Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-07-21
What is your nameP"

"Do you live here at the hotel?'
81 sleeps in Big Ell'n's cabin, Missile"
SIS Big Ellen good to you?"
"She-she wallop me, Missie.'
Feicie's face flushed.
"What for?'
The boy looked down, balancing awk
wardly from one bare foot TO the other
"Ise good for muffin, Missile. Use amt
with my salt Ise allays a-strummin' an
a-thrummin', when I'd ort to be to wuk
-fotchin' watah, an diggin' in de gyar-
dem
He spoke with so comcal an air of con
viction that Felicie could not forbear smil-
ing.
every well-let me hear you play
The boy grasped his banjo and struck a
few tentative chords. A strange, listening
look crept over his face its heavy, un-
couth lines underwent some swift, subtle
transformation. Even his listess muscles
seemed to conform to some new co0rdinat-
ing force; the movements of his arm were
free and strong, his fingers leaped with
lissom" grace along the strings. In mo-
ment he glded into little plantation
melody-a simple air full of the haunting
sadness born of old slavery days. His
heavy-lidded, pathetic eyes gazed out upon
the water now beginning to show emerald
tints under the mounting sun, but the light
which deepened in them was not reflected
from the sea or land.
Mrs. Severance, hurrying up from the
beach, cried out in dismay at sight of tears
| on Felicie's cheeks.
"Why, my dear child! Resale, what can
you have been thinking of? Don't you see
that Miss Felicie is tired to death? Her
weak nerves and all this noise! Run away,
childr
The boys hands dropped, and all his
rerre and self possession with them. Once
more grotesque, pitiable, he was turning
away, when Felicie laid a transparent hand
on his worn sleeve.
"No, no, Tony! Mamma is mistaken.
| The music is beautiful-it has not tired me
it has made me better. Do you under
stand? And | want you tomorrow morn
! ing-don't forget"
Mrs. Severance shrugged her graceful
| shoulders.
"Of all the odd fancies, Feliciem she
said, as the child shuilled away. "The boy
is absolutely frightful. How you can want
him about you passes my comprehension.
But you never were like anybody else"
yet you love me, little mamma?n Eel
icie's smile was very sweet.
Her mother stopped to kiss her.
but wish you weren't so tired The
annoyance was not quite gone from her
tone. "Now you can't see the Draytons
until you have had your rest
Tony was waiting next morning, when
Felicie came down leaning on Rosalie's arm
and the neXt,-and the next. A won
derful friendship grew between the two.
The boy would sit for hours at her feet,
supremacy happy only to touch a fold of
her dress, or catch a glance from her eyes.
The life of the forlorn little waif was not
without compensations; genius had already
outweighed much, with love added, pow
erty and contempt kicked the beam.
With spaniel-like faithfulness Tony would
follow while Rosalie pushed her young
mistress in a wheeled chair up and down
the sands
Felicie saw the longing in his face.
"Let Tony try, Rosalie," said she.
1t was pleasant thing to see the proud
light leap into the boys face,-the small,
curved shoulders straighten. Tony had
come into his kingdom.
Don't worry about me, little mamma
l am so comfortable today, and Tony is Sc
careful" Feicie would say. SEQ, sail with
the rest. l can't have you shutting your
self up and losing your roses"
81 am a little off color, am l not, Eel
icie?" Mrs. Severance would cry with an
anxious glance into her mirror "But you
know don't mind that would willing
ly wear myself to a shadow for you. But
you are surely better, my love-"
Ever so much better, mammal
Then with much patting of cushions, and
numberess charges about draughtS and
eliXrs, Mrs. Severance would fit away,
LII / 1 s4.1
left together.
The old banjo had been replaced by a
new one, from whose sensitive strings the
small, black fingers drew wonderful har-
monies. The mail steamer had brought
the package, and unsuspectng Tony him
self had cut the cords and unwound the
wrappings.
II dom hardly dast to keep it, all along
o Unc' Joe. He's that umptious, Missile
Feleesen he said, when he had with diff
Guilty been made to understand that the
treasure was his very own.
''Sing for me, Tony" said Felicie, one
day.
The child's voice was strangely mellow
and sweet. He touched the instrument
softly, and began to chant,
"steal away, steal away, steal away TO Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home.
haven't got long to stay here.
7 My Lord calls me, He calls me by the thunder
The trumpet sounds it in my SOUL
haven't got long to stay here
Felicie took the little hands in her own.
81 must tell you something, Tony, dear.
have wanted to tell you for a long time
Will you try to understands
Eyes, Missile"
81 am going away soon-no, no, my
child-don't look like that Do you want
to break my hearth"
Tony swallowed great Sob
81 won't no more, Missile - deed !
won't"
81 am going to beautiful city far
away"
SIS You gwine to Wash'n'ton, Missie?''
"No, TOny,-farther off than that, and
loveier place"
The child's eyes grew large with grief
stricken wonder.
Else hears tell a right smart heap bout
Wash'n'ton, missile; Marse Arundel-the
old Marse Cunnel--he was 'lected, an he
went to Wash'n'ton. Dey sairynaded i'm,
the night afore he started" Tony uttered
the long word with slow carefulness. go
Missile, dat ar was mighty fine music! De
musicianers, dey all stood in row, an de
ole Marse Cunnel, he come out an talk to
'em. Den he say: 'Gennulemen, low me
to offah some 'freshmentsn Den he sent