Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-12

ly modulated and its information was
very pleasant-unmistaka the voice
of lady.
"Stay here laddies," she was saying,
"and play until get through talking to
the old people, and then We'll walk over
to Judge Winners for some apples. l
can't let you come, indeed, Ran. The
last time took you to the cabin you up
set Aunt Kitty's churn and wasted all
the poor old woman's buttermilk on the
floor. Yes, my child, 1 know it was an
accident, but such accidents are always
happening to you. You are a very I'M
lucky and needless little boy, and to
take you visiting is simply to invite
calamity. Stay here, and be good chill
dren. won't be long"
Anthony drew near the window, and
in moment had the satisfaction of see
| ing tall, graceful woman, with little
! ter the farthest of the group of cabins.
Meanwhile the boys, two in number,
and aged respectively five and seven
years, had taken possession of the porch
and were climbing on the ratings. They
were large, straight Embed children, and
the smaller had crop of chestnut curls
jumped about they laughed and chat
tered. The door was trifle ajar, and
Anthony could hear every word.
"Aunt Neelie didn't want mamma to
put any coffee in her basket" remarked
the smaller child; "she said mamma
oughtn't to give the servants things,
cause maybe we'd want 'em ourselves.
That's mean, amt it Hector? We've got
a whole bucket of coffee in our store
room and poor old Aunt Kitty hasn't any
in her cupboard. She asked mamma to
save her the grounds; heard her that
day knocked the churn over"
"Aunt Neelies such hunks! 1 hate
her!" responded Hector. "Shes Away
fussing about something. Other folks
want coffee too, just as we'll as she does,
l reckon. Mamma don't listen to her,
one good thing, and gives the old folks
things all the time. White people al
ways give to black people; Aunt Neelie
ought to know that. If they didn't,
| who would?''
| But this was much too difficult q ques-
ton for little Ran to settle; he avoided
it, therefore, and introduced another
| topic. "Hec, what is paupers?"
Folks that haven't any money, nor
any place to live, nor things to eat, nor
| clothes to wear" defined Hector com
1 prehensively.
Then we amt that. l thought we
weren't, because we've got land and a
house, and lots of things. And you've
got calf, and I've got ten cents, and q
gander, and little pig, and speckled
pullet, and"-growing weary with the
| enumeration of his wealth-"and, OH
yes! a drake with a wen under his chin. >
"Who said we were paupers?" fired
Hector. Its hev'
$50 'tis," acquiesced Ran pleasantly
'if not having things is being paupers
| But you must not say it's a lie, Hec, be-
cause twas Aunt Neelie that said it
She said it when mamma told her that
the gentleman had come that bought the
land, you know-grandpa's land and
fathers. She cried when mamma told
her, and said the Beverleys were pau
pers and that mamma didn't care one
bit and was glad the land was gone, be
cause she wasn't a Beverley"
"Sho is Beverley" asserted Hector
sand I'm going to have the land bach
when get to be man. I'm going to
work hard and make a lot of money, and
ask the gentleman to let me have it
back; and I know he will, because he
won't love it like we do. He's just a
stranger, you know, Ran, so he won't
care for it, and will like the money bet
ter"
"That will be jolly" said Ran. "I'l
help"
The listener inside smiled to himself
Prosperity had departed from the ole
family, and they felt the change; he had
thought they would, when he saw the
land advertised. He had not bought il
himself to gloat over their downfall ant
his own uprising. He scarcely knew We
why he had bought it. Perhaps he wa
q little influenced by the feeling that thu
land had better be in his hands than il
those of strangers; perhaps it was only 1
passing whim, but anyhow he haC
bought it, and, while he knew perfectl,
well that it was n poor Investment TO
his money, he was not sorry that he haC
done so. These boys were Hector Bev
erley's sons of course; indeed, thei
names, Hector and Randolph, made tina
fact patent. He wondered if there wer
any more children. "Aunt Neelie
must be his former object of detestatiol
Miss Cornelia, he recognized her a
once.
The little boys were sitting on tn
steps. Hector had a straight pine tc
bacco stick in his hands, and was split
ting it with his knife into long slende
= Isplinters to make bird trap. Ran wa
watching him with interest. Anthony
looking out at them, remembered man
q time when he had sat there splittin
! tobacco sticks for the same purpose.
Hector took up the discourse. "Ran!
he said, and paused to wrestle with
, knot.
:. "What?"
= Mamma says we must not talk abor
q Aunt Neelie. 1 asked her what mad
! Aunt Neeie so nasty one day, and sh
~ said when got old, and had lots {
trouble and pain in my back most a
- the time, 1 wouldn't like folks to ca
me nasty, and reckon 1 wouldn
= neither. She tells us bully stories som,
" times, too, and then I almost like he