Louisiana capitolian., 1880-01-17
Eustace CarrOll's Sketch.
"Shan't go a step furtherw

"Shan't go step furtherw
"Only just little wayne shall 500
be home now, and mothers waiting"
II don't care. I've made up my min,
that I've walked too far already, and
am just going to sit down and rest-the,
must wait, and shall do as l choose |.
"But father"
"Now don't you talk to me abou
'buts,' Charlie, because won't have it
qE l shall sit down here, and YOU can O,
and tell your mother not to wait-not tt
watt" the man repeated, raising hil
voice with the stupid anger of intox lea
ton.
Still, in spite of threat and refusal,
the child persisted in pleading that his
father should go home; but his words
only seemed to strengthen the mans OBJ
stinacy, and all the boy could do was to
get his father to turn aside from the
high road into field close by, where
the man threw himself full length upon
the grass, somewhat under the shade of
the hedge, and in few minutes he was
sleeping heavily, whilst the child sat
down at little distance, with strange
kind of unchildish patience on his feat
ures, to wait until his father should
wake. Poor little Charlie! he knew too
well how useless any attempt on his
part would be to rouse his father from
that sort of sleep.
Rather more than half an hour had
passed in this dreary waiting, and Char
lie was beginning to find all his small
sources of amusement fail him. He had
watched large bee that kept lowering
over the cOnvolvulus blossoms in the
hedge, and wondered if he had not near
ly finished his days work; had placed
snail out Of harms warm, and had been
tempted to chase beautiful painted
butterfly that fitted past him; but he
began at last to lose his interest in bees
and butterflies, for it was now tea-time,
and Charlie was growing terribly hun
cry. Still he did not think of deserving
his post, for no one but the child him.
SELF knew how often he had kept his
tlpsy father off the country road when
carts or carriages were coming along,
nor how he had managed to guide him
In safety over the narrow bridge that
1ed across the river to their cottage. So
charlie sat there quietly, though he wisj
growing more tired and hungry every
moment, until the sound OF whistle at
little distance attracted his attention,
the sound gradually coming nearer and
sounding more distinct, until a young
man jumped over the style at the end of
the field aud approached the child, who
then knew him to be gentleman he
had often met during the last few weeks,
sometimes sketching, sometimes wan-
derlng about with his knapsack on his
back and his portfolio under his arm.
Indeed kind of half acquaintance had
sprung up between the young artist and
Charllc-one attracted by the glimpse
he had caught of the pictures contained
IN the wonderful portfolio, the other by
the child's wistfnl glances and his rustic
beauty. Busy with his own thoughts,
and Judging from his happy face, they
were very pleasant ones-perhaps dreams
OF the time when some wonderful pic [
tnre of his should hang on the walls of
the academy, and by so doing help him I
on the road to fame and fortunc-Eus- {
tacc Carroll had half crossed the field ,
before he noticed Charlie and his father.
Then his quick eye told him the mean 9
ing OF the little scene; the quiet, weary G
looking child and the sleeping father, t
with his untidy clothes and his collar +
and neck-tie unfastencd, and his face :
turned up to the blue sky that looked
lown upon nothing so debased as this
nan whom God had made "a little low g
N than the angels" and who, by his h
'wn vice, had degraded himself. +
With the quick instinct of childhood, q
jharlie understood the look of disgust +,
With which the young artist turned to t
lin, saying kindly as he did so:
"lou are waiting to take your father 81
ome, lsuppose." +,
eyes, sir" replied the child, whilst il
flush of shame spread over his face.
"Well, should think he's likely to b,
@ there for hours yet. Can't you leave n,
i'm ~ h,
"No, sir, he might be run over or fall f.
ITO the river if left him to come home T.
Y himself" h,
cob" said Enstace, as he glanced to- nj