The Springdale news., 1889-09-20

| he had now and then violent tan- trums. he was turned over to Miss Louisa. who was steady in voice and manner, and who, the little fellow soon learned, was master of the situa- l tion. Miss Gertrude undertook to feed and clothe him, and did both parts so well that his rosy cheeks stood out for fatness. and he was likely to outgrow more clothes than ho could wear out. But Miss Patty was his playfellow, and Mr. Perine his especial chum and coniidant And ah! how strangely the staid, somber, unsociable old house was changed Pets of various sorts accumulated in yard and stable. Every member of the household re- signed some cherished prejudice for the sake of this little stranger, who so quickly learned to say ''our's house, me horsie Wins Auntie Trude an Lou and Pa"
 On q warm day, later in the season, one of the few visitors that ever sought the society ot the Burnside ladies might have been seen turning into the great lawn in comfortable, old time roek-a-way. One, did l say? There were two, as far as q man and his wife can be counted two people. It was the pastor of the little village Presbyterian church which the Perine family attended, to which they con- tributed with genteel liberality, but with whose members they did not af- filiate in the slightest degree.
 "Now, Ruth, said Pastor Mott, who had recently changed his widow erhood's gravity for the cheerful bear ing of bridegroom, this visit is one of the trials of your lot, to be endured bravely, but fortunately not to be soon nor often repeated. These queer peo- pie will invite you into a dull, quiet house, hand you q glass of wine and q homeopathic bit of cake, talk to you in gentle, patronizing voices about their family of past generations, but they will not show any interest in you, or me. or our work, or our neighbors. You will come back into the sunshine feeling as if you had paid a visit to some old family vault.
 The new wife twisted up her sweet face into wry expression, as one does when swallowing a spoonful of bitter stuff, but hastily smoothed il out again as sudden curve in the carriage road brought them up to the front porch.
 My husband must be absent-mind- ed, said the new Mrs. Mott to her self; this is not the family he has been describing to me- For the whole household was out on the front porch. Vim had turned one of the carved oak chairs down on it's arms, and was sitting astride its venerable back, though the short fat legs could not quite make out to turn the cor ners. Pat was kneeling in front Of him playing horsie, her long, heavy plaits Of hair serving for reins Mss Louisa was pretending to read. and Miss Gertrude was knitting a brightly striped little sock. but all three ladies were enjoying the gam fully as much as the young driver.
 In some confusion the chairs were righted. Miss Patty's braids hastily knotted up, and small William sent out to James, who was watering aower- beds on the lawn. Of course. the story of the child was told and list ened to with deep interest by the vis- itors.
 "Oh, I'm so glad the poor thing got here before she died, " cried tender hearted Mrs. Mott Do you think she knew how good you were going to be to her children when she was gone?a
 "She knew how kind they were to her, Ruth, said the pastor, gently.
 You do not think we are doing wrong to keep the darling?o asked Miss Patty, eagerly.
 "Wrong?n said the preacher; "I do not think any thing about it.; 1 know that inasmuch as you have done it tunto one of the least of these, you are fol- lowing your Master commands"
 There was little silence, and then Miss Gertrude said, rather huskily: "Of course Brother Middleton put a notice in the city papers, but we wore sure from the little fellows talk that they had come great way. and there was every evidence that the poor young woman was in a very friendless condi- tion. ''
 Then followed eager talk upon a wide range of subjects connected with babyhood, boyhood and young man. hood, until Miss Patty cried with a merry laugh: Well, don't think we need set our baby's wedding day yet!n
 Our baby had been monarch of all he surveyed at Burnside for ten years, when one day faded, grizzled, unhappy-looking woman. feeble with disease. came to the house and asked to see Miss Gertrude. Burnside was very unlike the secluded, spitable place which was first introduced to the reader. That lively, wide-awake, l hail-fellow. well-met individual who l still called himself Vim. but who now