The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-28

dentary kind of fellow. and the mother
sad-faced and modest. But Jack
hated children In general with all the
Intensity q really lovable fellow can
have. and his discomfort was not les
oened by the fact that the little girl
Dhe was about 3 years old-rarely cried
and was a bright, shy creature.
Jack had an opportunity TO see his
bette noir at close range the second day
after the family had settled. In the
hallway he found the little girl playing
at miniature Dime table, IN which
were tidily placed small pewter dishes,
and on the opposite side of which sat
q doll nearly as big as Its owper. The
child, abashed, reiterated to her moth
er's door, but smiled at Jack the while
and he saw hat she had great blue
eyes and golden hair and a roguish
mouth-and he returned the smile.
When he again found her playing
house" the next morning she did not
retreat, and in spite of his long-cher-
ished luminosity to children he patted
her curly head. From that hour he was
. lost man. On days when he met lit
tie Helen in the hallway he would stop
and chat with her On such weighty
subjects as dolls and toy dishes. And
sometimes, when he missed her from
her usual playground. he felt as IL
there was some vacancy in his days
experiences.
At his own request Helen called him
"Unky Jack" and on fine days he
would induce her mother to let him
take the child to the nearest store.
where he would I'LL her hands with
candy and other sweets And for Hell
ems sake the young bachelor, when her
father los her position, secured him a
place in the ONCE of his uncle's factory.
Helen did not trouble her wee head
about affairs of trade n finance n
did not thank her new friend for his
kindness. But in a natural way the
companionship TIVE her and the
big, good-looking fellow became strong
err every day.
Jack was away from Chicago on a
business trip all winter. and when he
returned this week his first thought
was for his little sweetheart in the
Muncey fats. He rode out to the
building, where his own apartments
had been denuded of furniture after
he left and a big For Rent" sign hung
in the dusty window. Their was u
black delivery wagon in front of the
building and Jack incidentally noticed
that the driver was well and somberly
dressed for one who lives by guiding a
horse. He walked up the stairs and
met another soberly clad fellow
| descending. In the hallway where he
had half expected to find little Helen
| Dayton there was silence and no one,
but he was glad to see that the light
blue curtain was over the transom, be-
cause he knew the family had not
moved by that token. He knocked at
the door.
Mrs. Dayton. her sad face sadder
thar ever. her eyes sunken and her
mouth drawn. opened the door. and
when she recognized her former neigh
| Dor silently stepped rack to admit him.
If he had not been a bachelor he must
have known that something was wrong
by the woman's intense detection and
unspoken grief, but instead he blurted
out:
Where is Helen"
She looked at him in surprise. You
don't KNOW" she gasped.
"No-is anything wrong? I've been
away, you-
She led him to the little hall bed
room, and when he reached the door he
saw, in the semt-dusk. on the bed a
small white casket. e he knew,
The strong young man would sooner
into that little box, and he drew back
shivering, while a rough object scraped
hare in his throat and the muscles OF
his face drew sharply coward his eyes
But the mother motioned him In.
Il have looked" she said. 1T was
harder for me than you can know-but
I looked and looked"
1t was not terrible to see. What he
gazed on was a white face, with the
eyes closed and with the light hail
gathered back from the forehead. Away
behind the mask the mothers eyes
could discern a smile. Again Jack felt
that choking lump and that drawing OF
the face, and ne sank to his knees be.
side the little bed n for the first tim,
in his life wept tears Of a deep sor'
row.
That night the landlady at his new
apartments said to him: Mr.. Chaplin
/ have been asked to let my empty fa'
to a family with one child. You won
mind, will your"