The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-08-19

| III nau come 10 ulln III tue illlllillS
camp, where his ambition, that had
gathered strength as falling body
gains velocity in time, had swept over
: all realization of the past and its claims
with rcssllcsS force; and its power,
though, by sort of intuition rather
than sight. he recognized at once whose
WAS the face at the window, was rs ifa
spirit had indeed come from the other
world to cal! him back to memory and
! honor.
He had come once to Il turn III the
road wl rc few steps would bring
him into sight OF his old home, gone
Oh Il pace or two, stopped, stepped for
ward again. then stood irrrsolute.
Even though lie had come maI.v Il
league as Il pilgrimage tn this place, !
; shranll from its l,.S,lnliun and decay.
He seated himScl' 10y the roadside. and
pluckcd Il handful of rabbit $ foot clo-
|
thought. He drew his hand softly
across their downy heads. Their
, touch seemed /" have the power of 4
spell: for j" 81 rir.r.'. t,rrritiIl of
every tiin2 ,Ar,i.t .i.,ti,.i> ri has boy.
hood and youth.
He remembered that his first world
was Il miniature, in which the universe
was "A framing for one slight, kind face;
then it broad med ana took in the facts
of the little home. with its delightful
enclosure Of grass-plot and sand. He
| had built little treasure house. where
he had kept his pieces OF shell and the
bits of china that the yru.i ul his child
fancy could transform to bird or beast
at will, and played there all day in the
sunshine, as happy as a fairy prince in
his kingdom, pausing sometimes to
| listen to his mother singing at her
work in the kitchen:
| Change AMI decay in all around see,
| o thou who changest no.
The words came slowly. in heightened
syllabes, like measured hcart-throbs.
Sometimes she came to the door and
stood there watching him, furtively, ut
his play, till he glanced up to meet her
smile; then she laughed perhaps, and
turned away.
| 1t was about this time in his history
that he first became aware of Daphne.
She presented herself to his sight one
morning, rather grimy little creature,
chewing with an embarrassed air
corner of her apron, which she had
screwed up into the form of an old
fashioned paper lighter. Her face was
a little square affair, sunny above, and
below rather humorous from the pres
ence of very wide mouth, which
looked rs if nature had added marginal
notes after her work was essentially
| finished. There was an abundance Of
tiny brownish disks and suE-fecks
nothing her fair skin; but Joe had
seen just such markings on the tiger
lilies and jewel weeds, and had always
thought them pretty. He looked up
now with smile that was calculated
to disarm suspicion and win confidence,
and inquired .gravely as to the causes
of her unexpected appearance. sc
explained that she and her folks Lad
Just moved into the house across the
way.
What's your name?" asked Joe.
She hesitated like one afraid of
spelling a possible good impression.
"Daph-Daphne,' she said, rather
timorously, for she vas used to being
tcased about her name.
The beautiful old Greek word did
sound strange in this far-otf western
country oithe "Barbarians.' Daphne's
father had held theory that names
should he amcny iamily's heirlooms;
and, hunting among the headstones of
his tribe, he had found the name of
| Daphne. which Iad commended its, If
to him as plain and biblical. Some
one undrcrived him in after years about
the scripturaI origin of Daphne, and
he moulnod greatly, it was said, when
told the famous pagan myth; but it
was too late to redeem his error.
| Joe. however, WAS net critical OF
names at that early period.
| How'd do, Daphne:" he said. DO
you want to play? There's the well,
and the barnyard, and there's where |
have the garden"
1t was not very long before Daphne
had been made part owner and propr:e-
tor of the nutshell farm ard its treas
ures, and continued so for many Il
month in fact, till they had both out
grown minor joys. and were looking
out toward a wider horizon.
They trudged along the road to-
gether to the temple of learning, a
square, scverc-looking little ediiice,
now much battered and weather
stained, "did examples" together ut
odd times. commiseratcu each other if
the birch was summoned in from the
wood to be an educating influence, eN-
changed commodities of food at noon
time, and remained always tast-bound
by the ties OF comradcship.
Daphne was quicker of brain. Joe
never forgot how her examples used
to come neat and trim To the penny,
on 4 State unspotted and unsmcared;
nor how once, when the whole spell