Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-06-28
THE ORPHAN BOY.

Miss Abigail Burr was little brown
old maid, who lived in little old brown
house with her cat, Debby, and hel
woman-of-all-work, Prudence, SHARP
of tongue, and long of visage, herself
There was nothing of grace, nor sweet
ness, about Miss Abigail's life; every
thing was dry, and hard and husky. In
deed, some people were so .uncharitablo
as to say that her heart was like very
much dried up kernel in nutshell,
and would rattle if she were to be
shaken hard enough But l never
believed that. always said that there
was 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 liv-
ed about Caperstown, or he would not
have dared venture, L am sure, for
Prudence's sake, besides having moth
ing to venture for. He was an I'M
kempt, starved looking specimens OF
humanity. His coat was world too
long, and patched at the elbows; and
his trousers a world too short and
patched at the knees. His hat was
guiltless of brim, and through hole in
the crown bobbed little tuft of hair,
which had once been brown, but now
woefullv faded He went stright up to
Miss Abigail's porch steps. Miss Abb
gail YVES sitting on the porch in her high
backed rocking chair, so intent on bind
ing off her stocking heel
that she heard neither the
click of the gate latch nor the footsteps
on the hard-trodden path, and she did
not look up till the boys figure inter-
posed itself between her work and the
fading sunset light.
He dotted his tattered hat-crown.
IF you please, ma'am, will you
may have something to eat?"
1t was not at all tramp's manner OF
asking; there was a manliness in his
voice which Miss Abigail could not help
noticing. Perhaps taat was the reason
she looked at the boy sharply for a mo-
ment before she answered. In that mo-
ment, Prudence, tall and angular, stood
in the door, with shawl thrown over
her head, and her right hand swarthed
in soft cotton.
"Ill have to get Jones Barrows to
do the milkin, Miss Abigail" said she.
81 can't. I've burned my hand that
bad"
The boy looked up quickly. Cant
could 1 milk for your"
A. II int; tn6
not like boys; and that she sometimes
expressed her dislike in a very forcible
manner, many of the village urchins
could testify. Now, she surveyed this
boy, standing by the porch steps, from
his bare head, not forgetting the faded
little tuft, in dumb astonIshmert.
"You might let him try. Prudence,
said Miss Abigail, thinking obviously o
the nervous, mouse-colored Alderney
the yard
II chored on farm all last summer,
explained the boy, eagerly, glancins
from mistress to maid. al want SOM
supper, and I'll be glad to do something
to pay for it"
"Well, you kin try it, said Prudence
after momentary elaboration. ut
better'n Begin favor anyhow"
She led the way to the kitchen, an
took shining tin pail from the dress
s.Here's the milk-pail," said she, B
the boy, who stood waiting; San tn
cows in the yard yonder. Pay da
comes when the work is done"
And Prudence smiled as she wen
about setting lunch of bread and bu
ter and cold meat. She felt morall
certain that the Eighty Alderney heife1
used only to women-kind, would b
much more likely to spread pair {
bovine wings and fly away than allo
herself to be MIXED by boy.
"He can't do it," she said to Mi
Abigail, who brought her knitting wor
into the kitchen. 1.-THE heifer will ser
him sky-high!''
But he could. and he did. Soon
appeared in the doorway, his pail brir
ming with snowy foam.
well, / neverp' calculated Prudenc
ssYou didn't think / couldP" ask,
the boy, smiling brightly,
"No, didn't" admitted Prudenc
and straightway, in her astonishmeI
she added to his fare segment of rh
barb pie.
Wasn't there bit of cheese l,
over from teaP" asked Abigail.
Prudence thought there was, q
while she was fetching 1t from the G
lar, the boy gave himself scrubbl
at the pump coming in from his abo
tions fresh and rudy as rose
was very hungry; there was no do,
of that. He looked at Miss Abig
with depreciating smile, as PrudcI