Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-03-15
BARRY.

1
old house with her cat Debby, and hel
woman of all work, Prudence, sharp o.
tongue, long of vision, browner and old
er than the mistress herself. There wa!
nothing of grace. nor beauty, nor sweet
ness, about Miss AbigaiPs life; every
thing was dry, and hard, and husky. In
deed. some people were so uncharitablt
as to say that her heart was like a very
much dried up kernel in a nutshell, and
would rattle if she were to be shaken
hard enough. But ! never quite be-
lieved that. l always said there was q
soft spot in Miss Abigail's heart, to bs
found when the time came to fad it.
One spring twilight a boy opened Miss
Abigail's garden gate and walked up the
path between the rows of struggling IL
lacs. He was not boy who lived about
Caperstown or he would not have dared
to venture, am sure, for Prudence's
sake, besides having nothing to venture
for. He was an unkempt, starved look
ing specimen of humanity. His coat
was world too long. and patched at the
elbows; and his trousers were a world
too short and patched at the knees. His
hat was guiltless of the brim, and
through hole in the crown bObbed a
little tuft OF hair which had once been
brown, but was now wofully faded. He
went straight up to Miss AbigaiPs porch
steps. Miss Abigail was sitting on the
porch in her high-backed 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 trodden path, and she did not look
up until the boys figure interposed il
self between her work and the fading
sunset light
He doffed 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 manliness in the
voice which Miss Abigail could not help
but notice. Perhaps that was the rea-
son she looked at the boy sharply for a
moment before she answered. In that
moment, Prudence, tall and angular,
stood in the door, with shawl thrown
over head and her right hand swathed
with soft cotton.
III have to git Jonas Barrow's man
to do the milkin', Miss Abigail" said she.
81 can't. I've burned my hand that bad"
The boy looked up quickly, Cant L !
could l milk for your"
As l have intimated, Prudence did
not like boys, and that she sometimes
her dislike in very forcible
manner many of the village urchins
could testify. Now, she surveyed this
boy, standing by the porch steps, from
his bare brown feet to his bare brown
head, not forgetting the faded little tuft,
in dumb astonishment.
You might let him try, Prudence"
said Miss Abigail, thinking rather dubi-
derney in the yard.
81 chored on farm all last summer"
the boy eagerly, glancing from
mistress to maid. 81 want some supper,
and I'll be glad to do something to pay
for it"
"Well, you kin try it" said Prudence,
after momentary deliberation. "1t's
better'n begging 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, IAN the cows |
in the yard ynnder. Pay day comes |
when the works DONE"
And Prudence smiled grimly as she |
went about setting out lunch of bread |
and cold meat. She felt morally certain |
that the flighty Alderney heifer, used
only to woman kind, would be much |
more likely to spread pair Of bovine
wings and fly away than allow herself |
to be milke0 by boy.
HE can't do it," she said to Miss abb |
gail, who presently brought her knitting
into the kitchen. "The heifer'll send
him sky highp
But he could and he did. Soon he
appeared in the doorway, his pail brim-
ming with snowy foam.
"Well, 1 neverT calculated Prudence. |
"YOu didn't think l couldp" said the |
BOY, smiling brightly.
"No, didn't" admitted Prudence;
and straightway, in her astonishment.
The added to his fare segment of rhu-
Jarb pie.
wasn't there bit Of cheese left from
ea ?" asked Miss Abigail.
Prudence thought there was, and
while she was fetching 1t from the eel
ar the boy gave himself u healthy
at the pump, coming in from