed, dark-haired boy dressed in
suit Of gray clothes a little too large
for him, and carrying package in his
arms, came up the garden path TO the
dODrDf the mite of i cottage. 1t was
Dick, so changed Pcteona scarcely
| knew him, and the packages contained
the seeds and onion sets and young
| lettuceS and cabbages, and before dark
] ~. H..sI r,1.sr,FaI oil rrFtfInr fhn
Isuperintendence of Miss PeppaTd, in
the mite Of garden, and Mrs. Brown
| had no chance of sending her "cOmpll-
ments' that season.
And now, ma'am," said Dick, after
supper, Ill go. l thank you ever SO
much, and 1 wish my mother had
| known you"
"Pr'haps she knows her nol9," said
Ona.
And 50jU be a good boy-I will in
deed"
with the help of Cod" said Miss
I Peppard sOlemnly.
with the help ef God" said the hoy
/ in a low voice.
"But | guess you'd better stay here
! tonight" continued Miss Peppard.
/ You can sleep in the wOOd-hOuse.
tNNOAAst " IA AlA'tAS gpA u Z - NDAAAAeA -
| ble bed there"
aSha'n't do no such tingv said Peteo-
ma, deliantly.
"QnaE reproved her mistress.
FTill my dishes is washed, | mean,
| Miss Peppar'," said Ona.
"And then tomorrow morning you
can start for that baby. I've always
wanted a baby. Cats and dogs and
birds are well enough in their way,
but Il baby is worth them all"
~GOllyl ROlO you're talkin', Miss
Peppar'r shOuted Ona. rs always
wanted a baby-a lCite blby-tOO.
! Niger babies amt much account
Jus valuable to dar mudders, dough,
l s'poSe. NiggcrS IS such fOOls,'
And if yOU choose to stay IN sum
lnertown,' said Miss PeppIrd. YOU
NAV have a home here until you can
/ better Yourself. There's plenty Of
work for you; and the youth upon
whom we have depended for eTrandS
and garden help, etc, is
A drefful smart, nice p2rlIte boy!
chimcd in, Ona; as lazy and SISSY as
! he can lih. And I'll call you in de
mornjn' I, en- de bipds arise, an we'll
| hab dat ar angel here In Z jiffy; an
won't de cat an dog an birds look
/ pale wen dar noses is outer
] I L. - .- I. 4 -.