The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-04-22

| And they heard him stir i'm his bed:-
" Make room for a tired little fellow,
! Kind 6odr-was the last that he said.
-I - - Austin Dobson-
; MISS FYDGET.S MISTAKE.
'sH you please, ma am, won't you
give me a drink of milk"
Miss Fytiget had just come in from
long and. bootless search through the
pasture fol. a wandering brood of young
turkeys which had been missing since
: She Vas warm and tired; one boot
was burst open on the side; her sun
bonnet hung limp at the back of her
head; her gray curls were in true artis-
tic confusion, and vicious blackberry
brier had torn her hands, until she
looked as If she might have been in a
skirmish with the Zulus.
"ButSJ wouldn't have minded all
that" was Miss Fydgefs melancholy
comment to \herseB s.n only could
have found my young turkeys! They
do say that there Is a company of
tramps aoaing 1 about : the country,
Just then the mild voice. of an old
man, sitting on the weh-curb, broke in
uDOI tut lQItdu a6F ItutCtlOuS-
old man. in . shabby gray coat, but
toned closely across his chest, shoes
thickly coated with dust. and rude
cane, cutfr0m the woods, upon which
he rested hB folded hands.
Miss Fydget stared at the old man;
the old man returned her gaze, depre-
catingly.,, .,.,.s -. - 49,. -
+, ..Herhaps you're deaf, ma 'am," said
the stranger, elevating his voice semi
tone or so higher. 80. 80. .....-.'.
"No more than yourselfp' said Miss
Fydget, naturally somewhat irritated.
z "Would you haye the kindness to
give me a little mifkPn ,-'-..'.i.,,
+ Miss Fydget bethought herself of the
HOating rumor she had heard. Perhaps
'thisvenerable vagrant was one of the
very band now marauding through the
wales and glsns of Rochemone; perhaps
even now he had corps of bloody
minded coadiutors hidden behind the
stone wall, or under the moss-grown
roof Of the ancient smoke-house. And
Miss Fydget was possessed of several
pieces of antique silver, and had forty
dollars in an old teapot, on the upper
most closet shelf!
"Who are-YonP'' curtly questioned
sue.
q "A man and brother" the old
man Answered, not without a covert
smile. - -. s =. e
i, No, you're not, g said Miss Fydget.
incensed at whAt she deemed q piece of
unnecessary insolence. You're a
trampr' .sS.s:.7+ ss .lss7+. Z
The stranger smiled. !, :',Ss
Us a tramp. then, destitute of all
l..~- .-sk l. l.
"EhP" said Miss Fydget.
"Tramps must live as well as other
PEOPLE" pleaded the old man. Snow,
1dok at me-" -,
v :. Yes" said Miss Fydget, "rm look
.,ing at YOU, and dirty, shabby-looking
figure you are, I must say"
!, |" I've walked fifteen. miles since
morning, with nothing to eat or drink ~
! THAT what they all say" said Miss
incredulously.
. !.sWould it be any great stretch OF
ryour hospitality to give me slice OF
bread and drink of cold milk P" he per-
Sisted.
Miss Fydget stood for a moment pom.
Hering the petition in her mind.
q Look here, old man" she said, al
r]ast, 81 know perfectly well that YOU'RE
a tramp; but suppose you're human,
after all. There's pile of knotty pine
stumps under the shed; you may split q
few for my cooking-stove.o
r "B But ma am '5
{" I knew how it would be-" shrilly in
terrupted Miss Fydget. You're dea
too lazy to- work; you'd rather starvt
than do an honest days work, any
time"
k - beg your pardon" said the ole
man, mildly. sIt is good many year
esince split pile of wood"
r IN 60 bail it is.' said Miss Fydget
|(;patirically.;'i ,.'.- .....- Fl
E ..But,if you will get me the AK, 1 will
try aud do ny best" he added, meekly
I. |" The. az is hanging up in the wood
shed, at the left hand side of the door,
|<said Miss Fydget. 4. ,-r : F7fi'-
T. And she went into the house, leaving
her venerable visitor to do as he pleaset
| about accepting her offer. -.,.-
:: After she was within the four yellow
washed walls of her own kitchen, how
ever, it occurred to her that she hat
done rather foolish thing.
81 suppose he'd as soon split m,
head open as the sticks of wood" sh,
l;thought to herself And of course h
knows that TIM alone in the world
mean in the house; but its pretty mucl
the same thing" with a deep sigh
"And who knows but that might b
murdered within the next five min
utesp" -1 -- f't
s.Thud! thudr' came the sound G
the AZ, descending with slow, regula
strokes upon the knotty stumps of yel
low pine, and Miss Fydget listened wit
sort of terrible fascination, wonder
ing, as she did so. what sort of rela
| ton, in matter of sound, the huma
tympanum might bear to the pin
'"Hhat fool 1 was,' said she to he,
| self. ika-i-i
| ,- And with noiseless movements sh
went across the kitchen floor, and too
down rusty musket, which had hun
| suspended over the old brick Gimme
ever since she was little child.
Is ~ don't know as I could fire it off.
said she. "But I'll try, if / see an
signs of mischiefr'
| 1t was unnecessary, however. Sh
poured out q bowl of milk, first thriftil
pausing to skim 1t, and then cut a goo
thick slice of rye bread, taking care I
| secrete the bread-knife when she wa
through. And then, seating herself b
the window her thoughts wandere
back to the question Of the missin
brood of turkeys. ~ S...s.!.l - ..s., /.
"He knows where they are, I'll be
anythingr, soliloquized Miss Fydge'
{" And he shall tell me-. Old manSol
man, i sayp's :. l.ro srt - s-n0 e-s,
The venerable wood-splitter paused 6
the sound Of her summons.
i"Come herer' she called.