The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-02

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figure with the sunny hair, the happy
face, the shabby shoes, the tumbled
check apron, that dragged after it the
well-nigh forgotten red cape, and at
last mounting into an empty chair,
said, with sigh of satisfaction, and in
a very clear voice, 81 want dinner,
please"
Bonny glanced round him. He
thought everybody looked pleased. and
catching the eye of lady who bent to-
ward him, he smiled back shy, friend
ly smile.
This lady was the first to speak to
him. She crossed eagerly over and
said, "May sit beside you, dear?
knew a little boy once with yellow hair
like yours.
Benny never noticed that she had
tears in her soft eyes now.
81 like your hair BEST" he answered,
half timidly, half frankly. The lady's
hair was very dark, and she wore in it
a splendid yellow flower.
But, please, am so hun ory! Nav
II have dinner?"
Before the lady could answer, a stout
gentleman came hurrying up.
4 "Well, well, let's see about this,'' he
began, in a rollicking tone. "Shake
hands, little stranger. So YOU came to
my dinner, did youp''
Benny dropped his head. He was
rather afraid of the lOud-vOiced man;
but the lady whom he was not afraid
of said, re-assuringly, "This is the
man who gives the dinner, little one;
this is his house; he'll be very good to
you, never fear"
So Bonny looked up then, and re-
piled, simply. II came; was hungry.
and came.'
The host cleared his throat, and said,
heartily, while he patted Bonnys curls,
"Well, l didn't expect you, that's a
fact; but we'll give you just as good q
dinner, for all that A dinnerP-Pn
warrant you we will: and upon my
word, ladies and gentlemen, [ rather
think the Metropolis Hotel is honored
to have the chance"
Never, never had Bonny imagined
such dinner as he ate that day. The
lady who sat by his side cut up the
chicken, and helped him choose among
the lavish dainties that the host kept
insisting on having brought for him to
taste.
Hungry? 1t seemed to Bonny that he
never in this world could be hungry
again.
His innocent heart ran over, and he
told his new friend, the lady, all she
, asked him about his sick father, his
tired mother, the little tenement that
was like the kettle that all boiled away,
and the big family that crammed it so
full when gathered together. But one
thing neither the lady. nor her husband,
who filled Bonny's pocket With porrnios,
nor the host, could succeed in finding
out from him.
This was where the little fellow be-
longed, and how to return him to his
home.
Street and number he knew naught
; about. What was his name? "Bonny
. Laddie." His fathers name? "Oh,
John" What kind of work did his
father do? sob, nothing; father is
! sick" He had no clear ideas associated
s~.>y ~s-,,:->s5 a--~~r>+ iel AIiel.io' @,
: as they found by questioning.
r That Nickie peddled papers, and that
q Bonny would when he was bigger, he
was very positive about.
. swell, then," suggested the host,
/ "wel try the newsboys. Well just
have Laddie standing by the door
v when they 90 past and maybe he can
5 pick out this brother of his from the lot. -
The company sat for a long time round
q the tables. Bonny kept still, listening
, and wondering, though he understood
y little of the speeches and the toasts.
: Once all eyes were again turned to-
ward Bonny.
, A gentleman rose and said, "Ladies
3 and gentlemen, | beg to propose the
health of the first guest of the Metrop-
o oils Hotel, who, though unlimited, has
given the patriarch of this palace the
: privilege of entertaining an angel I'M
, awares."
q But Bonny answered nothing to the
h looks bent upon him. With one hand
full of nuts and bonbons, the other in
, his heavy pocket, and face of perfect
peace, the little guest of the Metrop-
: oils Hotel lay fast asleep in his chair.
S He was rosily awake again by the
n time the newsboys were crying out
their evening papers.
q "Come and watch for Mckee"
: coaxed the host; and with Bonnys
/; small, warm hand in his own he
stepped out on the broad granite slab
n in front of the hotel.
4 ''That isn't Nickle--nor that-nor
i that" Bonry kept saying at first.
+ ''Oh, Nickien' he shouted, suddenly;
/ and, plunging forth into the street,
! tumbled against a small boy in big
I trousers and an overgrown cap, whose
f, bundle of papers looked much fatter
| than he did.
\ Astonished Nickie. who had not been
4 home since morning, could scarcely be-
leve his senses at first, as he stared at
his little brother through the dusk, the
fog, and the rain-drops that now began
to fall However, he could answer all
the questions that Laddie had been I'M
able to satisfy, and in a very short in-
terval carriage had been summoned.
the host had slowed away in it capa-
cious basket hastily filed with choice
remnants from the feast, and Bonny
3 Laddio was rolling toward his home in
5 charge of the gentle stranger lady and
her husband.
The stranger lady, promising Bonny
to come again, made haste to 60 away,
but before going she had time to Won
eba Whu did