Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-02

dragon who guarded the studio, that is, Aunt
Callie. Night after night did he 60 out hunt
ing with some men Of the neighborhood, until
ms services were considered valuable enough
to be rewarded with q 'possum.
The next day he took Pearl (because Mrs.. Med
lark was washing and preparing for Christmas),
packed her in the rude wagon which his father
had made for her, and trudged away to the
store. How ablze 1t was with gayety and
festive preparation! The glass cases we're lit
wagons and jumping jacks and dolls hung from
a rope stretched across the shelves. There were
new hats and bonnets and piles Of beautiful,
ready-made clothes, and cups and saucers with
Love the Oliver" or ITO a Good Boy" or ITO
a Good Girl, on them, and splendid gilt lew
elry-a dazzling display! The store was full,
TOO; everybody, black and white, laughing and
joking. But the only person that Ambrose saw
In all the crowd was Miss Carroll Before he
could get bis ragged cap of. much less offer his
'possum, che held out package to him, saying
IN her sweet, kind voice: why, Ambrose! I
was going to send this to you"
Let him see the negative first" said Mr.
francis, who was looking at a little glass pane
There you are, boy" All Ambroses southern
politeness barely availed to stife groan Of dis
may. Truly enough, there were the or and the
horse. the wagon and the children the hills and
faces?
Little Pearl laughed aloud. "Pitty nieeersy~
cried the baby gleefully.
you hush!' admonished Ambrose; but he
added, In apology, i've uns' faces is kinder
81 forgot" said Miss Carroll "you don't
know that what is white in the negative be-
comes black in the print: and the other way
TOO. You will like the print; better. These are
yours, Ambrose-one for your father, one for
your mother, one for you. Look at them
-. Mise Carroll had taken great pains and at o
time when she had little leisure, but she felt
repaid by the look Of speechless ecstacy that
stole over Ambroses face. He thought that
he had never seen anything so beautiful. They
were, indeed, admirable prints, toned to rich
brown. and the lens had caught the children's
faces in their moment of abandon with charm
ing fidelity. Luckily it was the stiff one that
was DESTROYED and not the other" said Miss
Carroll. swell, Ambrose, will you carry nv
camera to the river for me?''
II never kin thank you, ma'am," said Am
brose. He walked along by her side, holding
the legs OF the camera with an awful sense Of
ents away to the school house, but the photo
graphs he would not allow to go out Of his
sight, or rather out Of his feeling, for he car
r1ed them carefully in his hands, There were
reasons why he should not trust them to his
pockets.
A slouching vet athletic shape was Iounpinp
on the river bank when they approached. Much
amazed, Ambrose greeted his father Medlark
wore, Miss Carroll thought rather q hangdog
look. He explained that he had been to the
store and was now on his way up country to
sell q Few turkeys. As vouching for his words
the turkeys cackled and futtered under his
hand. Nevertheless Miss Carroll suspected the
fowls to be no better than a pretext and that
his real errand would take him to certain dis
tillery in the hills. But she wronged him, for
Dr. Medlark was going to no worse place than
the post ONCE Yet she did not altogether
wrong him, since pinned under his flannel shirt
~ letter to the lottery agent containing Is
or Mrs Medlark's hard-earned savings
Come on in, If you goin'," called the ferry
man roughly to Medlark He was hard-work-
ing, prosperous man, who had small regard for
the doctor. Medlark scowled and strobe after
the Others. Meanwhile. no sooner had Pearl
scrambled out Of the wagon than she straight
way began to be mean" Ambrose tried to
control her until Medlark. awakening out of
gloomy kind Of reverie. bawled, "Let 'er alone.
caunt We! How come We everlastingly pest
erin that child? Set daOwnI'
Ambrose, directing a glance Of entreaty at
Miss Carroll, did sit down, but only to regret
disobedience; because, as Miss Carroll moved
the camera little to rest it more firmly, one
leg OF the tripod was caused to make q motion
resembling step forward.
Pearl thought the monster who took "mean"
children was advancing to seize her. With
scream Of fright she leaped away. There was
into the swift current.
Ambrose kicked off his shoes and sprang after
her. One had not even time to scream before
he was cleaving the waters. and they could hear
his high, sweet childish voice. "Hor up,
honey. Buds a comm! Budn tote We ashore.
water had not the ferryman grabbed his
shoulder. eye cayn't swim a stroke and tho
boy kin. Learned him myself. By thunder.
look at him." Medlark lifted his blanched face
for single dreadful glimpse enough to see a
yellow head s war led oG the waves and Just be-
cred his eyeballsas if they were blasted Sup
pose those crooked fingers could not hold!
Who had brutally broken them?
"Oh, Lord! ben a bad. cruel father! But
faint her fault!' he cried in his soul. Don't
let my baby drown!''
voice reached him now-''he's a splendid swim
mer! He is trying to make for the shore"
"Cayn't we paddle out T. him?' called Med
feverishly.
SHAW, sir, ye cayn't," said the ferryman; "the
currents blamed sight tew strong. The boy'n
be drowndid or on shore-one-afore we kin
git t him. But pull away. Twill ease you
mind sorter. Hank to the boy, will We? Ell he
mint tellin' the baby t play boss in the water
an hole on t his wether! He's the schemiest
boy ever did see."
one uoinG IL, TOO, cried Miss Carroll, al
most with sob of exultation; "he has swumf
with her in the water before. See! Seer
The boy was swimming straight with the cur
rent. He had wisely chosen to swim across
where the land jutted out, with the current,
rather than at right angles to the nearer shore.
Even in his mortal fear Medlark. who was as
daring man as lived and who had owed his
own life more than once to his cool head, felt a
thrill Of pride at his boys courage
81 swear I'll never lift a hand agin him II he
gifts of, vowed the father. "Oh, Lord, I'll do
better by EN- allr'
Its right smart Of ways" said the ferry
man, IAN he looks sorter puny-like-he's
worked tew hard. But mebbe he kin make
out"
HE was always SO willin'," said Medlark
wretchedly.
"Troubie is he tried T. do his work an yourn,
tew," retorted the memorable ferryman.
Reckon mouts well let i'm hev both bar'ls,
seem il how I'd got good sight on him." he
said in his subsequent narrative ut the store.
''Waal," he continued, ''all we kin do fer him
is t put our trus' in the Lord Nav, we dom
need ter. nuther, kase he done got his footin',
Will We look o. him o wavin' his ham at us?
Say. Medlark, I'll take that ar boy off you
hands ony day ye say: an engage Z treat him
better'n We done, tew."
Medlark eaid not q word to these taunts: per-
haps he couldn't, for the tears were rolling
down his cheeks. When they finally reached
the children Pearl was no worse for her bath.
but Ambrose looked ready to cry His first