Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-11-07

nors!'
BE off with your repeated Miss
Lydia, eYcitedly. II want no med
dlesome boys spying out my garden.
Be off! say"
"All right" said the child, Jpn go.
But l wasn't going to NEEDLE with any
thing. / can como another time,
though, jus: as we'll, SO goodbye" and
the little blue eye vanished as sudden
ly as it had appeared.
Miss Lydia looked around for the
knot. but Hector'had carried it of and
buried it for a hone. so with IN en-.
phatic ''Humph!" she went back into
the house. This, she thought, is the
beginning of'the end; and 80, indeed, i,
was.
The next morning, when she stepped
out on her back porch, there was the
little blue eye again ut the knot
hole, and shrill voice called
out: ''Oh, there you are! I've
been waiting for you ever &C
long. Mother told me to say that ]
was very sorry frightened you yes
terday; and that I mustn't ever come
again to bother you, if you don't like
to have me look at your flowers.
Did you say I wasn't to really look
through your nice little knot-holeP"
'Holes don't belong to any body
said Miss Lydia, tartly.
"Oh! can I really come again then?'
exclaimed the child, delightedly. I'll
tell mother what nice lady you are,
and then we'll be friends, won't wep ]
haven't many friends, 'cept two or
three. Do you like boys?" he contin.
ued.
mo. l don'tr' replied Miss Lydia.
''They are plague and nuisance"
II wish you did," said the child,
''because then may be you'd give me a
flOwer''
Just as thought, said Miss Lydia.
THE next thing you will be managing
to get over the fence and help your.
self"
"Oh, no! couldn't. I've got pain
In my back and have to go with 9
crutch. It hurts awfully sometimes,
and then / cry, and mother rocks me
in her arms and cries too; and then We
both feel better. But couldn't clint
the fence, even if I wanted, nor run.
nor any thing
well. if you don't, your brothers
will. - returned Miss lydia
mo, they wouldn't. They're away
all day; and besides it's wicked to steal.
Didn't you know thatP''
'Humph!" said Miss Lydia, though
in a somewhat modified tone.
A moment later, a giant red chrys
anthemum found its way through the
knot-hole, with a hasty: 'There, run.
away, child" and the little crutch went
tapping back to the house, with the
coveted prize.
1t soon became quite a regular thing
for the little blue-eye to appear at the
knot-hole, when Miss Lydia was tend
ing her flowers in the morning; ant
unconsciously she began to watch fol
it, and miss it if it was not there.
With his innocent prattle, and gifts
of cherry baskets and impossible
boats, gradually the little fellow fount
his way through the outer crust tt
Miss Lydia's heart; and not few FRI.
grant blossoms fell: through the hole
into the eager little hands.
whats your namep" he asked one
day, in childish curiosity. Mine.
Jcrry-Jerry Howell. I was named
after my papa. He died far away il
California; but he used to live in thi.
very place, and he told us to come back
to his old home, and may be somebody
would be kind to us, for his sake.''
The trowel dropped upon the DO,
border. Jerry Howell! The name she
never thought to hear again; buried il
the past, with her youth and happi.
ness!
The child rambled on, but she die
not heed him, and presently he went
away.
There had been a lovers quarrel
which had terminated fatally. It wa.
mostly her fault, and she knew it.
though she had been too proud to own
it. But somehow she had never for
gotten the look in those blue eyes, az
the garden gate slammed behind the
boyish figure that went striding down
the street between the rows of naples.
The next week he sailed for the ia,
West; and some years later the news
came back to his native town that he
was happily married. From that time
Miss Lydia was a changed creature
for in her heart she had truly loved
blithe, impulsive Jerry Howell, and
too late bitterly repented her hasty
words.
She buried herself vigorously in her
uncongenial work of country school
teaching, until called home by the ad-
vancing: age of her parents, who finally
passed away, leaving her with mod.
est income and the old brick house.
Almost all her young friends had
married or scattered. and those who
remained were repeled by her GOODNESS