The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1880-04-23

rh"hiH hhNt htli HofutthiuH WDr-c iDf
the orphan, whose coming into her
house she had always regarded a. a Bit
ter trial
II seemed as II she had never for
given Becky for il. or for being child
with all child's thoughtlessness and
love Of play. She expected more Of
her than she did Of her own girls. who
were older; aud could never UNDER
stand why Becky should not content.
edly settle down into the quiet. woman
~ drudge she wished her to be- Yet
Becky was only eleven years old.
The child went of with the basket,
sobbing with fear and despair ut the
thought OF what she had 10 DO. 1t was
really not very dark. only deep twi-
light. on pleasant summer evening.
No doubt her aunt was right in saying
there was really nothing for her TO be
afraid Of; yet the sensitive. imaginative
child could not help being afraid.
The old Dimmocls house stood in .
lonely lot. back from the street; it was
ind ergoing repairs, and Becky had
more than once been there for shaw
ings. which the carpenters allowed her
to carry away.
She was not afraid when the men
were there. Oh, why, she thought, had
she not left her play, and gone an hour
before, when she could have got some
other girl TO 90 with her. and have
made the task pleasurep Poor Becky
was always doing some such thought
less thing. which was sure to provoke
her aunt, aud give herself all the more
trouble and pain; yet she never could
learn wisdom.
She blamed herself little; but she
blamed others much. more. Her aunt
might have waited for the shavings till
morning; or she might have sent Tom
for them-cousin Tom. who was four
teen years old and not afraid Of any
thing.
But Tom was a proud, willful boy; h
W, lint be seen going through th'
streets with basket Of shavings. Hi
sisters. Josephine and Laura, who were
almost young ladies, could not, Q
course, be expected to do such thing
I but poor little Becky presumed to thini
such errands-especially after dark
belonged to Tom
She met Tom on the street with tw'
other boys. He had the stump Of |
cigar in his mouth, and he was talkin;
loud and staggering.
Toni she called to him, implor
ingly.
.What do you want of Tom?" he re
torted, not deigning to turn his head
but lust putting out his chin sidewis
toward her, and putting away at hi
- =. L., fnr;ct foch1nn
:. Please go with me for the shaving'
won't youP Do, Toni
Hi-hi-hi!" Tom snickered. &c
. with you for shavings! that's a goo
: joke"
I'm afraidr' she pleaded.
:. Afraid. you goose! What are 20
afr nd Of? The old house is full {
ghosts, but they never hurt anybody
only silly little girls that are afraid {
'em; they scare them almost 10 deaf
9 sometimes! Hi-hi-hi! come along
!, cried Tom TO his companions, putin
]! back into his teeth the stump. which b
had flourished in his fingers whill
making this foolish speech.
Ghosts in the old house! Poor Beck
knew wen enough that Tom never let
lie stand in the way Of any mischief
. sport Of his, and she wouldn't ha,
minded at all what he said II she hadn
\ been 30 frightened. But now all h,
4 vague fears Of the darkness and sol
!, tude Of the deserted house took shat
! to her fancy, and became horrible spe
!. tiers.
She stopped at the door. crying des
q lately. She would not have had streng
I TO 90 a step farther II the certainty tn
! il was growing darker all the while, al
|. that she would be whipped II she shou
! 90 home without the shavings. had n
I given her momentary resolution.
u Tom had said that the ghosts scar
y only little girls who were afraid OF the'
q Then she wouldn't be afraid. She won
be brave for once. So she nerved nc
self.
! Breathless, trembling, cold shivers
fear creeping over her from head
r. foot. she mounted the steps, paused
y moment to listen in the dim entry, tn
I. glided softly into the room where 8
a shavings were.
y There she paused again. She cou
see nothing but the faint outline OF
III WOIk-UtuCus thC bulC "eAA'f s''->-
windows through which the event
= light came. Suddenly she heard rus
re- in the shavings. 1t may have be
"a caused BY providing cat, or perhaps
n some beggar who had crawled in the
n for a nights lodging. But to poor lit
~ Becky il was the rising Of the ghos
I" and she really fancied she saw hu
IA head. with horns and fiery eyes, starti
out Of the darkness. All her coura,
60 which had cost her SO much, was go
II in an instant. She dropped her basl
e. and ran.
Out Of the house and down The ste
ed She went, and along the street, until
n began to meet people. Then she ca
or 10 herself little. and remembered
.r- basket, and the whipping she was 81
he to get II she went home without i;
Of She stopped, and finally turned ba
toward the old house. But she COT
-. -. .....,s. ort,,-o no m enter il n secC