The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-05
THE WEE PRIEST.

W CtaHC LUZ AO OAnpt11AOISlAP Dub bAdt u
his pet goat One day, however, he mado
a friend.
In front of the wee priests whitevashed
cottage was bit of garden, containing
two fuchsia bushes and some cabbages,
and outside the garden was a strip of COM
mon land. 1t was here that he kept his
pet and took his daily exercise. 1t was
here, too, that he first met his friend.
One day he was walking on the COM
mon, with his eyes fixed on the ground
and his thoughts in heaven, as was usual
with him. Heaven is a long way from
BaIlycrook, and thoughts that wander
there are loath to return; it happened
that the wee priest was quite unconscious
of a little figure that stood in his path
until he found himself on the point of up
setting it. He then realized that it had
been waiting for him. 1t was the kind Of
little figure that had not hitherto entered
very notably into his life. 1t had curly
hair and big, blue eyes, and it was about
years old. This was Ely, the daughter
of the colonel.
''Tie my SHOE said Ely, lifting up a
tiny foot
The wee priest hesitated. He was al
ways slow TO take in new idea.
cite my shoeli' repeated Ely imperious-
", waving her foot in the air to draw at
tention to it and nearly tumbling into
whin bush The priest looked around for
help in his extremity, but there WAS no
one in sight. His chubby face grew Grim
son with embarrassment, for tying the
shoestrings of colonies daug hters had not
come into the curriculum of his college,
but he bravely kpelt down and did as he
was hidden. 1t took him some time and
made him very warm, but he rose with
sense of achievement. Eily's nurse cut
the string later in the day.
Presently the wee DriaS6 fOUpd himself
walking along the common with little
pink hand clasping one of his fingers 1t
felt very odd, but he had heard of such
things being done, and the blue eyes that
looked up at him appeared quite calm, as
though there was nothing abnormal in the
situation. So he introduced her to the
goat and gave her sprig of fucIsia.
81 likes CO., said Ely when she wac
going away ''I'ze cumming ADAM
eff you please" said the priest politely.
1t was fully an hour before his thoughts
went back to heaven.
Ely came again often. The children of
Ballycrook, whether rich or poor, are early
independent, for they are among friends,
and SO the colonel's daughter left her
nurse at home, and as we have seen, ap-
pointed to that Office any one she might
happen to meet. Her visits to the white
washed cottage on the common became the
chief incidents of the wee priests life Her
interests. He had a faint reniniscence OF
eating sweets in his childhood and liking
them, so he bought some in the village
shop and found the experiment successful
ELY had weakness for bright colors, so
he dug up his cabbages and planted COR
geous flowers in their place. Ely watered
them and picked them. She also fed the
goat with the wee priests dinner.
All the autumn their friendship deepen
ed. They never spoke very much, but
whenever the priest walked on the common
Ely trotted at his side, and the pink fist
was quite at home now doubled up inside
the brown hand. But as the weather grew
colder things changed. Eily's walks abroad
were confined to quick constitutional,
under supervision, and the wee priest wait
ed in vain for his friend till his face grew
wistfuI. When the snow came, he gave up
hoping But he reckoned without his
guest, who was person of resource.
He was sitting alone one day, thought
fully stroking a woolly lamb on wheels
which he and Ely used sometimes to draw
round the garden by a string He heard q
shuffiing noise on the doorstep, and Ely
herself walked in. She was chuclSling
"Pze ranned away she said, beaming
| Then she stated her business.
Make snow man. "
The wee priest shudde1ed. He would
have preferred playing with the woolly
lamb by the flreside. But he had come far
\ since the day that he was daunted by q
shoestring, and experience had taught him
prompt obedience. So he fetched his spade
meekly.
"Here," said Ely, standing in front of
| the door. "We'n have him just here,
fink; where he can see go froo the win
! dow For a moment the wee priest was
staggered. Public opinion is strong in
Ballycrook, and snow man in the priest s
! garden is unusual. ''Just here, - repeated
Ely. So the snow man was made just
there.
So splendid a snow man had never been
seen in Ballycrook. 1t is true that the
| priest had no notion how to proceed, but
Eily's experience was large, and she had a
genius for giving orders. By mixture
of obedience and inspiration the patient
workm produced a triumph of art, and
Ely was satisfied. She even crowned the
work herself by giving the snow man peb-
| BILE buttons.
| ''I'ze so cold,'' she murmured presently.
The wee priest did not observe that she
had put on her thin coat by mistake when
she had framed away" She was DC
Judge of such things. But he did heal
that her teeth were chattering, so he took
her into the freside She went home
however, still shivering. When one is
years old, one catches cold so easily.
The next day he heard that she was i'll
He thought he was going to be i'll too. Il
was really anxiety that he felt, but he hat
never been anxious before, so he did moi
understand. His anxiety did not last long
however, for on the third day Ely died.
When they told him about it, he wal
mending the woolly lamb, which had {
broken leg. He laid it on the table silent
ly, and for a long time he sat still, ONLY
stroking the woolIy lamb now and thei
unconsciously. When at last he looked
up, the snow man was grinning at lin
through the window. A little treble yoicI
seemed to ring in his ears:
''Just here, 1 fink, where he can see 'o'
froo the window
Then the wee priest took his spade anC
went into the garden, and battered anI