The Penn's Grove record., 1884-03-01
BAEET OLsIsT Sal

tongue long VI Usage, Drowner and
g.4as tHal the mistress herself. There
W.. nothing VI grace, nor beauty, nor
saea.ae.s about Ms AbigaI's life;
everything was dry, and hard, and
husky. indeed, some people we're 80
-aueaal,sble IS to say that her heart
vas Ike % very much dried-up kernel
in "a uItahe.I. and would rattle If she
were 10 oe shaken hard enough. But /
never quite believed that. always SAID
that there wa d soft sp0. in Miss abb
gals heart, 10 be found when the time
c4aae - Ind Il.
Oae spring twilight a boy opened Miss
ABlgall's garden gate and walked up the
path between the rows Of struggling IL
laes. He was not d boy who lived about
CaaefatoWu or Ire would not have dared
Faat4re, I am sure, for P~rudence's sake,
.BeslIe7 having nothing 10 venture for
IL was an uHkenpt, staryed-looking
little specimen Of humanity. His coat
Was d world too long and patched at the
elbows, aud his trousers we're a world
too short and patched at the knees.
rs hat vas guiltie5s Of brim and
through d hole IN the crown bobbed a
HstIe tuf. ri hair which had nee been
brJau, but was now wofully faded. He
vent Straight up 10 Miss Abigail's
porch steps. Mss Abigail was sitting
On the p9IcaiH her h~igh-backed rocking
chair 50 .ateH. on binding off her
slosHIUE-hrc. ll4s SIZE heard neither the
cIEaE 81 tae g4oa-latca nor the footsteps
on TIRE aaul-tr9ddeH path, and she did
uas .ssa al uaal the boys figure inter
ps=al itself Jae8eeu her work and the
fading aaaseg light.
IIe doiei his catered ~hat-crown.
Iii sou Please, ma'am, Will you
IN H.ve a,meta.ng to eatr"
i a4z not III al d tfanp's manner Of
asking tNege #sl= "a mauliness III the
fgses aa.ea Miss Abigail could not help
bot notice. Perhaps that was the rea.
son SHE lo1Ged at Tire boy sharply for a
l0gue4t before She answered. In tAat
maHea... Prudence. tall and angular,
stood ll ,he door, with IL shawl thrown
over her head, and her right hand swath-
ell "jtI the soft cotton.
.IIl have 10 git Jonas Barrow's man
to do the mlIHiu',n said she. [ can't.
I've burned iny hand that bad"
The boy looked up quickly. Can't
could milk for you?'
A. have Iutimated, Prudence did
not ike 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 brown feet to his brown head,
not ever forgetting the little tuft, in
dumb establishment.
You might let HIM try, Prudence -
SAID Miss Abigail, thinking rather du-
biously Of the nervous, mouse-colored
AIderuey in the yard.
II chored on a farm all last summer -
explained the boy, eagerly, glanclng
from mistress to maid. II want some
supper, and III be glad to do something
to pay for it."
~ ell you kin Try it, said Prudence.
after a mOIneutaTy elaboration. It's
better n begging a favor, anyhow, "
She led the way to the kitchen, ana
took a shining tin pail from the dresser.
Heres the m|ilk-pail, =" she said to
the boy, who stood waiting; IAN the
cow'o in the yard yonder. Payday
oma when the works done"
And Prudence smiled grimly as she
went about setting out a lunch of bread
and butter and cold meat. She felt
morally certain That the Eighty Alderney
heIfer. used only to woman-kind, would
be much more likely to spread a pair of
bovine wings and fly away than allow
herself to be MIXED by a boy.
ale can't do it," she said to Miss
Abigail, who presently brought her
kulttjng-work in the kitchen. 1.-The
heiferIl send him sky-high."
But he could and he did. Soon he
appeared in the doorway. his pail brim-
ming with snowy foam.
Wei never, calculated Prudence.
"You did't think I could?" said the
boy, smiling brightly.
NO, didn't" admitted Prudenc
and st~raightway, in her establishment,
she added to his fare a segment Of a
rhubarb pie.
wasn't there a bit Of cheese left
from tea?" asked Miss Abigail.
Prudence thought there was, and
while she was fetching it from the eel
lar the boy gave himself a healthy
scrubbiHg at the pump, coming in from
his abiutious fresh and ruddy as a rose.
lie was very hungry, there was no
doubt Of that. lie looked at Miss Abb
pal with a deprecating smile as Pru-
denee carried off the bread-plate for a
third replenishing.
Ppm pretty hungry" said he. "This
is the FIRST bite I've had since morning
and it tastes good
10 ht sure ~ uAu. MISS ADlsdIl
Thought Of a little brother who died
years before, ere his tender feet began
to feel tine pricks in Ife's path. How
strange that thc sight Of this little va
grant, satisfying his craving at her kit
chen table, should bring to her remem-
brance the child who had so early put
of the mortal for the immortal. Pres
entity, when the boy had finished his re-
past, be laid his knife and fork across
q : plate with a methodical precision
which it pleased Miss Abigail to see
and then be glanced from Prudsn CO