Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-15

down to the store, but the ball evl- dently coming into his mind at the gate, he turned and said to Mrs. Whit ney on the porch: ''If you can spare the girl, better let her go down to the mill awhile. Pll go round that way when close up and bring her home.
 Mrs. Whitney assenting he proceeded down the street. After time she called the girl and told her if her work were finished she might make herself ready and go to the party at the mill, returning with MT. Whitney. After the girl had gone, looking quite pretty in her ribbons, she put the children to bed and came out and sat upon the porch. Presently the moon came up, flooding the warm world with mellow radiance; the big new mill down by the river glowed with lights, and the faint music of violins, mixed with the fainter sound of the shuffling feet, came up to the woman on the porch Then some couples boating on the pond began to sing, their voices sounding very pretty with the dis tance, and Mrs. Whitney listening half consciously suddenly became aware that some barefooted object was coming near her on the porch. ''Gra- I clous! what is it?'' she burst out, springing up and dropping some pieces of work from her lap upon the floor. 1 By this time the object was well into ! the light. It was about fourteen years old, bare-footed to the knee, tattered thence to the neck, crowned with a rim through which the hair protruded, | sore of nose, sunburned and gray as a | miller with dust. "Graciousr said Mrs. Whitney again, "who are youP"
 "Ab Heater uv Ohier," said the ob- l feet. s'I'm come to see the kid; where be itP'' and Mrs. Whitney, missing her l chair, sat down upon the floor with a thud, limp and disheveled with con- l sternation.
 "Golly, ain't it ter hum." said Absa- lom.
 l Then the lady got up, arranging her | apparel with highly colored face. '+Goodness," she said, with vehemence,
 ''who in the name of common sense are you. any way?'
 Why, lived by ther kid in Ohier. Don't you member seein' me when
 you wus back gittin' himP' said the
 "No, I don't" exclaimed Mrs. Whit
 ney, hotly; "but l suppose if you come
 ali the way"-then she broke of and
 stared a moment at the boy with her
 eyes very wide and said: Well, how
 in the world did you get here?"
 '.Rid and run," said Absalom, lean-
 ing against the porch-post with one
 dirty bare foot upon the other. "Had
 hunkey time!'
 Then Mrs. Whitney put her hands
 over her face and went into the house.
 shaking with laughter. ., l Guess she aint goin' to aX me in, ' | a
 "them's no kind O manners!' But in moment Mrs. Whitney re
 turned and, with a perceptible litter
 said: "Well, come in. You ought te
 see him; you've come far enough, anc
 no mistake" And Absalom entered
 his face shining with gladness througi
 its coat of soil, and followed the lad.
 up the stairway to John Earling
 room. Entering that small apartmen
 he slid along the wall with his hand
 working behind him until he reached
 the bed, and looking a moment at th'
 pretty sleeper his eyes filled and he said
 .Golly! he's growed!" Mrs. Whitne,
 standing by the door bit her lip witt
 desire to laugh, and when the bo. turned with a sigh and came out, sh
 opened the door into an oppoSit
 larger room and said: ''Here is an
 other you ought to sec" And Absalon going stealthily up to the bedside said "IIe's purity, too; looks like his pap. r ..Ycs," said Mrs. Whitney, a trifl , more soberly, ''he resembles his fath er."
 "How do you know how his fathe looks?" she asked, as they descende f the stairs.
 '.Oh, l seed him in Ohier," said tn boy, rather indifferently, looking roun
 as they came into the sitting-room l Then he went out and sat down upo - the edge of the porch and was silent. e After time Joel Whitney, accom 0 panied by Ether Popp, came up tn . street. The girl was tittering at som a humorous chaff he was ridding himse V of, and when they came upon tn f 1 porch he suddenly stopped short, an t looking down at the small combinatio O of tatters and dust he burst out witt h Sulphur and smoke! what's tn 1T you've got, Mary?" The woman si $ ting inside the door only gave To e laugh in reply. Then he stopped dow :. and looked at the boy, who turned h Il bright eyes upon him soberly. "Wh' l. it's aliver' said Joel. ''What's yol ,- name, my lad?"
 ,- "Ab Heater uv Ohier.' " "Whlch Way!
 r "1 jist come to see ther kid." r. "How did you get hereP" le "Rid, fit and run."
 I'd "Fit? What did you fightP" 1t "Dogs and buffers. IS Then Joel sat down in chair ar .g shook with laughter. ''Have you eatt v any thing latelyP" he asked. i'd 'Yesscr."
 re "Whenp"
 ye "Yisterday."
 ill "YesterdayP Mary, have you givc i'll him any thing?" said Joel, little I
 proachfully.
 le "Why, mo-" said Mrs. Whitney, ro didn't think of it."
 'Come in here" said Whitne ,e sobering. elf you haven't got the sal D. none of 'em has. What's the m' tel?" he asked, noticing that the b limped