The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-10

ert's neck and asked him to remain fur u
few moments. Robert held me by the
hand, and asked that I might remain
also.
Then, when u.e three were alone he
| told at the masters request, the story oi
his tr,aibles. How siaIply and how
frankly he spckc, and what uIstudicd
patl,0s there was in his words! The
| srhool nnster's eyes were full Of tears
and in answering the poor little b0v, hiu
| voice became choked, and more than
once he left sentence unfinished. Az
to myself, could not help weeping out.
right.
The next day Robert was absent. lie
had taken cold while he lay ON tho wet
ground. and a. the weather was now
stormy, his mother had not ventured n,
send him. Hisabsence afforded the master
an opportunity OF talking To the nther
pupils in q way which he could hardly
have done had the little boy with the big
boots been present.
school-frllows had, however, already
begun to lliink--begun to put the,nselycr
in Roberts place, and imagine how they
would fee. If their mo,hers' who so loved
them, were o0rand carew0rn, and vat up
at LYNX W utaEO OIu tulnko iii
-wer for their dear boys, hoping that the
other bnys would not notice the difference,
or at leGst would not speak of ito con.
slider bow it would be il, when they came
tn schonl, all this anxiety aud Toll were
nocked by nnieeling voices. and all the
dear things Of home were iinulted, through,
- senseless derision, by those who had
the good fortune to possess parents whD
could buy them new cuats, new mittens.
and new boots. There is almost every
thing in thinking. and at last the boys
thought.
Master Tanner spoke kindly to them
on the subject. Though lie could be stern
NJ lines there MAS now nOtnne atom of Sc
verify in his tones. His heart had no room,
for anger; but, rs he spoke, to became
eloquent. 1t was soft. winning kind ol
cloquence; aud tile most thoughllcss boy
in school was visibly afI1cted-rany OF
them to tearg.
Whether or not Roberts mother knew
what had tauspired, caunot tell bur
the succeeding day he came again. wearing
The same coat and boots Us before. Bul
the boys saw them not, or naw them
only to feel hearlache, and . new. born
sympathy for the poor little fellow win"
would not have worn them il he could
have helped it, The tide of impulse had
urned. Nothing was overdune, but there
WAS Kindness Oi net and tone and the
big boys showed that they were doing
what they could, in gentle, unnbtru.
1ivc way, to make Robert forget that they
had ever treated him i'll.
The next day was Saturday and there
wan no scLunl. On Monday, Robert did
not cG:ne, and we lenrned that lie WAS il,
with fever. Tuesday was Christmas :;
and on the morning Of that day, MIR.
Brown curried into the sick room of her
ilttle boy new pair 0i buuts and com.
plete suit of warm. handsome clothing.
vercout aud all. Late on the previuu.
evening, these articles had been left in
her charge, to be mornings surprise for
the young patient.
That AFTERNOON, number of the
school boys called upon him, and | wa-
4 the party. The same buy who had
tossed if.,hert's cnal from Tie ::a:! III lii.
entry WAS one OF us. Robert sat up in
ued, and for ~ few moments nll his Hines.
,eemcd 10 have departed. The new bout
were where he could look at them; the
uvercont was also close to ls hind, anu
~ were all tho other articles Of the
Chrstmns gilt. The young visitors had
seen nil these things before Robert saw
hem, but they did not say 80.
Oh, how unexpected had been such
Il token ofsympnIhyl Nolhil,g wa. said
of the pnst; but the boys brought him uut-
aud sweetmeats, which, hcwever, he must
keep till he should be well and they
loid him Of hundr d things which he
aud they would do beture The close of win
Ter. But the we'll duy never came. He
was very sick, even then; and il VIA ouly
The pleasant excitement, aud the feeling
that the Old cause of sorrow had been ali
swallowed up in kindness that nude hiu,
appear mUmentnrily better.
Only once after that saw him alive
and the picture Of hia little pale face upon
the pillow remaius with me yet. His
inotlier had placed the new bnuts where
lie could touch them with his hand.
When entered, he rallied for moment
and aeeined nimnal we'll. Putting his arm.
about me as leaned over hius, he said
II nave seen little Mamie. Sh. WINS
here last night. i saw her just as she
used to be. The schnol boys--lhey didn't
mean any harm, did they? only they
iidu't think. They like me now, and l like
them"
And tlien he said something more Of
little sister, and something Of getting
we'll but presently he seemed exhausted
and partly lost. cried softly to myself
for could not help it.
Tho dny following we heard that he
was no mere. All the school. children
were at tho funeral. Master Tanner was
there, tuU. The undertaken opcnd the little
cnsket that held the dead, aud we ull
came softly and looked down upnn the
white face. ALI the past CO /. o buck-the
scene with the Uvarcoat in The entry. The
jeers ut the big buut4, the distress s,t' tbp
poor little boy rs he flung himself ON the
damp swartl--all tiiese things were re-.
member, d. And now, how pale and still!
he w,ial No wulidrr that the schutl.boya
cried; no wonder that the masters fure
wits wei with tears. ss.4i
1t was, as have said, more than forty
years ago but la an old burial ground
not far. away. cuuld point out 10 nv
readers small white s:one, with Roberta
name and age, aud by It's side another
slone, inscribed to Little Mnmie"
thoy were placed there by Roberts sailor
brother, who. the same winter, returned
from long sea voyage.
How often lonk at these small memo.
rlnls, and 60 back in spirit to tue nld
schnol.nouse and TINT bleak November
day, when the threadbure overcuat was
tiung cnntempt.ionsly from its nail,
and little Robert, In hia ill.fitting hbntA.
wents with heart full of disiress. Ia
pick upaadreplace thnt which ho knew
his mother had taken such care to brush
and alends saf ~ 81
Q dear little b6yi bow long the acene
has hea.. nrar--.le nrmeI,v III. haar.a.I...
the tears But a lesson w.is learned n, th.,