The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-05-18
SELECT STORY.
BARRY'S CHANCE,

Miss Abigail Burr was little brown
eyed old maid who lived in little
brown old house with her cat, Debby,
and her woman-of-all- work. Prudence
sharp of tongue, long of visage,
browner and older than the mistress
herself. There was nothing of grace,
nor beauty, nor sweetness about Miss
Abigairs life; everything was dry and
hard and husky. Indeed, some people
were so uncharitabe as to say that her
heart was like very much dricd.up
kernel in a nutshell, and would rattle If
she were to be shaken hard enough.
But | never quite believed that. | al.
ways said there was a soft spot in Miss
Abigail's heart, to be found when the
time came to find it,
One spring twilight boy opened
Miss Abigail's garden gate and walked
up the path between the rows of strag.
Cling lilacs He was not boy who
lived about Caperstown, or he would
not have dared venture, | an sure, fol-
Prudences sake, besides having nothing
to venture for He was an unkempt,
starved looking little specimen of hu,
manity. His coat was a world too long
and patched at the elbows; and his
trousers were world too short, and
patched at the knees. His hat was
guiltless of brim, and through hole in
the crown bobbed little tuft of hal,
which had once been brown, but was
now woefully faded. He went straigh,
up to Miss Abigail's porch steps. Miss
Abigail was sitting on the porch in her
highbacked rocking chair, so intent on
binding off her stocking heel that she
heard neither the click of the gate latch
nor the footsteps on the hard-trodder
path; and she did not look up until the
boys figure interposed itself between
her work and the fading sunset lights
He doffed his tattered hat crown. "It
you please, ma'am, will you-may
have something to eat p
1t was not at all tramp's manner oi
asking; there was manliness in the
voice which Miss Abigail could not helr
but notice. Perhaps that was the rea
son she looked at the boy sharply for q
moment before she answered. AT that
moment, Prudence, tall and angular
stood in the door, with shawl throw
over her head, and her right hand
swathed with soft cotton.
"I'll have to git Jonas Barrow's mar
to do the milkin', Miss Abigail said
she. 81 can't. rye burnt my hand tha,
bad"
The boy looked up quickly; "Can',
I-could | milk for you"
AS | have intimated Prudence did
not like boys; and that she sometimes
expressed her dislike in a very forcibl.
manner, many of the village urchins
could testify. Now, she surveyed this
boy, standing by the porch steps, from
his bare brown head, not forgetting the
faded little tuft, in dumb astonishment
you might let him try, Prudence,
said Miss Abigail, thinking rather du,
blously of the nervous, mouse colored
Alderney in the yard.
Il chored on farm all last summer, u
explained the boy, eagerly: glancing
from mistress to maid II want some
supper, and I'll be glad to do something
to pay for it.
"Well, you kin try it, said Prudence,
after a momentary deliberation. "Its
better'n beggin favor anyhow"
She led the way to the Kitchen and
took shining tin pail from the dresser
"Heres the milk pail" said she to
the boy, who stood waiting; "an' the
cows in the yard yonder Pay day
comes when the works done"
Aud Prudence smiled grimly as she
went about setting ont lunch of bread
and butter and cold meat She felt
morally certain that the flighty Alder
ney heifer, used only to womankind
would be much more likely to spread q
pair of bovine wings and fly away thar
allow herself to be MIXED by boy.
"He can't do it, she said to Mis-,
Abigail, who presently brought hel
knittingwork into the kitchen. 9Th,
heiter'll send him sky-high!"
But he could and he did. Soon he
appeared in the doorway, his pail brim
ming with snowy foam.
"Well, / never| calculated Pru
dence,
"You didn't think could?" said tn,
boy, smiling benignly.
"No, | didn't" admitted Prudence
and straightway, in her astonishment
she added to his fare segment of rhu
barb pie.
"Wasn't there bit of cheese left
from tea?" asked Miss Abigail.
Prudence thought there was, anC
while she was fetching it from the Gel
lar the boy gave himself health,
scrubblng at the pump, coming in from
his ablutions fresh and ruddy as a rose
lie was very hungry; there was n,
doubt of that, lie looked at Miss Abb
gail with a deprecating smile, as Pru
dence carried off the bread plate for
third replenishing, SIN pretty hungry,
said he. "This is the first bite I've ha,
since morning, and it tastes good"
To be sure it did, poor soul. Mis-
Abigail thought of a little brother VIII,
died years and years before, ere hi
tender feet began to feel the plicks i
life's path. How strange that the sigh
of this little vagrant satisfying hi
craving at her kitchen table shoul,
bring to her remembrance the child VIII
had so early put off the mortal for tn
timmoftali