Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1885-12-26

those little red and black ones around
the corner are just beautiful
''Ain't they2" cried the delighted
Bobbie. "Two little black blocks and
one little red one. Oh, Mary, but they're
| five cents, and I've only got four"
She held out the coveted penny.
81 think Katie Smith might like one
for Christmas gift"
ooh, no, no, no." shouted Bobbie,
"but it's not for Katie Smith; it's for"
Then he put both hands over his foolish
little mouth and chuckled softly.
You'd better 60 away, or you might
! tell me secrets" laughed Mary.
And Bobbie, chuckling harder than
ever, ran out into the street.
The little old lady who kept the little
old shop where he had spied the pen
wlpers, was very busy that afternoon.
The tiny place was full! of old-fashioned
people who were buying her scarlet nit
tens, or her dainty tasseled hoods and
jackets, or even the glass eyed canton
flannel elephants that stood in her Win
dows and stared out at the naughty
| world.
Bobbie slipped into corner, away
from the crowd of busting people and
looked on.
Presently the door bell tinkled, and
another customer came in. He was
tall man with a very brown face, and he
wore shaggy coat that fell down to his
heels. He stood there at the door and
scanned the faces of the buyers, one by
one. Then he caught Boobies eyes, and
smiled down at him
I'm looking for somebody, he said,
''but | can't find her at ALL" Now the
smile died out of his face and sad look
came instead.
A queer idea was in Bobbie's head.
He looked up at the shaggy man and
said wistfully:
Are you the prince? Are you look
ing for the princess? Did you 90 away
| and never come back any more, till now?"
"Who told you that2" asked the
shaggy man.
"My sister," said Bobbie: cts story.
Once there was prince and he loved
the princess; but he went away and
never came back any n. IRE.
'That's a sad story" said the shaggy
man.
Its good enough for Happy Court, ="
said Bobbie; and, oh, but that was
wise thing for him to say.
There's only Mary and me-" he be,
gan, but just then the cd lady called,
And what can l do for you, sir!' and
he went forward to buy his little red and
| black pen wiper.
lie looked very important as he trotted
out into the street, with his precious
present tied up carefully in pink blotting
paper. He opened a corner of the tiny
package, and let the man who had fol-
lowed him take peep at it.
ats for my sister Amt it beautiful
! for only five centsi"
Every" said the man. gravely. "Will
she use 1t often-does she write a great
deal-your sister,"
''Well, no." said Bobbie, looking a
shadow less happy, "but-" and his face
| lit up again-''she used to, when we
didn't live in Happy Court; letters and
letters, and they went out to big ship
i'll the waterway off over the water"
Now they had reached the corner OF
Happy Court.
"Good bye, said Bobbie, blithely. But
the man caught him fast by the arm.
Little boy" he said. ''havent seen
you somewhere before2 Now tell me
true"
mo, you haven't" said Bobbie,
promptly; land never saw you either. /"
"Well, said the shaggy man, 81 guess
l am fool. Merry Christmas, ladder
Down the Court, through the windy
yellow light and the failing dead leaves,
ran Bobbie as fast as he could. But the
man followed him. He followed him up
the rickety stairs and to the very door of
the shabby little ROOM
ooh, Mary" cried Bobbie, cts Just
be au-tifuln'
Mary's head came out of the darkness
by the cupboard door.
"Well, Bobbie," she began-but there
she stopped and stood as still as a
stone
"And the prince came back again, "
said the shaggy man from the door
way
Then something wonderful happened
Bobbie saw it with his own two beautiful
eyes. The shaggy man took Mary nto
his arms, and she put her head down on
his shoulder and cried as Bobbie had
never heard ner cry pe1ore. And the
shaggy man kissed her, and kept on kiss.
| ing her, and he told the strangest story
to Bobbic and her.
1t was about ship and storm and
an island all alone in the sea. /; was
about letters unanswered and long spell
of sickness and weary months of seeking,
1T was all about the prince who came
back once more to the beautiful. faith
tul princess. $50 they married, and
were happy ever after. "-Lisehe Wood
seorth Aeese, in 81. Louis Magazine.