The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-01-25

ad little faces seemed to peer at hin,
ut of the unfinished windows; slow
tile feet seemed to kick at the leaves.
be pathos Of life in general and of an
phan's life in particular haunted the
bung mans thoughts.
One day when the sky was drab and
The wind kept up shrilly shrek
through the denuded trees, and the
eaves were piled in mounds, he be-
anne conscious of little figure NOV
hg along the outskirts of the grove. 1t
was much the color of the leaves, and
as it crept along, peering in curiously,
Halderson had a curious idea that it
might be the spirit of the orphans
come to look at their future habitation.
The little thing had sylph-like mo-
ton, and now and then some caprice
got the better of her dignity and she
scampered among the leaves like kit
ten, making a great rustling. Her
| tangled brown hair streamed upon her
kehoulders, escaping from tiny hood
Fhich she had long since outgrown.
Ter little frock was fringed at the
bottom as the result Of impulsive ad-
ventures. Halderson was quite fasci-
mated with the antics Of this little earth
creature-for she seemed as irresponsi-
le az gnome and as grotesque-and
ie made up his mind to form her ac-
laintance. This was not easy to do,
no sooner would he approach her
han she would speed before him on
he ightest of feet in and out among
the trees. Not caring to make him
self too undignified before his men,
Halderson desisted, and went about his
work. Then the leaf-girl drew quite
pear-so near that he could sec her eyes
md her little tanned, eerie face.
Al twilight she disappeared, and
hough Halderson looked all about him
4s he drove home for some house in
which she would be likely to live, he
could find none. There was, II is true,
d group of tar-paper shanties occupied
by graders, half mile to the west. but
i did not seem to him that she could
have come from there. Moreover the
thanties had been there since he be-
gan his task. Why had the elf not come
out when the days were golden and the
flowers were in bloom? Why should
The wait till the storms came? Did she
Fide on the autumn wind? Was she the
'bpirit of the faded leaves?
( It was foolish of sensible and hard
working young man to be haunted by
these thoughts at night, but because
be was lonesome and not much hap
bened in his life Halderson dreamed
bf the matter. and. waking early, de-
oted an hour of reverie to II. The
htld was so illusive-that was what di-
eTted him.
The morning Of the next day wore
|wsy without his seeing her. but just
fore the early autumn dusk she came
ain. He heard her scufaing in thu
1ves before he saw her, but when he
rned. abe waved tantalixing hand
him. and, seemed to vanish in the
Hing shadows of the day.
"Whefe does that child come from 2"
asked one of the men as casually as
could.
mes the daughter Of one OF the
ders," replied the man. 81 know her
her-he's Dane. His family only
pc out here two days ago. Jorgen-
D got tired Of baching it, l suppose"
That night Halderson drove to the
PHp's edge and got his supper, and
paR he drove back over the prairie
~ again, past the orphanage. to
hefe the tar paper huts were. The
- m eRlap. and TIE stpTs were ont