The Red Cloud chief., 1881-06-02
care you hungryg' she asked sud.

denly.
The wide-open gray eyes would have
answered her without the quick sob and
low "Yes'm."
The carriage stopped, and, the monu-
ment again accomplishing a descent.
opened the door, and stood staring in
blank amazement.
al am not going in, john" said his
mistress. "Dive home again" And
| she added, smiling, "This little boy
crept in out of the cold while the car
riage was waiting. am going to take
him home. Drive back as quickly as
possible"
As the bewildered ccachman hut the
door and returned TO his perch, the
boy made a spring forward.
.sLemme outn.' he cried. al don't
want to 90 home. Lemme ont"
"Not your home" said the lady,
gently-''my home"
Tom stared at her in wonder. and,
too much overcome 10y the announce
ment t. resist, let her lift him up On the
seat beside her.
..Mv home she repeated, ''where
You can get very warm. and havea good
! dinner, and a long, long sleep, on q
soft bed. Will you Ike that"
Tom drew a long, slow breath, but
did not answer. 1t was too wonderful!
He-one of Nanny Sal sboys-to 90 to
the ladv's house where the children lived
whom he had seen go in that evening! He
looked up suddenly. Were those
children yourn?' he asked. With a
sudden movement she drew him very
close TO her, and then answered softly:
"NO. not mine. | had a little boy
once like you, anil he died"
When the carriage stopped again Tom
was fast asleep; so fast asleep that the
still bcwildercd ccachman carried him
into the house and laid him on a bed
without waking him. The next morn
ing. when the boys eyesopened, he lay
looking about him, hardly daring TO
speak or move. 1 don't believe he hal
ever heard anything about the fairies
or he would certainly have thought
himself in fairyland. Best Of all, the
lady of the night before was standing
by the bed smiling at him. and smiling
back. he held out his arms to her.
| wish you could have seen him a If
tie later, when, arrayed in Jacket and
trousers that made him think with dis
dain of certain articles of the same de-
scription which he had but yesterday
gaZed at lovingly as they dangled be-
tore old Isaacs' clothing store, he sat
before n little table by the sunny win
dow, taking a short, a very short pre-
liminary view of a gigantic beefs.cak
still Indignantly suffering to itself. a
mountain of smoking potatoes, an inn
posing array of snowy rolls and golden
butter and a pitcher OF creamy milk.
And 1 wish, too, YOU could have seen
the same table still later; for the table
was about AL that was left.
That was the first time that | ever
saw Tom. Since then | have seen him
very often. And now | will tell you,
only | am afraid you will hardly believe
me, about the last time, and that was
not very long ago.
was riding along one of the pretti-
est country roads you ever saw, and
when | came to certain gate my horse,
without waiting for Il sign from me,
turned i'm. As we drew near the house
| caught sight of two figures standing
among the flowers. One was a hand
some old lady with white hair. the other
a young man. She was armed with an
immense pair of shears, and he held in
his hand his hat filled TO The brim with
flowers. The sunlight, creeping down
through the trees. fell full upon his
clo%se-cropped hair and yellow beard.
AS drew in my horse and sat watching
them, it all seemed 10 me like a fairy
story But it wasn't; for the tall, hand
some man looking down with such pro-
tecting tenderness upon the white
haired old lady was really .Iom-poor,
little. thin, cold. hungry Tom.-1reric
S. Francis, az the Christian Union.