The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-04-09

Two or Tree.
"Let him alone, Ona," said her mis-
tress, while the boy stood without max
ing the slightest resistance.
"Ain't lie to be drug to the lookup 2
asked Ona, with toss of her turbaned
head.
"Nait till we hear What he has to
say" said Miss Pep.M;d. Then turn
ing to the boy, she asked, as mildly rs
ever: 90! course y1u haven't brought
me back -
eyes, I have" interrupted he.
"Here tits, money and all, 'cept what |
had to take to fetch me out here. I
found your name i'll it on q card, and
where you lived
"But, bless you2." exclaimed tho old
lady, more and more surprised, "what
made you take it if you were going TO
bring it back? Come into the kitchen
and tell me oil about it. Ona, give him
drink OF milk"
81 sha'nt do it. Spect robbers gifts
thirsty as we'll as odder folks, dough" "
And she handed him the milk, which he
drank eagerly.
"Now go on" said Miss Peppard.
"Why did you steal my pocketbook =?
and why, having stolen it, did you bring
it back ? Are you q thief?"
"S'pose-T -am," he stommered !;
"but / don't want to be no more. [
wouldn't 8 took it q year ago, when my
mother was alive; but she died, and
father he went to prison soon after for
beatin' 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, dat's de fac" said Pc
teona, gravely.
$50 1 fell in with q gang of bad fel-
lers, but I never stole nothin' but things
to eat till Yesterday. + come out of the
house of refuge two weeks ago.
"House of refuse p exclaimed Pc
teona, holding up her hands. can
a-settin' in my clean kitchen, on my
clean oilclofl Wot ne1'?'
81 was there for breakin' winder
and sassin' cop" said the boy, with a
show of indignation, "and nothin' else,
though they did Try to make me cut q
reg'lar bad ur." And then he went on.
under tie influence Of Miss Peppard's
STEADY gaze: land the fellers said I
MS a soi!y not to have the game as well
rs the nalre, and SO I went inio that
store cause I seen a lot Of folks there,
apd I stola your pockctbook. AM"
dropping his eyes and voice" there
was picter OF little baby in it.
"My astcr Pollys child y cried Miss
Peppari, her wrinkled cheeks beginning
to glow.
:'Her onliest child-'cept Gve,' said
Peteona,
And it looks like" continued the
boy, bursting into tears-"it looks
like-my--lit little sister"
"Your little sister?" repeated Miss
Peppard, her own eyes filing with tears.
"Is she-with Der mother?"
IS to be hoped she be-" said Ona,
with a sniff, "or some odder place whar
she'll be washed. Her brudder's dirty
huff for hull family"
"Sha's il place ten miles or more
from here" said the boy, with wo-
mau who naed to know mother. Mother
give her fifty dollars just afore she died.
She managed to save it and hide it from
father somehow, 10 keep Dolly till my
amt in California could send for her;
bus my aunt's dead, too, and I'm 'iraid
Dolly IL have to go in the orphan asylum
otter all. Father don't care nothin'
bout her. But ii she does, if I'm q
good boy, I c:,n GO to see her; but ii
I'm q thief And when 1 saw that
picture said I Will be good. 1t seemed
as though the baby was lookin' at me
and wGntin' me to kiss her. Nobody
ever kissed me bnt her and my mother.
Here's your pocketbook."
Miss Peppard took it from his hand,
opened it, found its contents as he had
described them, and then sat for full
five minutes in deep thought.
"You wait to be good, honest
b >" she said at last, 50 as to be q
credit instead OF a shame to your baby
sister2"
eyes" answered the boy.
cts mostly 'yes, ma'am, in desc
parts" corrected Ona.
"Weil, III try you," said Miss Pep
pard.
"You r'-starting from his chair.
" Yes, I. I want some plants and
seeds from the store where you sto-
took the pocketbook, and I 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 suit of
clothes, from shoes to hat, for a very
little money!
eyes, ma'am," answered the boy, in
voice that already had q CLEAN of hope
in it Secondhand Bobby's ?"
"Well, go to secondhand Roberts,
buy the clothes By. .the-hye, what is
your name?"
"Dick Pop!ar.'
"And, Dick" continued the old lady,
"do you kl.n0 any place where you can
take bath @
as to be horc'' lie DO, said Pcteona.
eyes, rnn'am.'
"Take bath, put on the new clothes,
throw with slight motion OF disgust
1.-THE old ones awey -
"'5 to be hoped he will" said
Peteona.
"TheD 60 to the seedstore and give
them the note I will write for you. And
| here arc two five-dollar bills"
can jar money is soon parted u ex
claimed Peteona. "No matter 'bou
de fust word"
But the boy fell on his knees before
Miss Peppard and sobbed outright.
"A1' he'll nepber come back any
mo-, sang Ona, at the top OF ner voice
as she went about her work that after
noon sitter Dicks departure-"n no, he'll
reboer come back any mo'. "
Eut he did. just as the sun was slns
ing in the west, o nice-looking, Ozark
eyed, dark haired boy, dressed in a Sill
of gray clothes little too large for him
and carrying q package in his arms
came up the garden path to the door O
the mite of q cottage. 1t was Dick, 81
changed Peteona scarcely knew him
and the package contained the seeds "re
onion.sets and young lettuces and cab
bages, and before dark be had planted
! them all, under the superintendent O.