Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-01-15

: most; and, with the recOllecIlon OF ne
! cruelty toward this gentle child fresh i
her mind, the mere sight of him file
her with anger.
/ So the little fellow wandered on
to the barn and felt very lonely as h
climbed up on the hay-mow to max
sure that his dearest earthly friend ha
indeed gone. He sat down to wonde
I where Uncle Phin was, and how long /
would be before he would come to TAX
him away from that unhappy place. Fl
wished that he might stay right wher
he was, and not be compelled to see an,
Of the family again, and was feeling
very wretched and forlorn generally
All at once he heard Cynthia's sweet
childish voice calling the chicken
around her on the barn floor, where sh,
fed them every morning. Here wa
somebody for whom he cared, and thu
thought that he was so soon to leave
her, probably forever, filed him with ;
pang of mingled pain and love.
He slid down from the hay-mow Il
where his little cousin stood, and as she
threw her arms about his neck ant
kissed him and told him how much She
loved him and how sorry she was fol
him, he began TO realize how hard il
would be to part from her. and to won
der il after all he ought to run away
with Uncle Phin.
Cynthia was a loving and lovable lit
tie soul, and though she had freckled
face, it was lighted by pair of glorious
brown eyes. Her hair was of rich
brown, fiecked with specks of red gold
where the sunlight shone through 1t.
1t was just such hair as the sun
loved to kiss, and the merry wind
delighted to toss it into the
most bewitching tangles whenever il
was not closely imprisoned under its lit
tie pink sun-bonnet. 1t reminded Ar
thur of his own dear mothers hair, and
often when they we're playing together
he would snatch off the pink sun-bon-
net just for the pleasure of seeing II
ripple down over her shoulders. His
own used to be long, almost as long as
Cynthia's, but his Aunt Nancy had cut
it all off when he first came to live there,
and it had been clipped short ever since,
greatly to Uncle Phin's sorrow.
While Arthur and Cynthia were feed
ing the chickens, and the former was al
most forgetting his recent loneliness,
Mr.. Dustin came into the barn. He
greeted both the children pleasantly,
and even kissed them, thing that Ar
thur wondered at, for he could not re-
member that it had ever happened be-
fore When he asked: do you know
where Uncle Phin is. Arthur"
~ think he has gone away" replied
the boy, flushing and looking down, fos
1t seemed somehow as though ne were
not exactly telling the truth
"Do you know where he has gomez"
"No sir, / do not" was the honest re-
ply, and the boy looked his questioner
in the face as he made it.
well, believe you, of course" said
his uncle, land suppose he must have
taken it into his head to leave us,
though it seems very strange that he
should have done SO without bidding
you goodbye, or telling you where he
was going"
This was too much for Arthur's sense
Of honor, and, speaking up manfully, he
said: "He did tell me he was going
away, Uncle John, and bid me goodbye;
but he didn't tell me where he was GO
ing and he didn't want me to say any
thing about it unless had to-"
81 am glad you have told me this"
said Mr.. Dustin; land since be has gone
/ must say am not very sorry. Now,
come in to breakfast"
That morning Mr.. Dustin took Arthur
and Cynthia with him to the well he
was drilling, and, to their great delight,
them to stay there all day.
When they reached home that evening
Arthur was so emboldened by his uncle's
unusual kindness that he ventured, IN
his presence, to make mention of the
book of fairy tales that his Aunt Nancy
had taken from him. He said
"Isn't the book the beautiful lady
gave me my very own. Aunt Nancy?"
81 suppose it is" answered Mrs. Dus-
tin. shortly.
"Well, then, don't you think / night
have it just to look at?"
81 said you might have it when I got
ready to give it to you"
When Mr.. Dustin inquired what book
they referred to, and when it was ex-
planned to him, he said:
"Well, guess your aunt is ready to
let you have it this minute, aren't you.
xife?'
There was no mistaking his meaning;
Ind, very ungraciously, Aunt Nancy
.ook the precious book down from its
high shelf and tossed it on the table.
Arthur seized it eagerly. and until
he children were sent to bed they and
Mr. Dustin enjoyed looking at its many
illustrations. That night Ar.
ihur slept with it under his pillow. and
{ must have Influenced his dreams. for
hey were very pleasant ones.
The following day was also happy
me for Arthur and Cynthia. for they
Spent most of it sitting close together
lnder the roots OF the great overturned
rec, chat was their special retreat. alb
'orbed in the book, and discussing, in