Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-13

| the streets she kept her small pale face turned
lovingly, proudly towards him.
and when buy Patsy Noonan's route Say,
Chris, when am l going to buy its Amt you
tapped Grimms yet for raiser"
"Why no, Tom, not yet. We must make sure
I'm worth five dollarsa week before 1 ask FOL
ten You are not very patient, Tom."
1t: was not very pretty word, but It was ef
fective-the way Tom said it.
reppoachfuily; II told you would d. attend t.
1t, and you knoU I will keep my word-just you
sen Ths vonno confidence, .n,.,a, II. w,o,e CON,
and body in q grunt this time, and kicked the
snow back with viii, his heel.
"Oh, let upv he blurted out, stormily. "D'ye
suppose believe you? Anybody would think
old Grfmms was gold to hear you go on. Some
| sisters would be a thinkin' of how they was q
spilin' of my prospects fur me; but much you
care. Anybody but your own brother, oh,
.'Oh, Tom, Tomr' she cried, stopping in the
black night and laying her hand on his arm,
H which he very promptly shook of: Swho else
the world for me to plan and pray for but your
success success in life? You do me wrong, Tom; indeed,
"Oh, hang it!' he mumbled, with a shake OF
his burly young figure and a shamefaced lower
| ing of his head "a fellow can't say q niouthfll
over hi sense e~ put what you 6egn eryn all
| can't you?"
~ didn't mean to cry" she said. humbly.
din and CHATTER and so many questions that 1t
made my brain red hot with the excitement of
getting them answered; and they laughed 50
me want to get out In the cold and the wind to
cry But I'm done now, Tom, dear"
| the boy, sneaking one red paw under her shawl
as If he had not the slightest idea it was there
and would be very indignant indeed if he knew
IL. SAY, christie, you being so ealy-mOuthed,
how would it do fur me ter speak ter Grim ms ?
lie He mi might knuekle under easier if he knew he
ne had ter deal with me-
"Oh, no, Tom," she CRIED nervously, "that
would never do! II will speak to him, indeed
will; and, besides, he told me only tonight
that ne hoped-hoped he would not have to take
my place away from me. He did indeed, Tom.
But VIII do anything you say, Tom, SO will
ask him tomorrow, ii you wish!'
The frost of self1shness that crusted the boys
heart melted at her words, SO far as to reduce
him to shamefaced silence. Chris knew what
naat meant, bless you! SO she just drew his hard,
sorubby little paw under her shawl and hoped
along chattering and laughing till they came
to to the h big bronze lamp that fiared in front of
1t was granite church, that gave itself a
good many airs in the way of lofty spires and
spacious wealth of ground, and just where the
three stone steps. Three mounds Of snow they
were now, with-Tom was the first to spy it-a
black, indistinct heap thrown across them that
was in its turn powdered with the swiftly fall
ing snow.
"Well, wish may neverr' he called out, in
heap and commenced exploring its depths e IF
1t amt woman, Christie, and as dead as
But she wasn't as dead as a door.nail, at ALL If
that's what he meant, and suppose it was, being
Tom: for just as Christie leaned over his shout
der De: culver ran through the heap and a faint
Poor thing! oh, poor thing!', cried the prin-
cess cess Oh Me re, Tom run your hand under her
The big lamp fared down in their faces as the
boy raised the almost frozen creature, and Chris
gently wiped the snow from its face.
1t was very old woman indeed-a crumpled
up little old woman, who stared vacantly about
her and whimpered like little old child.
linen rom stared at the princess, and the
his own. -
'Im afraid So" whispered Chris; "but we
can leave her here, Tom. We must try and
find her hOme.''
For answer he held his hands to bis mouth
his arms, then he shuffled, then he grabbed at
In the crumPied up Old woman as if she had been
and whimperng to her feet.
InlS am no night ter be promenadin' round
r rIdsa doSr6el: he painted when he had d.
| and himself "lets make fur home; i'm a
freezin', amv'
The girls cheeks flushed with pleasure, and
You are such a boy, Tom," she cried, admir-
ingly; land say, Tom, wouldn't it be splendid
Nv have always wanted grandmother,
proposed relative doubtfully, as they plodded
lump sugar regler. Still, Chris, '-artfuiiy-"i
o ,, Gr1mms was ter do the fair thing by you,
"You needn't be afraid, Tomr' she cried.
bravely. IL mean to ask him the very first
thing tomorrow evening. Just you wait and
But Tom had made UP his small mind that he
meant to see Grimms the very first thing in the
morning. Chris couldn't possibly object now
lnat they meant to set up grandmother; but,
all the same, he meant to say nothing about il
until he had returned victorious from the fray:
and SO. showing and pulling and lifting their
ancient prize between them, they got home at
last and laid her in Christie's small white bed.
Then Tom unbuttoned his jacket.
dan, dang it!' ne growled. "Grandmother's done
The next morning Grimms was walking his
Office with his hands behind him and his eyes
eyes were red for-I dare say he would have
Knocked any body down who had limited at it
but-Grimms had been crying, and he showed
There was window In the Office and by It a
desk, and at 1t man. Mr.. Jackson was his
sort OF Mt jackson, that one could scarcely
tell where the desk left off and he began, and
Il suppose that is all you can say" admitted
Grimms, with something very like sob, be-
cause II tU0S one; "read 1t again."
1.-TWO hundred dollars reward"
MAKE it three" interrupted Grimms, chok.
in aES, sr ns.o,
.Hioo HuAuieu uOliaIS reward! Lost, Strayed
or stolen. one aged lady arrayed in black. Was
last seen-'
And just then tap, tap! went the door. round
went the knob, and there was Tom in the
opening as big as life, which meant about three
feet seven.
The man stopped reading, and Grimms
growled out like his very fiercest bear, or lion.
or whatever it is that does the growing and
Toms eyes grew round and scared
BY but ne was very determined sort of boy
mind to do or die; and so, gripping his
NANCY cap between his fingers he told his
story, and got very promptly kicked out for
his pains.
"Raise her pay ,indeed" roared Grimms. az he
slammed the door and strobe fiercely across
the room. "AS If / wasn't badgered out OF INV
s ser already! ~ discharge her, that's what
~ 90! grandmother be. What are you
hear?' ' ~
But Mr.. Jackson put on his hat and kept on
towards the door, and most likely would have
gone through it, when-when-tsnt 1t wonder
thing flashed across Grimms' brain that sent
his body flashing to the door in time to bar Mr.
JacksOn's flight. ' A-.'
al rather think" cried Grimms, with a great
pink smile coming into his face that deepened
into a red-purplish chuckle-"I raYtter think.
Mr.. jackson, Pm the cleverest man of the two
suppose you hand over that paper-it isn't
printed and never will be, because I'm going to
see the princess and claim my o,Un re,ardr'
There was really nothing for Mr.. Jackson to
meekly did, while Grimms put on his hat and
stepping out into the bright, cold streets. walked
on, and on, and on, till he came to the shabby
little home OF his Invisible princess when he
stopped and pulled the bell nv
The cornet with his instrument coiled mn in
his arms like a great yellow serpent opened the
door and nearly petrifed with conflicting emo.
tons when he saw his employer standing out