The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-07-12
THE LITTLE CHAP.

| The Little Chap had been humored
| from the time he was born, but he. was
such fascinating Little Chap that mo-
body could help humoring him. Hewas
stubborn, he was headstrong, he was
naughty, IL you like, the Little Chap,
but In his very naughtiness there was
something really captivating, which
| won your heart, but played the mischief
| with your dignity. When he stood be-
fore you with his legs far apart, his
hands In the pockets Of his much
patched trousers, and the magnitude Of
his defiance 30 ont Of proportion 10 that
Of his tiny body. you were altogether
at disadvantage, and I am not sure
but that the Little Chap in the innocent
slyness Of his heart felt that yon were
at his mercy. A little patched cherub
Hike him, with tousled blond hair and
an enormous sense Of his own impor-
tance, would have been no mean antag-
onist TO Hercules himself, and so secure
was he in the consciousness of his valor
that he would not have been afraid 10
tackle Hercules.
The Little Chaps father, Amnnd
Myra. was q carpenter by trade and
lived In one of the loneliest mountain
valleys of Norway. His wife, Kari, had
presented him with i've daughters be-
fore IL occurred 10 her to present him
with q son, and his joy at the last ar
rival had only been eqnaled by his dis
gust at the i've previous ones The Lit
tie Chap took instant possession OF his
father heart. which had been kept pur-
posely vacant for his reception. When
the nurse brought him on the evening
Of his arrival upon q pillow and placed
| him across Amund's knees, the carpen-
ter freely forgave his wife her dve past
| delinquencies in consideration Of the
Little Chap, for this was not the usual
infaptile vegetable that simply fed and
slept. It was q quaint and sturdy little
personality, that took in the world, his
father included, with slow, wondering
gaze and seemed to do vast deal Of
profound and solemn thinking. Amupd
could not rid himself Of the impression
that his son viewed him rather critical
! ", as il he were debating with himself
whether, ON the whole, he liked his ap-
pearance and found him fairly saisfao-
/ tory parent He was very much afraid
that he did not come mp to the Little
Chaps standard. He was ahsurdly anx-
l ious to make as favorable an impression
as possible. There was something pecnl-
larry wise and venerable in the Little
Chaps aspect as he lay there upon the
| pillow. What tremendous secrets that
Little Chap must know, = unused his 1a-
ther, ''if he only chose to diyulge them
secrets Of the sun, and the moon, and
the great unknown from whence he
cameiD
/ And thus it happened that from the
hour OF his arrival the Little Chap came
/ 10 be regarded Us d person of tremendous
consequence It was impressed up0n
him from the time he lay i'm the cradle
that he was q boy, and that q boy was i
superior kind OF creature. who had moth
] ing except certain accidental points CT
anatomy I'm common with girls which
latter species had been wisely created
i by the Lord to wait upon him. He was
not very big before Amund, who could
not bear to be separated from him, got
into the habit Of taking him along when
he went ont into the valley TO do d job
| There the Little Chap would sit
proudly perched upon his father d shonl-
il der, bundled up in scarfs and with d fur
cap that was much too big for him pulled
down over his ears He was not talk
II alive child, but there was q slow and
old fashioned Kind of gravity about him
which made everything he said minute
i Nv droll He took himself very serious
Il III and allowed no trifiing with his dig
| nifty. He took much Satisfaction i'm THE
| thought that he was helping his father,
and Amund rather encouraged the idea,
!. giving him d hammer with which he
pounded nails into d piece of board and
occasionally mashed his fingers And
all day long, while the carpe1ltez
worked, whether indoors or out ID
doors, the Little Chap bnstled about
him. sat In the shayings whittline
sticks or chipped the edge of the plane
by running it into the heads Of the nail.
which he drove in wherever a d nven.
lent place presented itself.
But Whatever mischief he rot into,
Whatever tools he ruined. Amund re
garded IL only as q fair price which hi
paid fer his company. And never oncs
did he scold the Little Chap, but grave
" explained 10 him why he must no'
do snch things AZ II he had been !
grcwnup man. And the Little Chal
would listen gravely, with q quiverinf