Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-04-30

merry light in his eyes and the roguish
laugh to his ruby lipsl
But when BenBie said his prayers at
Ruth's knee that night, there was
lapse of several seconds between Il pray
the Lord my soul to keep and God
bless May and Ruthie. Amen
Neither Ruth nor May knew what
the little lips whispered SO low that no
human ear could hear. And when,
before retiring, they went to look at
him as he lay in his little bed, they
found traces of tears upon his cheeks.
The next morning after Bennie had
had his mica warm breakfast of toast
and tea, and having given Tabbie her
saucer of milk, he slipped quietly out of
the front gate and trudged off down the
dusty road toward the city. For Ben
ME, baby though he was, had a stro"g
purpose in his heart, and that was to
earn some money for dear Ruthie and
May. just how this was to te done
was not perfectly clear in his mind, but
he felt sure that it would come out all
right in the end.
So he walked briskly along, hardly
stopping to look at the sheep In the
pasture lot half a mile from his home,
and which had hitherto possessed such
an irresistible attraction for him. He
even got safely past the cane III Il,
where they made the delicious sorghum
| molaSSeS; but when lie came TO the
| bridge across the creek and stood in the
cool shade of the ove.-hanging boughs
of the oak trees, and heard the Tippling
of the water below, and saw the moss
! on the water-worn rocks, and the trail
| ing vines on the grassy Danks-how
| could he help climbing up on the railing
of the bridge, and, looking down into the
limpId depths below, watch his reflected
image in the liquid mirror and think
how grand It would be if he were only
a fish and could swim about among the
boulders and sunken rocks, no starched
| collars to chafe his neck, and no hard
shoes to rub his heels. How nice il
would be if he had been born turtle;
| Or
Hello: what's That in the water?
! Something wriggling along, sticking up
| its head, and evidently coming right
| toward him. y snake? DennIe knew
it was a snake, although he had never
| seen one; and the instinct bequeathed to
mankind 10y Mother Eve, and handed
| down through the misty ages of the
! past had lost nothing in its transmission
TO Bennie.
He looked around for something TO
| throw at it. His eye caught sight of Il
| stone. and he clambered down and
! picked IL up and clamhered back again,
and threw it with tTen bling hand at
! the SquiTmIng reptile below. And the
! railing swayed, and BennIe lost his
balance aad went down Into the swiftly
! flowing water wi Il a dun plunge and
| half suppressed cry upon his lips.
Was poor Little Deun'e's candle of life
/ thus to be suuffed out at the very be
| ginning of his desire to be useful? Was
there no friendly hand to interpoSe be-
! tween grim death and the noble-hearted
! little DUy-no strong arm 10 snatch him
from the closing p rails of watery
| grave?
The little chipmunk upon the lowest
| limb of the oak tree stopped eating his
| corn, popped his unny little tail up over
/ his back, turned his bright eye down to
( the water, then jumped upon the railing
of the bridge a d ran Lack and fuI tn in
/ great consternat Ion, chattering away at
| a lively rate.
Chick chick! chick-a-ree. Chick!
chick! chick-a-ree. Why does not some
enc come quickl'
'I declare said Ralph Harrington,
/ swinging his bamboo pole out over the
stream, ju-t lowing Il fly to skim the
surface of the water, that sounded
| deucedly like a child's cryi 4 pretty
! heavy splash into the water, tool Up at
/ the bridge, l suppose. I hat squirrel
/ does make an Outrageous racket. Some
one throwing a stone at him, I'll wager
"A new hat! Well, | hope he will scare
| all the trout this way; for | have had
/ wretched luck so far
/ He wondered if it were not nearly
/ lu ch time; consulted his watch, looked
/ toward the bridge, which was hidden
| from his view by bend in the creek
and a heavy growth OF timber and
bushes. and went on with his fishing.
/ Presently something came floati.
Gown upon the water which caused his
air OF laSsltude to change TO one of
quick interest. lie looked at it sharply,
then his cheek turned tribe pale and
he dropped his fine jolnted pole without
looking to see what became of it, and
went daShing up the bank of the creek
at the top of his 5. eed, making the
stones fly and the bushes snap.
1t WAS only d little hat upon the wa
ter, its jaunty plume tluttering in the
! breeze; bnt like lghtHIng the quick
brain OF Ralph Harrington connected
its presence with the cry, the splash,
and the chatterlng of the squirrel.
In a moment he was at the bridge,
his coat and boots off, and eagerly Scan
ming tie water. a ripple-a little hand
raised above the surface-that was
enough; and a few seconds later lie
came out upon the bank with little
Bennie i'll his arms.
He was nearly unconscious; but
Ralph Harrington, in his college days,
had seen many a classmate brought
back to life after severe struggle with
the grim monster I'm the university
swimming matches; and he went to
work upon Bennie in a scientific man
ner, AMI sOoa had him sitting on the
hank, wondering what had happened.
what is your nameI'
'Bennie Rea.'
Where do you live?'
With May and Ruthie.'
'Whsre do they live?'
AT home
Where is your homep'
Down the road.
How did you fall into the creekP'
Head first
so L suppose said Ralph. with
smile. Now tell me how it happened
SO Bennie told him all about it; and
as he listened to the innocent child'S ac-
count of the struggle of the sisters to
be self-supporting, and learned OF the
brave little boys resolution to help
them, a lump seemed to rise in his
throat. and the sun being very bright,
lie was obliged to pull his broaI-
brImmed hat down over his eyes and
turn his back toward it,
Well, in little while Bennie felt
much better; and he went down the !
road. one chubby hand resting conlid-
ingly on that Of Ralph Harrington, and
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