The morning call., 1894-11-18

beautiful outlines. She laid ner head
against him and nickered softly as he
scratched her gently In the throttle, where
q horse loves 10 be rubbed.
The heavy SObs rent his frame Oh
FLY. FLY, will new master be good to
you?
And then the man, boy no longer,
stood upright His resolve was taken.
He took the filly's shapely head between
his hands and kissed her-it was naught
TO blush for-on the forehead. Then he
turned and strobe away toward the house,
seeking his little woodshed chamber,
where he lay, open-eyed and slice pless, until
the morning fog, entering his room like
still white ghost, warned him that another
davis round of duties had begun.
The chores done that day. he battered
the FLY. and mounting her bare back rode
off down the county road to Joe Deems
place.
That worthy was at home and came for
ward to meet him. casting an admiring eye
on the FLY as be did so.
"Howdy. Nat?" he said.
"Hullo. joe" the how replied "Want
ter buy the FLY yer, Joe q" ''- '
Well, Deems didn't know. "He'd had a
notion for the rritter. but horses was
plenty, now, an feed scarce. Kinder
risky times ter buy. Wha'd Nathan
wanter sell for?"
He wanted money bad =" an i'm
q
''Jna could have the FLY for $50,
tho she was worth more" Bnt Deems
want buyin' horses just then. He'd
seen he FLY on theroad didn't know as ne
really liked her gait; seemed like she was
Ii tie inclined to go over in the knees;
this bill pastnrIng was bad for horses
he might look at her. though, for SIS"
Nathan's heart sank in dismay, but he
managed to refuse the offer shortly. Then,
with foot resting on the second rail of
the gate and his elbows on the topmost
one, Joe settled himself to dicker. 1t
finally ended IN, ma securing the fily for
500, Nathan taking bis money and
rushing rapidly away never stopping
to wish the purchaser good luck" or to
answer the call of his pet who pulled furi-
ously at her halter when she found she
| was being left behind. Joe growled at him
for an uncivl chap. and led the FLY to the
barn.
In the privacy of his woodsh ehamber
that night Nathan spent two full hours
constructing note which he meant
should accompany his ANONYMOUS offering
at The shrine of his idol. 1t was finished
a. last and copied in his best manner,
which-iruth cOmpels the admisslOn-was
poor, indeed, but it was clear and to the
point, distinctly stating that the money
WAS ''fur the little teecher to go sOwth
He wrapped it around the gold and
did the whole up in secure parcel.
which, lats though it was, he carried
down the hill and laid upon the little
teachers doorstep. 1t was very dark and
to insure bis rifering being seen he placed
beside i a lighted candlastick, which he
Rad brought with him for the purpose
Then givng a loud double knock be fed
swiftly to the gate, where he watched I'M
til he saw Mrs. Bates. light in hand, eau
tiorsly open the door and peer out He
could hear her exclamation of surprise as
she sped The singular arrangement upon
the stems. Then he saw her stoop down,
pick I'D the candle and parcel and retire
into the house. After that there was
nothing for him to dc but go home.
Sias Bennett heard him that night as
he sought his little room, and simply won
dered to his wife what on airth that bow
| vast up to-he'd alus seemed so stiddy,"
and resolved to talk to him if this sort of
| thing kept up. He did ask him, suspi-
ciouslv. next morning what had become of
! the FLY, but Marian merely replied, "Joe
| Deems got her" in tone that quite pre-
| Guided further questioning. As Bennett
! sageIy remarked TO the partner of his joys
and sorrows: "The beast was his, faint
none o. my business"
The little teacher and her mother were
| full of excitement that evening, and Ma
| than was given a graphic account of the
godsend that reached them the night be-
| fore. The mother was fnll of plans for
| her daughters contemplated trip. She was
| going at once TO a sanitarium near Los
| Angeles. ''She wac better already" the
| teacher was going alone-the windfal
| was not enough to take the pair,
but it would keep her there with prudence
until the warm weather, and then-how
she would work when she returned.
They never suspected Nathan's part in
their good fortune. How should they ever
imagine il? and in his silent fashion he
rejniced with them, and went off, making
no sign. HE is such sulen sort of boy
one can hardly tell, the young girl said
when he was gone, but [ really think
that in his dull way he likes u.s."
a day or two later she left for the south.
and soon letters full of bopefulness and
charming desert options of her new sur
roundings began to come back. Mrs.
Bates used to read bits Of them to Nathan,
when be came in the evening bringing the
milk. ''She is surely getting better" she
would say, with tears OF thankfulness in
her eyes. MAY God bless the kind friend
who made it possible for her to go there"
AS for Nathan, ne was more than ever a
mystery aid puzzle in the Bennett house
hold.
HE burns mp candle every night
Hes got G copy-hook an an old hisi' ry,
an he's studyin' every blessed mint
when he amt workin."
well, they amt no harm into that's I
kin see. What glts me Is what in thunder
be did with the money fer the fly" was
her husbands reply. 1t was quite true
that Nathan had taken his hereto fore
neglected education in hand. The little
teachers letters, his own struggles with
the one brief note be had written since the
days of his scant Schooling" up in Siski-
you, from which lace he had drifted. had
aroused his slumb ering ambition. and he
was resolved at east 10 know how to read
and write well. Vague dreams began to stir
within him. He could not rightly gauge
them. Possibly even the Critic would
have been at loss 10 aDalyZe them could
he have been afforded peep into the
chaos within the boys shocky head. But
the boy was growing fast.
At last, one terrible day, came letter
to Mrs. Bates. not from the teacher, but
from the resident physician at The sani-
tarium. ''Her daughter had contracted a
severe cold" the doctor wrote, ''and was
very low In fact. If she would SEQ her
alive he feared she must hasten southwark
at once"
Hastily the poor woman gathered her
little store of money and took the morning
train, leaving the kew of her little house
with the agent 10 whom she was in arrears