Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-11-10
JACOB AND ME-"


cts SO hot and tickly and tangly
and boversome, and IN old enough to
look like boy" he said, W hich was
true. His mother put her arms around
him-they We're sitting in the big wick
er chair by the parlor window-and
held him as if she would never let him
go.
81 want my baby as he is" she said,
which was also true. There was little
silence.
1t was low, little room, full of
quiet and half darkness. There were
some we'll filled bookshelves, we'll
chosen pictures, just enough pretty and
more or less worn rugs and cushions
and bowl of garden roses on a low
table The child leaned his head against
his mothers shoulder, the despised hair
bright tangle against her dark gown
and gazed adoringly into her face, but
she was looking out of the window
across the meadow, where the black
trees and the slender spire Of st. Mi
chael and All Angels were clearly de-
fined against the cool twilight sky.
There was a churchyard around st. Mi
chael's, but it was in the shadow. The
twilight deepened. A cowbell tinkled
in the distance, and a young man and
two girls with pretty shirt waists and
tennis racquets went chattering laugh
ingly by.
That's the boy that plays the organ
at st. Michael's," said Rupert. II 60
in sometimes to hear him do it. He
likes it. When he isn't playing. he is
talking to those three nice girls in the
little house down the road. They each
have scrapbook, and the little boy has a
scrapbook, and they put everything in''-
He stopped suddenly, his gaze fol-
lowed his mothers across the meadow,
and he slipped one soft arm around her
neck, while she took possession of the
little brown hand and kissed it gently.
An old woman came slowly down the
road-an old woman, with straight,
white hair, blue calico gown and red
handkerchief twisted around her neck
She was driving flock of clamoring
ducks and geese, and Rupert's interest
was at once awakened.
'Buy me one, mamma, one of the
big white ones. 1t would be such good
company, and I'll never say another
word about the hair" 1t was an odd
fancy and odder bargain, but it ended
i'll Mrs. Cardell's most promising gan
der, very much surprised and named
Jacob, being shut up in Mrs. Wares
chicken house for the night.
He did prove good company. With
string around his leg for safety, he
followed Rupert hither and yon. To-
gether they planted garden and dug
it up from time to time to see how it
grew" together they hunted for frogs
in the meadow, and together they waded
in the brook below the hill; together
they sat OH the steps when it was time
for mamma" to come home, holding
long and rather one sided conversa-
ton.
In September plan began to grow
in Rupert's little head, and he told ia
cob all about it.
Mamma had begun to teach in town
now and was away all day. Julia, the
maid, could be very good when she
chose, but the day Rupert came tum-
bling into the kitchen, his feet very
muddy, dragging after him poor bewil-
dered Jacob by the length of his string,
trying to explain all in a moment, she
said:
"Did ever see the like of such a
bothersome child, and the pesky beast"
and picked them up unceremonious-
ly by the left wing and the right arm
and put them down on the doorstep.
Rupert cried little, and Jacob went
to sleep on one leg, and presently Julia
repented, spread nice slice of graham
bread with apple sauce and presented it
as a peace offering, explaining that she
had just scrubbed the kitchen and was
ill tempered into the bargain "along Of
reasons you can't comprehend. And
tell me about the plan, darlin."
Rupert shifted, ate some of the bread
and fed the rest to Jacob, talking all the
time.
Mammals birthday and st. Michael
and All Angels day come just the same
next Saturday-and papa used to
buy goose and apple sauce and cake
with candies. Twenty eight it was last
year. This year makes 30, and the big
punch bowl full of Michaelmas daisies
papa used to go way into the coun-
try when we were in the fiat in town,
but here the meadow is full of them.
Jacob and me found them-and candles
in the silver candlesticks and dinner
cards. Could you paint dinner cards,
Julia? The boy that plays the organ
could do them, think" but Julia was
thinking of something else, her fore
head wrinkled up, her pale blue eyes
gazing into indefinite distance.
Rupert wondered suddenly why Julia
didn't go on and finish being pretty. "
Her hair was soft and wavy and brown,
and though she twisted it up tightly
twice day it generally rippled loosely
above broad white forehead. Her eyes
were very light, but shaded by long
dark lashes, and her cheeks were the
color of wild roses. Beyond this her
beauty ceased. Her mouth was very
wide; her waist was very big; she her.
self was very long, and her fingers were
bent quite crooked with rheumatism.
Rupert tried to straighten them out as
she went on talking.
cts cake you wantin, and ap-
pie sauce and daisies-them' easy got
and candles. There's plenty left from
Christmas, but goose'd be big item
ON the bill, an it as small as it has to
be, all a bit of steak here, an a handful
of mutton for stew there. an a lilli-
putian roast of Sunday. There's ia
cob now"