, 1888-12-13

quietly while Rolly puts up the team. bu
with The instinct of the hunted he awake
at the touch of the human hand and cit
up. Evidently he recalls all previous ex
periences clearly, for while half asleep
and before his tiff lids are opened, b.
says 10 his suIky defiant tone.
80 81 81. hain't took nothin'--what yer Rivin
Rolly lifts him down gently and says IL
an equally gentle voice:
Here we air at home, Jimmie. Wei
go in an bav supper"
He adapts himself clumsily to the short
siouchinR steps Of the boy and opens the
door quietly.
Mother, this is jim. found him In
the city; he hasn't got merry father ner
mother ner home, an nobody ter look
after him, so fetched him long of me-
Mrs. Kinks is speechless. A more un-
prepossessing. uninvitinR, unattractive
boy could not have been picked up in the
whole wide world. As Jim stands and
looks at her. his small face full OF a
shrewd and knowing appreciation Of the
way matters stand, the boy looks perfectly
impish. He Is not pretty, he is not clean
AS eye and nostrils can both testify
but he Is sharp. with the sharpness OF
wlckedness and experience with the worst
SIDE OF human nature, 90 low that ii is be.
yond the brute.
''Rolly Klinks!" Beyond that Rolly's
mother is unable to 20, but the expression
OF face AMI voice convey worlds of mean.
ing.
u m, with his hands in bis big ragged
pockets looks leisurely about and surveys
the cosy farm room with an air of disinter.
ested interest.
"Purty fly in yere, haint yer. missis?
Comfertbler, an smells better'n tn las
place | put up at"
Ro!ly rubs his head in amazemept, and
signifies his astonishment at the effrout.
cry OF this small boy in his mild. "my
stars! "
Mrs. Kinks abhors dirt. Uncleanliness
Is her abomiDation.
'Rolly. take thet ther' boy inter tn
woodshed an wash him tn first six miles. Z"
"rhet ther' boy" has the same affection
for soap and water that the old boy is said
to have for holy water, so this process ia
franght with many discouragements.
Say, mister, daasant get my skin
wet: it'd floor me shore pop. Wy, prom
lsed my mother on 'er dedthbed would't
nnever wash me, an hain't, by hooky.
Say, wot yer givin' US? "etc.
At one time Jim waxed pueilistic in his
from holly submitted to be Thoroughly
scrubbed and actually allowed himself to
come under Rolly's unskilled but effective
shears as the crowning insult OF all. Dur
ing this operation the variety and huency
OF Jim's profane repertory provokes even
the mild Rolly into reprimand. Jim
comes forth victim, clean, but miserable;
savory, but unhappy. He frightened a
little at supper and fell to with such an
appetite that he speedily ate himself to
sleep again.
"Rolly Klinks!" Mrs. Kinks never
called her son by his full name except upon
the rare occasions when she was little
"riled," as she put it. "Rolly Kinks.
what be ye a-goin' ter do with thet their
And Rolly, good Rolly, in this wise:
"Well. ye see, mother, it needs smart,
spr,y boy ter pick apples an persimmons
an paw-paws-"
know them fruits was all picked weeks
ago"
But they'll grow agin, mother; an
by next year Jimmie'll be jes right ter
pick 'em an save me heap of work"
An angry sniff from Mrs. Kinks.
An he can help you, mother, doin'
chores when I'm away, an be mighty
handy"
Mrs. Kinks too disgusted to reply.
"Motber?"
No answere.
Tnen Rolly as mildly and sweetly az
ever: mother, I've read Il sight about
foreign missions, and I've done my share
as | could with small means to help aud
encourage 'em an other church work that
others was doin'. But here ia heathen,
mother Rolly arose and pointed with un-
conscious impressiveness at the sleeping
boy. "here is a heather, mother, more in
tn dark and more in need o. salvation an
redemption than any thet the Lord let's
lives in their appointed places in foreign
lands. My duty is plain to me, mother.
Ihet boy has u sonl. an some day the
Lord Will demand that soul of him, an
he may ask me, where is thy brother p"
The rude but honest eloquence OF this
touched Mrs. Kinks. s he hesifa ed a
minute. More practicable than Roly, she
appreciated the goodness of his act, but
dreaded its consequences. At last she said
in somewhat milder tone:
Yer a good boy, Rolly, but ye amt
more n half baked"
And Rolly. feeling he had carried the
day, laughed his full-lunged laugh and
toppled out to the chores.
jim was not ornamental and he could
not be said to be- useful. Fl rs appreciation
of the animal comforts surrounding him
was keen. He basked before the FIRE as a
cat would. But this appreciation did not
extend beyond the knowledge and accept
ance of merely creature comforts. The
spirit which prompted them was beyond
has conception. His conviction of religion
and the bible seemed mainly hazy idea
that the Former meant big churches and
style, and that all ''cuss words" oriRi.
mated in the latter. Their perversion
from original uses did not concern him in
the least. He was an embryo socialist.
Thieving was second nature to him, and
no amount of eloquence could persuade