Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-02-12
iirty hand over her head.

ulTJy manu- over n6T utdu
"0lie Sammis, go away" cried Mamie,
impatiently freeing herself. There's
no more curl in your hair than there is
in one of these chestnut trees. You era
zy little thing, what makes you behave
SOP"
"See my kairls! See my kairlsr' the
child repeated until they were out of
hearing.
"She makes me shiver to look at her,"
said Mamie. Do you suppose she is
crazy?"
"She got queer being in the boat so
long, YOU know. Her mothers head has
never been right since. They were four
teen days in open boat on the ocean, and
they had but little water to drink.
Mustn't it be awful to be in burning
ship like that?"
Il never knew that was why she acted
Sc" said Nanny. regretfully. "Fve been
real cross to to her"
But fathers safe" cried Twist, hop
ping along on one foot beside them.
"Of course, he is" answered Lydia.
"He is sailing along with a fair wind
and all sails set this minute, and little
over week he will stop at Shields, and
throw out his anchors, and pull down
his sails, and go ashore, and walk up to
the pOstOffice, and ask for a letter for
Captain John N. Gaylord, Ship PARA
gon;" and the clerk will hand him the
identical letter that we have allsbeen
raving over this afternoon"
"And then he'll read about getting me
a pony, said Twist, delightedly.
Here comes Billy judd" cried Nan
ME. Let US ask him to sing for US"
Little Billy stumbled up to them, his
nerveless hands trembling and his pale
blue eyes full of tears.
Good ladies, kind ladies, please give
me penny?" he asked. ''The b-b-oys
knocked me down. and l w-w-wanted to
buy slate-pencil, and they t-t-toOk my
penny away"
''Sing Il have Father in the Promised
Land and I'll give you penny" said
Lydia
Billy removed his cap. and his express
sioniess face grew almost pretty, while,
with folded hands and upturned eyes,
he sang the words, in voice like the
music of harp.
Here's the penny" said Lydia, hur-
riedly, at the close of the hymn, for a
crowd of men and boys had collected
around them.
"Thank you kind lady," returned Bill
ly, replacing his cap. "And l hope you
will all meet me in the Promised Land,
for grandma says the next fit l have
will take me there"
"Yahl Yes, there is betterp replied
a corpulent old German, who had saun-
tered out of beer saloon near them.
Lets hurry" said Mamie, quicken
ing her steps. "And can't you come
home to tea with me, Lydia. We are to
have poor-man's cakes for tea"
NO." whined Twist. 81 want her to
tell me stories about father coming
home, when l go to bed"
"Hal knows it all, and he will tell it
real nicely" said Lydia.
"There he is at the pump now, get
ting pitcher of water" said Mamie.
'Y ou just run home with him, Twistie,
and ask your mother if Lydia may come
to tea with me-
Something's happened" screamed
Hal, catching sight of them, as he turn
ed from the pump with his full pitcher.
Fathers got homel He came back in
a steamer, and his ships lost in the mid
die of the ocean, and he'll never get the
letter that mother felt SO awful about"
But Lydia was flying homeward, heed
less of Mamie and poor-man's cakes.
When she shyly entered the sitting
room, she found her mother setting the
tea-table more quietly than she had done
anything before; and her father walking
about the room, with care-wOrn face,
talking as fast as possible.
BLESS herl There she Isl" he cried,
catching Lydia in his arms and
pricking her with his long beard when
he kissed her. "And Twist, tool Bless
the little white head, that / never eX-
pected to see again.
Almost doubling whether she were
herself or girl in a book, Lydia ran
hither and thither, obeying her mothers
gentle orders, until they sat down to tea,
without the lettuce ;and the clock struck
six, and the afternoon, with all its hap
penings, ended.