The Brookhaven leader., 1885-12-24
walled Davy.

All attenlnts 10 please or comfort him were
useless. He had never been away from his
home a night in his life, and to be out Of his
familiar little world when the darkness fell
was a calamity. The matron's heart was
| touched, and she did her best to pacify him,
but in vain. The paupers, old and young,
foolish and sensible, daft and sane, gathered
about him and tried i'll their poor way to
win him from his misery.
1t Was the same the next day and the next
and all other days. He did not walk about,
he did not talk, he did not look at anything,
and he scarcely ate a mouthful His mind
was constantly filed with the image of the
home from which he had been so cruelty
lured. His happy young face had grown old
and sorrowful Even Lizzie Ann and the fox
failed to comfort him They stood on a shelf
in the big sitting room mute witnesses of his
agony. To all questions and speeches he ha
but one answer: 81 want to go home"
Once when John Keller undertook to roint
out the beauties of the place to him and en-
treated him to dry his tears and learn to like
iG. he looked up with heartbroken expression
and said, Mother might come-me not
there"
At the end of fortnight the wagon of the
slmshouse stopped in front of the Carson cot
tage again, and John Keller went in. He
told the story of Davy's homesickness in few
but strong words: .-.
"He doesn't eat and he doesn't sleep. He
grieves all the time. He's never been with,
out a stream o tears running over his cheeks
since he's been there. He's so weak from the
grievin' that he can't sit up hardly half the
time ! believe his heart will break"
The Carson children" listened in silence,
with white faces and averted eyes. They
were remorsefuL but had not the courage tt
say so even TO each other. 1t is often so with
people WAC have not cultivated their finest
natures Their hearts seem harder than they
are because their tongues are unframed tc
the expression of the gentler emotions They
are ashamed of tenderness because they have
no familiarity with the sweet speech of life
Sc nobody answered.
Mistaking the silence for hardness, Keller
continued: The natron told me to tell you
about it. Maybe if you knew how Davy
took on you wouldn't want him to stay there
but if he is to stay Wen all do our best to
comfort him though nothin' gives kim any
heart He never SAYS anything but, i want
10 go home 1t rings in my cars so l can't
hear what folks is sayin' TO me half the
time"
After some talk among themselves George
said: '.Well, tell Davy he can come home on
Christmas and tat his. Christmas dinner.
You'll be coming into town; you can fetch
him, can't you"
The kind-hearted Keller nodded, feeling as
grateful as ii the favor We're TO himself. His
honest souI had been so moved by Davy's
sufferings that anything looking toward a
ray Of comfort for the boy was precious to
him
He went back to the almshouse and under
II n g. H.
be patient until Christina. 1t was seven
days ahead, and these he explained to the
feeble mind of the big, homesick child by
stringing seven beans on a stout thread, one
to be taken OH each day until Christmas was
reached. Davy understood after much
labored explanation that the beans repre-
sented days, and when the last one had been
taken of he could go home. FG If.....
1t would have been useless and hopeless
to try to tell him that his invitation
home was limited to dinner. He could not
have understood IL. Besides, John Keller,
the fnatron and all his syInpathizing friends
at the poorheuse naturally hoped that when
he was once at home the difficulty of sending
him away again would settle the question
In his favor il43 s@ 4 GGtt1it ~ .
BY evening he was 50 nruch inbued with
hope that be sat In the big sitting room with
out tears in his eyes and rocked Lizzie Ann
an hour on more, y His face, which fort
night ago had been round and rosy, was
white aud haggsrd; ;hiseye which had danced
with babyish pleasure the day he arrived,
were now dim and hollow, and his once
chubby hands were thin and nervous. He
WAS like Davy's van and weary ghost, and
not like the real Davy at all
Poor old imbe> lie Isaac, who had been one
ef ths couRty's children Cor half dozen