The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-12-23


perience concerning trans. omnibuses,
trains and other modes of transit, and he
was not at all dismayed at the notion of
making his way to strange part of the
town. He proceeded in haste to make
preparations for his expedition. First he
found piece of paper and scrawled upon
it in enormous, sprawling letters: "Plese,
daddy, have gone to your old house to
find Sandterklawse, and 1 shall tell him
to bring things to poor llkkle boys as we'll
as ricche ones.-Tony." Tony's spelling
was not his strong point. Then he put on
his cap and his little overcoat, rather thin
and very shabby. took his violin under his
arm and so set forth.
The sky was overcast and the wind cold,
but out in the streets the lamps were light
ed, the shop windows were resplendent
with holly, and crowd of bclated shop
pers hustled each other on the pavemcnts,
so that Tony, in his delight at this novel
and beautiful scene, did not feel the cold
and know not the meaning of fatigue. At
first he even forgot that he meant to get
into a tram and go to Stoneley, the sub
urb in which his fathor's home as a child
was situated. The name Of the house was
Carston, as Tony knew, and in his igno-
rance of all difficulties he intended to 60
by tram car to Stoneley and then ask the
first passerby his way to Carston. That
the place might be utterly changed from
the time when his father was boy never
entered Tony's head.
However, the innocent and ignorant
sometimes seem guided toward right ways,
right things, right people, in ways we do
not know. Tony looked up straight into
the face of tho omnibus conductor at a
street corner where several omnibuses
were waiting and said. Are you going to
Stoneley, please?"
And the man looked down at him kind
ly and said:
AYE, that be! Do you want to go tO
Stoneley, little master?"
''Yes," said Tony, promptly scramblinR
up the steps. land want TO go to a house
at Stoneley-a house called Carstoh. Dc
you know where it isP''
why, yes" said the friendly conductor
in rather a doubtful voice. II know Car
ston well enough, and we go almost past
the gates. but what might you be want
ing at Carston, should like to knowP''
Its where my daddy used to live, y
said Tony, settling himself into his seat.
"Oh, seeI'' said the man, feeling more
satisfied. He supposed the boy must bt
the son of some coachman or gardener who
lived at Carston, and Tony had so much
self possession and confidence that no NOR
questions seemed necessary.
More passengers got In, the conductor
shouted, the driver cracked his whip, anC
the omnibus moved ON. It seemed Ions
time to Tony before it stopped to put hin
down in dark road, where the conducts
pointed encouragingly to white gate q
the end of little lane and told him tha
that was the way to Carston. "There'l
be a bus back to town every quarter of al
hour" he said, "bub maybe you won
want one9 You're going to spend Christ
mas with your father, reckon?"
"Oh, yes!'' said Tony, not at all sus
pecting the drift of the question. Ant
then the omnibus rolled away, leaving hin
all alone in the dark with an unaccustom
ed sensation of fear and-an unusual thin
} for him-a strong disposition to cry.
But he mastered the weakness, and
grasping the violin faster, he turned to
ward the white gate at the end of the lane
} 1t was unfastened, and when he had pass
ed through it he found himself on gray
eled walk winding whitley between tree
! and plantations toward large, dark look
ing mansion, which Tony OWNED to b
Carston, his fathers old home.
, He followed the path until he came t
/ the garden, and then he lost himself lit
tie, but by and by he emerged from tn
shadows and found that he was fronting
wide flight Of steps which led up TO tn
terrace in front of the dining room an
: drawing room windows Tony nodde'