Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-15
BARRY.

Miss Abigail Burr was little brown
old maid. who lived in little brown old
house with her cat, Dolby, and her
woman .oi-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 Abigaips life;
everything was dry, and hard. and
husky. indeed, some people were so
unchar table us to say that her heart
was like very much dried-up kernel in
a nutshell, and would rattle il she were
TO be shaken hard enough. But L
never quito believed that. always
said there was soft spot in Miss
| 4 bigaps heart. TO be found when the
| time came to find it.
One spring twilight q boy opened
| Miss Abigaips garden gate and walked
up the path between the rows o. stray
| Cling lilacs. He was not boy who
| lived about Caperstown or he would not
| have dared venture, / am sure, for
| Pru,lence's sake, besides having moth
| ing 10 venture for. He was an I'M
kempt, starved looking little specimen
of humanity. His coat was world too
long and patched ut the elbows; and
his trousers were world too short and
patched nj the knees. His hat was
guiltlcss of brm, and through u hole in
the crown bobbcd q little tuft of hair
which had once been brown, but was
now wosully faded He went straight
up to Miss Abigairs porch steps. Miss
Abigail was sitting on the porch in her
high backed rocking-char so intent on
binding off her stocking-hee that she
L., ~ kn, 4 b,, I'll - hn IN
nor the footsteps on tie hard-trodden
path, and she did no look up unit
the boys figure intcrpOsed itself be-
tween her work and the fading sunset
light.
lie doned his tattcred hatcrown.
If you please, ma am, will you-may
i have something to eat?"
1t was not tall tramp's manner of
asking; there was manliness in the
voice which Miss Abigail could not help
but notice. Perhaps that was the reason
she looked at the hoy sharply for q
moment before she answered. In that
moment, Prudence. tall and angular.
stood in the door, with shawl thrown
over her head, and her right hand
swathed with soft cotton.
I'm have to git Jonas Barrow man
to do the milkin'," SD d she. - can't
P,c rnel my hand that bad"
The boy looked up q ickly. Cant
I-co Id milk for you?
As | have int mated, fridcn d
not like boys; an that she sometimes
cxprcsse her dislike in very forcb'e
manner many of the village ureh.ns
tou d testify. Now, she surveyed this
boy, standing by the porch steps. from
his bare brown Feet 10 his brown head,
not forgetting the faded little tuft, in
Il NIB establishment.
You might let him try, PrLden O."
said Miss Alb gail, thinking rather dubi-
ouslv of the nervous, mouse CO ored Al
derney in the yard.
81 chored on farm all last summe',"
OK la;ned the boy, eagerly, g'ancing
from mistress to maid. 81 want some
SUI per, and L be CAD to do something
to pay for it,"
"Well, You kin try it." said Pru-
dence, after n momcntaly delibcration.
It's Letter begging favor, anyhow"
She led tie way 10 the kitchen, and
took shining tin pail from the dresser.
Here's the milk-pail," she said TO
the boy, who stood waiting; IAN the
cows in the yard Wonder. Payday
comes VIII the works DONE
And rru ence smiled grimly rs she
went abo setting ont a inch OF bread
and butter and cod meat. She felt
morally certain that the Eighty Alderney
heifer, use | only to woman-kind, would
be much more likely to spread n pair OF
bovine wings and fly away than allow
herself to be MIXED by boy.
@ can't do it., she said to Miss
Abigail, WHO presently bro ght her
knit NC work in the Kitchen. 1.-The
he fer'll send him sky-high.
But he could and he did Soon he
appeared in the doorway, his rail brim-
ming with snowy foam
"Well. Inever" calculated Prudence.
"You d,dn't think l coudP" i'll the
boy. smiling brightly.
No, didn't admitted Z udence;
and straightway. in her establishment,
she added to his fare segment of rhu-
larb pie.
'Wasn't there bit of chce left
from teap" asked Miss Abigail
Prudence thought there was, and
while she was fetching it Fl, m the eel.
lar the boy gave mself healthy
scrubbing ut the pump, coming in from
his ablutions fresh and ruddy as a rose.
lie was very hungry; there was no
doubt of that He looked at Miss
Abigail with teprecatiDg smile as Pru-
dence carried off the ad-plate for a
third replenishing.
Pm pretty hungry" said he. This
is the first bite I've had since morning
and il tastes good. :"
To be sure it did. Miss Abigail
| al l...I
years and years before, ere his tender
feet began to feel the pricks in life's
path. How strange that the sight of
this little vagrant, satisfying his crav-
ing at her kitchen table, should bring
to her remembrance the child who had
so early put of the mortal for the i'm
mortal Presently. when the boy had
finished his repast, he la his knife and
fork across his plate with methodical
Irecis on which it pleased Miss Abigail
to sec and then he glanced from Pru-
dcnce, standing near her with arms
akimbo, 10 Miss Abigail.
THANK you for my SUPPER said he.
MAY be I'd best be getting along. You
don't want boy to Work, do your
"a boy-to work. echoed Prudence.
"Did l ever!"
mo, we don't" said Miss Abigail,
shortly. And then-it was strange
enough that she could not help thinking
again of that frail little life which had
blighted in the bud so long before.
"How far are you goingp" she asked.
II don't know, ma am"
"And where have you come fromP'
proceeded Miss Abigail
Prescott, ma am. Mother died
there three months ago." There was a
pathetic quaver in his voice.
And then, with little questioning, he