Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-05-13

The little boy gazed after her. his
cheeks distended with pastry. and n
grin of perfect content Oh lis dirty Kit
tie face.
The storekeeper, too. wac had been
scolding his chore boy In a frightful
manner when Winnie opened the door.
now looked as mild as any lamb. quite
benevolent, in fact. and the chore hoy
was whistling softly " himself rs he
wiped the dust from a shelf.
Winnie walked briskly along, for IT
was getting near school time. good
many of the people she met glanced at
her as they passed, and the glance
seemed somehow to have a cheering ef-
feet on them, for the;. eyes frightened
and they stepped more quickly and
held their heads little higher.
When quite near Tie schoolhousc
Winnie overlook one Of her classmates.
There was cloud on his face, but the
instant she spoke 70 him it disappeared,
and he actually smiled as he ,urued to-
ward her, though the tone of his voice
was still somewhat lugubrious.
Have you done those two problems
in algebra?" he asked.
NO" laughed Winnie. "have yOn:'
81 sat up half the night trying: and
l don't believe they can be DONE" said
the boy, bitterly.
"Oh. yes" answered Winnie. evil.
Bailey told me last night that ne had
done one of them and mean to getsat
them in good earnest rs soon as l get
the history lesson off my mind. think
We can do them"
Perhaps we can" SAID the boy, more
hopefully, and by the time they reach
ed the schoolhouse steps he was not
only convinced that he could but resolv-
ed that he would do them, and was
quite cheerful in consequence.
AS said before, it was cold morn
ing, and the schoolroom felt the effect
of it. The heat didn't come as it should,
and the teacher and all the scholars
had blue noses and their shoulders
were drawn up.
Winnie and the boy were Two sec.
onds late. and Miss Miller frowned rs
she heard their footsteps in the hall,
but when she saw Winnie her frown
faded out. Moreover. as Winnie walk
ed to her seat nearly every pair of
shoulders in the room went down a
trifle, as though her coming had, in
some mysterious way, tempered the
prevailing frigidity.
Nothing of particular moment hap
pened during the forenoon, unless it
was the falling out of Nellie Patterson
and Julia Davis at recess. Their eyes
were flashing and they were making
the most ill-natured remarks to each
other, when Winnie CHANGED their way.
l don't know whether she said any
thing or only looked in their eyes till
they couldn't help laughing, but l do
know that two minutes later Nellie and
Julia were pacing the hall arm in arm
and on the best of terms.
There were seven scholars who lived
so far away that they always brought
theft dinner. excepting when they for.
got it. as did Annie and Frank Carroll
on this particular day. Winnie spied
them standing apart from the others.
staring disconsolately out Of window,
and Immediately OWNED the trouble.
Almost before you could say Jack
Robinson" she had gone to them and
before you could count fifty the three
were seated, with Winnie's lunch bas-
ket in their midst, making merry over
the shortness of their commons. Then
the other four joined the group and di-
vided their lunch also. and as the moth
ers Of some Of them had been particu-
larry bOuntiful in the matter of food
that day the whole seven Jared well
enough, and dare say ate all that was
good for them.
On the way home from school at
night Winnie saw two boys on the side
walk ahead of her slyly upset a fruit
stand. behind which sat an old Irish
woman. A policeman who had come
up unperceived seized one Of the boys.
the other took to his heels, and the old
woman gesticulated and stormed with
rage and righteous indignation.
Winnie fastened her steps, and. Law.
ing her hand on the policeman's sleeve,
asked him very earnestly if he would
not please let the boys go. just long
enough to help pick up the fruit, which
was rolling about the sidewalk and out
into the street.
In an incredibly short time. if YOU
had been there, you would have seen
the policeman walking serenely down
the street, strange gentleman right
ing the fruit stand, Winnie and the
two boys picking up apples, oranges.
bananas and peanuts, as if for a
wager, while the old woman was
laughing to see SO many working for
her while she sat still, and SAYING.
leniently. that "b'ys' would be "b'ys''
she supposed, as long as the "wurruld'
held together.
The boy the policeman had let 90
came running after Winnie when she
had started on her way again. and
thrust tremendous big apple, which
he had just bought of the woman. into