Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-05-23
as well as odder folks, dough- And she
handed him the milk which he drank


eagerly.
'sNow go on,'' said Miss Peppard
"Why, did you steal my poeketbook? and
why, having stolen it, did you bring il
back? Are you a thief"
''S'pose -I-am,'' be stammered; 'sbut !
don't want to be SO no more. 1 wouldn't
took it a year ago, when my mother was
alive; but she died, and father he went te
prison soon after for beating another man
and l hadn't no friends, and it's hard git
TIM along when your mothers dead, and
you ha1nt no friends. and your fathers il
prison." NJ.
:" 'Tain't soft, dat's de fac',' said Pete
ona, gravely.
$50 fell in with gang of bad fellers
but never stole nothin' but things to cal
till Yesterday. come out of the HOUSE Of
Refuge two weeks ago.
"House of Refuge!' exclaimed Peteona
holding up her hands. can a-settin' in
my clean kitchen, on my clean oil-clof
Wot next?"
II was there for breaking winder and
sassin' a cop,'; said the boy with show Of
Indignation, ''and nothin' else, though
they did try to make me out a regular bad
un." And then he went on, under the in
fuence of Miss Peppard's steady gaze
"And the fellers said was softly not to
have the game as well as the name, and SO
I went into that store cause I seen lot
of folks there, and stole your pocketbook.
And''-dropping his eyes and his voice
there was picter of little baby in it,
''My sister Polly's childl" cried Mis-.
Peppard, her wrinkled cheeks beginning
to glow.
Her onliest child-'cept fve," said Pc.
teena.
"And it looks like" continued the boy,
bursting into tears-'.it looks ike-my-
little sister,"
"Your sister ?" repeated Miss Peppard,
her own eyes filing with tears. s4Is She
with her mother ?'
Is Is to hoped she be-" said Ona, with a
sniff, cor some odder place whar she'll be
washed. Her brudder's dirty enough for
hull family"
"She's in a place ten miles from hsre,'
said the boy, with woman who used to
know mother. Mother give her fifty dol
lars just afors she died. She managed to
save it and hide it from father somehow
to keep Dolly till nay aunt in California
could send for her; but my aunt's dead too
and Pm 'fraid Dolly'll have to 60 in the
orphan asylum after all. Father don't
care nothin' bout her. But if she does, il
I'm a good boy, I can 60 to see her; but il
Pm thief-And when saw that picture
said will be good. It seemed as though
the baby was lookin' at me and wantin
me to kiss her. Nobody ever kissed me
but her and my mother. Here's your
pocket-book.'
Miss Peppard took it from his hand,
opened it, found it's contents as he had de.
scribed them, and then sat for full five
minutes in deep thought.
''You want to be good, honest boy,'
she said at last, $50 as to be a credit in.
stead of a shame to your baby sister,"
"Yes," answered the boy.
''It's mostly yes, ma am, in desc parts p
corrected Ona.
''Well, I'll try you," said Miss Psppard
"You!'- starting from his chair
''Yes, 1. want some plants and seeds
from the store where you sto-took the
pecketbook, and am going to trust you
to get them for me. But before you 90
there, do you know any place where you
can buy suit of clothes, from shoes to
hat, for very little money?''
Eyes ma'am,' answered the boy, in a
voice that already had ring of hope in it
Secondhand Bobby's."
swell go to secondhand Roberts, buy
the clothes-By-the-by, what is your
name ?''
"Dick Poplar
Sand, Dick,'' continued the old lady,
"do you know any place where you can
take bath!''
"'S to be hoped he do" said Peteona.
s'Yes, ma 'am."
1 dho Ud1u. pun oH uoW ClOUucS,
and throw''-with a slight motion of dis
gust-"the old ones away
"'S to be hoped he will,'' said Peteona.
s'Then go to the seed store and give
them the note will write for you. And
here are two five dollar bills"
can dar money is soon parted ~ ex
claimes Peteona. s'No matter bout the
fust word.''
But the boy fell on his knees before Miss
Peppard and sobbed outright.
'sAn' he'll nebber come back no mo',''
sung Ona. at the top of her voice, as she
went about her work that afternoon after
Dicks departure" he'll nebber come
back any mo-"
But he did. just as the sun was sink
ing in the west nice-looking, dark-eyed,
dark-haired boy, dressed in suit of gray
little two large for him, and carrying a
package in his arms, came up the garden
path to the door of the mite of cottage.
1t was Dick, so changed Peteona scarcely
knew him, and the package contained the
seeds and onion sets and young lettuces
and cabbages, and before dark he had plan
ted them all. under the superintendent of
Miss Peppard, in the mite of garden, and
Mrs. Brown had no chance of sending her
compliments of the season.
''And now, ma 'am,'' said Dick, after
supper, ''I'll 60. thank you ever 80 much,
and I wish my mother had known you"
'P'r'haps she knows her now,'' said
Ona.
"And I will be good boy-I will in
deed.'
with the help of God," said Miss Pep
pard, solemnly.
''With the help of Cod" said the boy in
low voice.
''But guess you'd better stay here to-
night" continued Miss Peppard. ''You
n c1onn in thu Wood bo,,co Da&n1~o Ill