Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-07-26

AH% NJ lhAl.
nM That's the las t
" word" said Selma,
'and 10 my mind, Mr.. Tolley, it's a
hit ofa pity it ever went so far"
''As how" said Bale, He was very
gloomy and quiet, and unlike himself,
and she had ceased to feel afraid of
him.
"ln this wise, Mr.. Tolley," she an
swered. II never chose your COM
pany, and i never liked it, | look
on what you've said to me as a
liberty. And / defy you to say ever
showed you a sign of encouragement
to it. ="
"That's true enough" said Bale
gravely, and without touch of irony.
'I'll do you that much credit, You've
made it pretty clear as you dislilted me
from the beginning"
and that, D." the girl retorted, fs
why look on what you've said in the
light of a liberty, Mr. Tolley"
1T won't be repeated" Bale an
swered. Good nightr
He fingered as if in expectation of
an answer, but the girl turned away
without word The garden gate
clicked behind her, and Bdie was left
standing in the roadway.
"Well," he said to himself, cts
what l looked for, and it fits my
merits" He pulled handful of loose
tobacco from one pocket of his jacket
and pipe from the other. Then,
having stood for a minute or two with
out n movement, he filled his pipe, lit
it, and walked away.
The girl meanwhile had reached the
cottage kitchen. She took candle
stick from the high ehimneypiece, and
set it on the table with an angry
emphasis She stirred the waning
fire with the same petulance, and,
having thrust thin silver or two of
wood between the bars, she knelt
down before the CRATE and famed the
embers with her apron. When they
blazed she drew ont one of the sticks
and lit the candle. AS the wick be
gan to burn she looked up and gave a
faint cry at the sight Of an unexpected
figure in the room.
Mother" she said, with a hand
upon her heart. 'How you frightened
mel"
Hast no cause to be afraid O. me,
wench, her mother answered. 80
Bales got the sack, has he?"
'Got the sack?" Selma echoed
"No. He was never in my service. "
"He never got any wages, poor
ladr said the old woman. That
another matter, however. In your
service he has been this three year. "
We'll" returned Selma, 81 never
had any truck with him, and never
wanted any. And now, if that's what
he wanted to know, he knows it.
"Yes," said the old woman, knitting
away with the same tranquility, 'you
let him know it"
"Why, mother" cried the girl,
"what would You have me do? Did
you expect me to say 'Yesr to him?"
"No, my dear. 1t would ha' given
me rare sore heart to hear it. But
I've known him since the day he was
born, and I've been sorry for him
many time. He's nobody's child,
poor Bale is. He Was bred on charity,
and he was made to feel it. He's gone
wrong, my dear, like a good many
more, because he'd hardly ever the
chance to go right; but there was the
ma Ii IN Of HpA in Ia M Won
was quite right to say him nay, but |
could wish as you'd been gentle with
him.
Selma lit second candle and sal
down beside it with her sewing.
"His father was "A travelin' conjur-
or" said the old woman, after a long
pause. 81 saw him once alive, and g
finer figure of a man / never saw.
helped to lay him out, poor fellow,
that same night. He broke his back.
bone with cannon ball doin' some
inggler's trick with il. They said al
the time he was in liquor, aad he'd nc
right 10 do dangerous thing like
that at such time. He'd built Il bit
OF tent across the road there on the
waste ground, and there was the wife
awaiting a. her confinement. The child
wasn't born half an hour when some
blunderin' idiot told her tbs news
That killed the mother. Then poor
Tolleys wife took in the child and
kept it, and we all helped a bit; and
he growed up to be called Tolley. And
as if he hadn't had misfortune enough
to begin life with, old Tolley mus
needs go an christen the poor little
creetur' by his own name Of Balaam.