The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-11-30

| while, not to lose time, she set. the m
saying the multiplication table.
Suddenly a big voice joined in the
chorus-"Twice ten are twenty; twice
eleven are twenty-two; twice twelve are
twenty-four;" and turning with start
Laura saw figure, soaked in mud--mud
on its hair, mud on its nose, mud to Its
waist,-standing in the door. A tramp
certainly. She had heard such dreadful
things of tramps that she turned pale.
Still, in such rain she could have
bolted the door in his face, IL it had
been in her power.
"a fire!" said the tramp, advancing. 81
expected nothing as good as that. May
come nearer, or am / too muddy?"
"Bring chair Johnny" said the
teacher. at is dreadful weather. lie
must have been sleeping out of doors,
she said to herself.
The tramp confirmed her suspicious
by remarking, as he took the chair
"This is weather, and I've been in the
woods all night. presume / need wash.
ing the worst way"
THE teacher" saw an opportunity for
efforts in the sanitary line.
Johnny" she said, "show the young
man where the wash basin and water
bucket are, and you may give him a
clean towel from the shelf"
Johnny obeyed. He led the way; the
tramp followed him, and returned much
improved in appearance-quite clean, in
fact-having been, as he said, "broomed
down" by the useful Johnny.
He was steaming beautifully shortly
and continued to join in the exercises OF
the school, adding wood to the fire oc'
casionally, until noon-time came. AS
yet he had done nothing desperate, but
as he eyed the cans and baskets, he re.
marked:
81 wish l had my lunch with me,
assure you. l missed my supper and
had no breakfast. / am conscious of a
vacuum"
"Now, perhaps" thought Laura, "the
time has come"
She flew to her desk.
81 have some lunch here" she said
offering napkin filled by good Mrs
Cliff with short-cake. cheese and mince
pie. and a bottle of milk.
The tramp looked at it.
"The spirit is unwilling" he said, "but
the flesh is weak. I'll take hap."
And accordingly Laura made a fail
division, thinking that this was very
amiable tramp, indeed, intended for bet
ter things. Indeed, he was handsome
even in the case of dry mud he wore
She wished she were of the order OF
people who can give advice gratis. She
wanted to reform him. But she could
rot bring herself to preaching. Only
when he arose to leave, the rain falling
no longer in torrents, but having sub
sided into drizzle, she went to the door
with him.
"Take this little path" she said. SIT
will lead you straight to the village.
am sure you must be tired of such hard.
ships as you experienced last night: and
if you will go to the parsonage, Mr.. Par.
don will put you in the way of-of-find'
ing your way into better path" And
then she slipped twenty-five cents into
his hand.
He looked at her curiously.
"You are very kind" he said, 81
hope you will never need half of any
body's luncheon"
He was gone. His voice trembled,
she was sure; but later she heard some
body laughing at a distance. 1t could
not have been that tramp.
She went home when school was over
and told the tale to Mrs. Cliff.
ga tramp!" cried that good woman.
SITS mercy you are alive. They've
got the souls of gorillas, and expect if
you hadn't had so many boys about you,
you'd not be here to tell of it. This
region isn't often tramped, either. It's
off the track. / hope there's no more
in the woods"
Miss Penn sat down to her supper.
Half a luncheon had left her hungry,
but while she ate the pork and beans
with will there came a knock at the
door. At it stood servant in sort of
livery. Masters compliments, he
said, and handed her bouquet of hot
house flowers, from the stems of which
depended little note.
She opened the note at once. Within
was silver quarter of a dollar and
these words:
MY DEAR MISS PENN: / return the twenty.
fve-cent piece or rather another in its place
You were so good to the tramp that hated to
undeceive you. went out shooting yesterday
lost my way in the woods, tumbed into marsh
and was what you saw me when reached the
school-house at nine o'clock / never was SO
hungry before. The half of your luncheon was
delicious. VIII you permit me to call to make
my apologies? Mrs. Cliff knows who am and
can introduce us.
Yours thankfully and sincerely,
ANDREW BELLAIRE.
Laura Penn read the note through
twice.
HE was not tramp, then, after all, Vi
she said. "What an idiot he must think
mel" and she handed the note to Mrs.
Cliff.
"He is son of old General Bellaire,
the richest man in the place: just home
from travelling in Europe" cried the old
lady; ''and it's just as plain as pike
staff that he is smitten, and wants to
come courting you"
Events proved that she was right. The
little teacher who shared her luncheon
with the tramp in the old school-house
in the wood is now Mrs. Bellaire.-N.
Y. Ledger.
A DOLLS HOSPITAL.
One of the Many Curious Institutions OF
the English MetrOpolls,