Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-04-17
1.-The were alive he would

No. there was the moon smiling at her and
making the whole night glorious. How
| had the moon come around the house cor
ner so quickly? Had she been asleep? The
street lamp had been put out. 1t could
not be more than minute since she snug
gled her toes under the blankets, aud 1t
must be near morning, and intent on being
out in time for the dance she fastened to
put on her clothes. She would go up to the
church at the top of the hill. There she
could see all of the known world except
that vague confusion of some far ON Town
where papa used to live.
With care not to awake anybody, Elsie
crept down the back stairs, drew back tho
bolt of the kitchen door. cautiously opened
it and stepped out. Everything was won.
dcrfully still, as if the earth was holding its
breath in expectancy over the heavenly
capers to occur at daybPeak. Neither the
stiffness nor the night itself had terroFs for
Elsie. She walked quickly across the yard
and through the sloping orchard beyond to
the low wall that bounded the church yard.
Over this, and presently she stepped upon
the shadow of the stespie. The moon was
on the other side of the clock face, or Elsie
might have seen that it was but few
minutes past midnight. Entirely satisfied
with her adventure thus far, she sat down
upon the church steps to wait.
| Then for the first time she saw that she
had been folio wed Noiselessly stepping
across the grass came Dot, the family cat,
who was fast outgrowing tie significance
of her name. Elsie welcomed Dot aud rose
to pick her up, whereat Dot -scampered
away, tail in air.
"Naughty pussy! come here" cried
Elsie, and ran after her. In the orchard
Dot disappeared, but hearing slight noise
below, Elsie went softly forward intent On
taking her pet by surprise. Arrived at the
I gate to the yard she paused and looked
about, What was her surprise to see
man cutting With large pocket knife at
the sash of the kitchen window! For
moment she looked on in wondermenr. but
when the man had cut away the fastening
and was carefully raising the window, she
exclaimed.
That's my papa's house," -,
| Like flash the man turned around and
peered across the yard, his hand still on
the half raised window.
s'Huhl it's kid he muttered, and he
let the window down and walked over to
Elsie.
"What are you doing here, young ones"
he asked in whisper.
| "l'm going to gee the sun and the moon
dancs in the morning" replied Elsie. "and
you mustn't speak out loud or you'll wake
papa and mamma and they'll mske me
come in"
| The stranger smiled.
81 won't disturb 'em," be said Il
wasn't going to anyway. The fact is, lit
tie one, Pm hungry, and all l was going to
do in your house was to find something to
eat"
"How do you know where the pantry is?''
asked Elsie.
81 don't, but p'r'aps / could End it. You
know, suppose? Can't you get me bit Of
bread or something's"
Elsie thought moment. She remem-
bered how no beggar ever went hungry
| from her fathers door, and without reflect
| ing further she crept into the house, and as
she went in the stranger muttersd. "And
to think that the door was unlocked all the
| timep'
When Elsie returned she brought half
loaf of bread and a doughnut, luxury of
which she was especially fond. The stran-
ger fell upon the bread ravenously and
Then she asked:
"Where do you live?"
"Nowhere."
This seemed SO strange to Elsie that she
said nothing more. The hungry man ate
every morsel of the food and then put his
face in his hands.
"I'm much obliged to you," he whisper
ed. Pm no thief, little one, and I never
tried before to break into house, though
I've seen hard times enough"
"Wouldn't you like to see the sun and
the moon dsnce?" asked Elsie. 81 think
| they'll do it this morning, and that'll be
pretty soon, won't it2 They do in Ireland
everv Easter morning.
"Who told you so?'' ''Maggie."
"Who's she?" sPapa's hired girl"
whats your papa's manner" "Mister
William Durant."
The stranger started. and leaning forward
peered earnestly into Elsie's face.
''Say that again! Where did you used to
| live?" he exclaimed.
SWAY off somewhere. live here now"
"What's your name?"
| "Esie."
The stranger was silent moment. Then
he rose, and taking the child by the hand.
walked with her the slope through the Or
chard.
"'Twas up here you was going to see
the sun dance, wasn't it?'' he asked, and
when they were seated together on the
|
her, learned that there was in her mind
vague memory of brother, and that man.
ma had said he would surely return some
time. Presently the bell in the steepe
above them struck one, aud the stranger
tried to persuade the child to return to her
house and bed. She persisted in her de-
sire to see the morning dance Of sun and
moon, but her eyes were heavy, aud befo g
she knew it she was fast asleep in the
strangers arms. He had taken off his coat
to shelter her, and in corner of the chuic h
portico they passed hour after hour of the
slow Easter morning. ~
1t was yet some minutes before sunrise
when Mrs. Durant was startled from her
sleep by a violent knocking at her chamber
door.
"Mis' Duraut! Mis- Durant! Haste We mp!
Else's goDer'
Maggie on the way to the earliest of early
masses had glanced into Elsie's room. Dur
ing the few minutes that followed, CON-
fusion and anxiety contended for possession
of the household. Then Mr.. Durant set
out to warn the constable, and Mrs. -Durant,
painfully agitated at the thought of losing
another child, began to search the neigh
borhOod. She went by the road that wound
about the bill to the church. As she near.
ed the building she saw man crouching in
the portico, and she determined to ask him
if be had seen Elsie. He did not see or
hear her. She had come quite near when
the sound of his voice made her stop stock
still with fearsome faintness about her
heart.
"Wake up. Elsie" he said: ''the sun is
just getting up.''
lis he dancipg?" inquired small, sleepy
voice from a bundle in his arms. "Where
is the moou?''
"Elsie! Willie! My children!" cried Mrs.
Durant, running forward.
The man, young and not bad looking
fellow, albeit haggard and roughened by
exposure, rose quickly and said:
"We're here, MOTHER
And did the sun and the moon really
dance that morning? The first rays of the