The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-11-07

plause, none of the gathering being
in state favorable to critical judg-
ment of the brilliancy ofthe remark
Vreeland himself did not join in
the laugh. His face, grown some
what purple with his repeated po-
tations, wore an anxious look his
eyes roved uneasily among his COM
panions' faces.
He set down his glass as the
mirth subsidized, and turned to little
McGill.
"How's Sammy been getting on ?"
he said
There was an immediate silence,
which silence Mr.. McGill did not
see fit to break. He gazed at his
questioner with an increased gloom.
The station master spoke at last,
with an effort at lightness.
Sammy" he said. "Why, Sam
my's doin fine. Sammy's getting
an education. Started in at school
Sammy has,"
His listeners flushed face grew a
shade paler. He passed an unsteady
hand across it, and half arose from
a chair.
"Why, yes l reckoned you'd be
glad to hear it," said the station
master, soothingly, faltering little
over the the statement. "You see,
it's a new teacher-a young woman
from Gowanus. The opened up
school the day you started off to
take possession of your forty thous-
and. don't know as I've got it
straight, but the story is that Sam
my was out chopping down the
gatepost when she was going by one
day, and she took him right along
and he's let up on stoning every
body that goes by, and left off kill
ing cats. 1 don't much believe it,
but"
The station master ceased with
startled abruptness. Vreeland, with
lowering eyes and set lips-with a
face grown suddenly fierce-had
risen to his feet. He settled with
the bartender silently, and turned
to the door. Little McGill covered
his pink crown with his worn-out
hat, and followed him waveringly,
i'll bland unconsciousness of his
sudden change of mood.
The group about the stove stared
at each other in feeble dismay as
the door closed upon the two.
"He's bound for that school
house" said the saloon keeper, SOL
emnly.
"He is very unreasonable, Vree-
land is" said the station master
that boy of his is going on ten, and
it is time he knew something beside
deviltry."
young to have boy that age,
amt he?" said the new bartender,
who had looked on uncomprehend-
ingly, and was thirsting for enlight-
eminent.
"He want more than twenty
he married Beth Lambert; CALI |
hoon was just backwoods then" the
station master responded, his tone
implying that Callihoon was me-
tropolis at the present moment |
"She want much good, Beth Lam
bert wan't-Shiftless and kind of |
fiighty nobody reckoned Vreeland |
lost much when she died-died |
when Sammy was born. Well, |
Vreeland hadn't nothing left but |
that baby, and the store he set by it |
was wonderful. Took care of it |
himself-wouldn't let anybody else
come near it: and that's the way it's |
been ever since. He's got old Rob-
bins widow keeping house for him,
but she don't have word to say to
Sammy. He's come up wild, that
young one has, and he shows it
but Vreeland won't have it no other
way. The minister's wife offered to
take him and bring him up but
Vreeland wouldn't hear of it. He's |
never let him go to school for fear
he'll get weaned away from him.
Thrashed one teacher for proposing
it as polite as he knew how. Well,
| don't know" the station master
concluded, drowsily, "but l kind O.
reckon that young woman from
Gowanus ill drop Sammy like
coal after Vreeland has tackled her."
The same conviction was forming
itself in the muddled mind of little
McGill at the same moment. He
stood under a year-old maple, half
a mile up the road-the sole orna-
ment of the bare little yard-happy
in the belief that he was keeping
dry, His eyes were fixed upon
Vreeland's tall form looming up
against the unpainted door of the
schoolhouse, He had an indistinct
idea that he himself should have
undertaken tho duty ba wac M,