, 1885-12-25

All attempt to please or comfort him were
useless He had never been away from his
home IA 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 in their poor way to
win him from his misery.
IL was the same the next day and the ners
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 filled with the image OF the
home from which he had been 50 cruelty
iured- His happy young face had grown old
and sorrowful- Even Lizzie Ann and the for
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 had
but one answer: Il want to go home.r
Once when John Keller undertook to point
out the beauties OF the place to him and en-
treated him to dry his tears and learn to like
It. he looked up with a heartbroken expression
and said, Mother might come-me not
there
At the end Of a fortnight the wagon of The
almshouse stopped in front Of the Carson cp,-
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 % tears running over his cheoks
since he's been there. He's 80 weak from the
rrievin' that he can't sit up hardly half tho
inc. I believe his heart will break
The Carson children" listened in silence,
r. 18th white faces and averted eyes They
.sre remorseful, but had not the courage &c
ay so even to each other. It is often so with
.elple who ave not cultivated their finest
natures. Their hearts seem harder than they
are because their tongues are unframed &c
the expression of the gentler emotions. They
are ashamed OF tenderness because they have
no familiarity with the sweet speech Of life.
so nobody answered
Mistaking the silence for hardness. Keller
Ontinued; THE matron told me to tell YOU
about it. Maybe If you knew how Duvy
look on you wouldn't want him 10 stay there.
.ut if he is to stay Wen all do our best Ia
-omfort him, though nothin' gives him any
1rart He never says anything but, 1 wnnt
% go home IL rings in my ears so l can't
rear what folks is sayin' to me half this
,ne.n
After some talk among themselves George
aid. well, tell Davy he can come home IN
hristnas and eat his Christmas dinner.
You'll BE- coming into town; you can fetch
Inn, cant your
The kind-hearted Keller nodded, feeling rs
GRATEFUL as II the favor were TO himself. His
honest soul had been 80 moved by Davy's
offerings that anything looking toward a
Jay II comfort for the boy was precious 10
him.
He went back to the nlmshou~e and under
took the difficult task VI reconciling Davy 10
IL patient until Christmas. IL was seven
DAYS ahead, and these he explained To the
lceble mind Of the big, homesick child by
stringing seven beans on a stout thread, one
b. be- taken of each day until Christmas was
reached. Davy understood after much
labored explanation that the beans repre-
-ented days, and when the last one had been
taken of be could 70 home.
Il would have been useless and hopeless
10 try to tell him that his invitation
rome was limited 10 dinner. He could not
have understood IT, Besides, John Keller,
the matron and all hi sympathizing friends
at the poorhouse naturally hope that when
he was once ut home the difficulty Of sending
him away again would settle the question
in his favor.
By evening he MAS SO much imbued with
aoIe That he vat In the big sitting room with
cut tears in his eyes and rocked Lizzie Ann
an hour or more. His face, which a fort
night ago had been round aud rosy. was
white and haggard; his eyo,, which had danced
With babyish pleasure the day he arrived.
were now dim and hollow. and his ono.
chubby hands were thin and nervous. He
was like Davy's wan aud wea y ghost, and
not Like the real Dayy at all
Poor old imbecile Isaac, who had been ons
4 TIN co'Dtys children for half a dV~ss