The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-11-30


fre-and shoes, too, wrapped in oiled
silk, as though they were made of gold,
and the jauntiest little hat you ever
saw. And then, a while later, she
touched her bell and summoned Jane,
and, disregarding James amazed stare,
said:
"Give this child a warm bath, Jane,
and put these clothes on him, and then
bring him here"
The little fellow was pretty in his
new clothes, despite the thin face that
had been blue with cold that morning.
And what pretty curIs those were, just
as she thought they would be! The
kitten took him for perfect stranger
and went under the chair and growled
at him. How he laughed at that-a
thin little laugh that brought tears to
her eyes Oh, it was wonderful how
those eyes Of hers were improving .
And yet she did not say word to him
except to ask him where he lived. And
then she told Jane to take care Of the
boy and the kitten until she came back,
and she wrapped herself up and went
out
She was gone a long time. When
she came back, her eyes were bright
and moist, and looked almost like a
pair of new eyes. She sat down and
took the child and the kitten both in
her lap.
Little man" she said, 'T've been to
see your uneIeand aunt. They've had
sickness and haven't been able to take
care of their own children. And so
I'm going to send them all, the whole
family, out to great big farm Of mine,
where they'll get well and make liv-
ing, and you are going to stay with me
and be my little boy"
The child contemplated her with Sc
rious eyes. After a while he asked
dOubtfully:
can the kitten too"
ooh, yes, indeed" +" cried the old wOm-
an, "kitten too"
They had supper there together after
ward, all three of them, and such a
hungry boy as that was, and what a
pleasure it was to see him eat Why,
this rich old woman, shut up in her
own gloomy thoughts, had never
dreamed there could be a child as hua-
CRY as that in all the world
Aud, afterwerd, when he insisted on
wearing his new shoes to bed, Jane and
Susan had to be called up to see that,
and they made holiday of it. l don't
know how many years it had been
since the old walls had echoed to such
laughter. When Susan saw that grim,
austere old woman actually persuading
the child to let the shoes lie in a chair
where he could touch them, and when
she saw her put the kitten into his
arms, she retnsrixed u Jane in al awe
struck whisper:
"Hit do pear to me like de merlen-
MUM mus be jes' roun de corner"
And that wasn't the end Of it No,
indeed Why, the very next day a
minister whose work lay among the
poor and destitute, received a summons
to call on an old woman who had re-
fused to see him when he had called
at her door once before. And when
he went, there she was with a small
boy aud a kitten. and there was IA
dance in her face that did not come
from the freight as she said:
al have Just found out what poverty
is. You see a great deal of it, am
told. Next Thursday will be Thanks
giving. / have not observed it for
many years, but all that is changed.
want you to take this money and see
how far it will go in giving all the poor
you know a little supply of fuel and a
good Thanksgiving dinner. And will
you come back to me when that is gone
| want the dinner to be a good one
mind, a regular, generous, old-fashion'
ed Thanksgiving dinner"
Oh, it was a great time in that old
woman's life; but that wss not all, she
sent for an architect that very evening
and began to talk over plans for home
, for homeless children, and while sh'
talked the child was leaning againsi
her knee and she fondled his thin littl,
hand. After the architect was gone
she still sat there musing. Late as i
was, she said to herself, she might still
atone for her idle, selfish, lonely
life.
/ And that was not all yet, for wher
t Jane came to the door and said, with 8
broad grin spreading all over her face
| somebody to see you, Mis- Arnam," " sh'
did not hear until the somebody came
/. in and stood beside her and asked:
I "Mother, can you forgive me yet p
l she must have been dreaming of him
/, for she looked at him as though b
o had been part of a dream-this hand
e some man, with a mouth as firm as he
1 own-but in a moment she had awak
n ened and was in his arms, crying out t
: him while the tears rained down he
cheeks:
e "Oh, Dick, my little boy, my Owl
little lad, don't ask forgiveness of me
e need it so much more p
5 And there was Susan's face in tn
= doorway, Illuminated with radian
> grin; for had she not known wher
e Mas Dick was all this time? And ha'
d she not gone to him that vefy mOrnin
d and told him?
s an as" Dick, now's yo' time to max
b frion's wifi yo' ma, for she sho'ly Is lib
It ano1der woman ~
% And there was the little boy in Dick
re arms before you could think, an
Is friends with him from the very fr
n minute, and there was the kitten ruI
e ming up the table cover and tumblin
y down again and making a perfe'
whirligig of itself in that mad pursu
p otter its own tail, altogether there ne
e er was such happy time.
Is Susan began that very evening ma
1d ing preparations for the most deligh
I'd ful Thanksgiving dinner that ever W;
le eaten, and while she worked she chuel
a led with delight and took all the cred
" to herself because she had brought Ma
g Dick home in the very nick of time.
er p,t thap thara vuaa the little X