The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-15

eiAoNA
with her sorrow.
But young hearis are made of strong ma
terial, and blithesome Ella was soon
absorbed in her household duties, and now
not a shade OF trouble appeared upon the
smiling face.
Let not my readers find fault with Miss
Ella when I disclose the fact that she had
a strong penchant for pet dogs. They were
her ~playmates and faithful protectors in
childhood, and all the dignity of young
ladyhood lacked power to wean her affec.
ton from them now. Great shaggy fel.
low with affectionate brown eyes were
her special favorites, but every canine,
from the puny pug to the slim and grace
fui greyhound, found a place in her affec-
tions. They had, as she herself expressed
it, afforded solid comfort and consola-
tlon" all her life, and she never had the
least occasion to find fault with them until
to-day, when her most particular pet
covered her with shame and humiliation.
large sun-hat, and calling her pet Niger
and a smaller satellite named Ruby, she
sailed forth for her usual evening walk,
which eventually ended in a race or scram.
BILE on the way home. All went well until
Niger encountered a casual acquaintance
cur, who was evidently on the war path.
He shifted around Niger, which procsed-
ing must in dog language have meant a
challenge, for Niger, to his eternal dis
SidCcs lLluleuldU6ly UuTeW uOWut liz RlOVe,
so to speak lending the while a very I'M
willing ear to the agonized entreaties of
his young mistress), wavered a moment,
and then went for his opponent with a vim
which promised to make things lively all
ound. Ruby made q few spasmodic
dashes toward the combatants, but deem
ing prudence much safer than valor in this
instance sat down at a safe distance and
watched the fight uneasily. Miss Ella
was in despair, and looked around in vain
for o Il Irwin n Z eha al
it up and poked aimlessly in a futile effort
to separate the angry animals. She had
just given up the attempt when, to her
great relief, a man appeared on the scene.
He was grimy and ragged. but she took no
notice of that, and begged him earnestly
to save her pet from the monster who was
seemingly bent on d~evouripg him.. An
amused smile fickered around the mans
mouth for an instant as he looked at her,
then, grasping a dog with each hand, he
lung one of them clear over the fence, and
was about to fling the other in an opposite
direction when Ella grasped him by the
coat-sleeve and claimed her pet, all dirty
and disgraced as he was.
Pm sure Pm very grateful, indeed"
stammered our distressed heroine, es she
held out her hand coward the stranger
with some money. To her establishment
he took no notice of her action, and, lift
ing his hat with a grace which would have
done honor to a Chesterfield, walked
quickly out of sight.
A few days after that Identical tramp
in truth, he looked a typical specimen of
the tramp, from his shirt button, conspic-
uous by its absence, to his dusty shoes
called at the cottage. Now, Mrs. Winters
pet aversion was a tramp; the very name
suggested visions of murder, fire and rob-
berry. When, perchance, she did give en-
ployment to such people, 1t was under the
pressure of some stern necessity, and
always with fear and trepidation.
$500 - = .,
that was the tenor of James message from
the kitchen. A hurried and anxious con-
sultation with that ancient and worthy
domestic disclosed the fact that the
~"kindling was almost out" Relying
gaDe W sas a promissd TO OF t sns i ant sya
on him, she was told to show him
to the wood-pile. Later on lane set him
down to dinner in the kitchen, and, acting
upon pre.arrangement, took the liberty Of
that wise and cautious woman ensconced
herself behind a convenient ambush and
proceeded to study Mr.. Tramp.
For the first time in her life her opinion
wavered. The cap which half concealed
his face.when she had first seen him was
now laid aside, disclosing to view a broad,
white forehead, surmounted by u hand
some crop of brown curls. His face was
sunburnt, but there was no mistaking the
beauty in every line of TIA youthful face,
with not even the shadow of a mustache to
hide the clear-cut, refined mouth. She
came and saw, and was almost conquered.
There could be nothing bad, she argued, in
that comedy young face. She had seen
honest brown eyes like these before, some
where. He certainly could not be n of
the class which she detested SO much.
Yes, she would get him to give the flower
garden a hand, also.
They are busy every day now among the
lowers and weeds, Ella and Mrs. Winters
taking a hand: The tramp" proves a
valuable acquisition. His taste ant know
ledge anent matters horticultural surprise
them. He preserves a stolid silence unless
when spoken to, and to Elias surprise
never once recalled the incident of the dog
light. Owing to her secluded life Ella
Winters ideas of men and things were
mostly gathered through the medium of
the modern novel: therefore she could not
be blamed if her imaginative mind found
ample exercise in the study of this brown
eyed youth who so badly played the role
of tramp. His age might be twenty-one
crept over his face sometimes in a furtiye
reminded her of the pictured face
upon the mantel-piece.
"What do you think of our gardener
now. mammal" inquired Ella over her tea
cup one morning.
my dear, 1 think he is just Splendid
answered her mother, looking radiantiy
through her glasses at Ella.
"What do you think 1 found him doing
yesterday" went on Ella, with a peculiar
smile.
Mrs. Winters looked up now with a shade
of alarm upon her face. Was she wrong
after all to allow herself to be so easily di-
vested of her fears! But her anxiety was
allayed by the smile upon Ella face.
az surprised him reading this, mammal
holding up a pocket edition of lies Misera-
bles' in triumph. "In French, too," con
tinued Ella, nodding her little head in q
wise manner.
Ella is helping him to tie up some rose
bushes to-day and tries to draw him into
converse ton. His usually r~eticent manner
changes a little, and he astonishes her by
his knowledge of books and their authors.
His language and manner evince the great.
est taste and culture, but he soon checks
himself, as if by an effort, and rslapses into
came to the parlor window one day and
presented her with an exquisite half blown
rose, and she accepted it from this hand
some %vagabond with as much grace and
thanks as if it had been given by a prince
ave, and blushed, too, under his gaze as
she pinned it in her bosom. Willie Gaynol
is expected in a week, but there is little
said about his coming, and Ella seems tc
nave lost much of the fervor with which
she had awaited his promised arrival :
"o'er the spirit of her dream" in that one
short month, and she dared not question
her heart, which even now could tell hel
a strange story could it give voice to tn.
truth.
Mrs. Winters, whose fears had beer
sleeping all this time, began to feel some
slight qualms of conscience, and was glad
when the work of improving the garden
was nearly at an end. Just now she is
holding a serious consultation with Jane
in the kitchen regarding the advisability
of dispensing with the 'hired man.
"Things are in the best of ORDER" Jan
averred, winding up with an emphatic as
surance of his being to her mind a perfec
gentleman, never asking a question, ant
always speaking to her (Jane) as if sh'
were ga born lady"
The warmth of the girls defense showed
plainly enough hat he had captured tha
side of the citadel.
Willie Gaynor's arrival is close at hand
Ella was restless and nervous to-day, anC
r~esorted to the invariable panacea for al
her troubles-the dogs. Calling Niggel