Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-11-21
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Z CUPID AND A PIG. {
s By Edward BoItwood. Z
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JHTHILE the train was nearing Cosy.

HTHILE the train was nearing Cosy
wv cot station, Shepherd read Ly-
dia's note again.
Dear Walter" it began, "of course
we should be glad to have you at Cosy
cot during your vacation, and L sup
pose Aunt Elizabeth can put you up.
But you will find us both completely
busy with colony of Fresh-Air chill
dren near by which aunt is taking
care of. 1t is a noble work, and Aunt
Elizabeth has interested me in it
very thoroughly; / can think of moth
ing else, and have decided to devote
my whole life to 1aboring among the
children of the poor, if | am worthy
of such a career. l want to tell you
this before you make up your mind to
come, so that you will understand that
l won't be able to see much of you
and so that you may expect to find
me sobered by a serious purpose.
Yours most sincerely, Lydia Farrow."
Shepherd crumpled The paper vi
ciously in his pocket. "Confound
Aunt Elizabeth" he grumbled $50
bered by serious purpose! That's
the old maids phrase-not Lydias.
Result of reading novels about hospi-
tai nurses. The children of the poor
must be taken care of-but, hang it
all, so must Lydia"
A trap was waiting at the station
to convey him to Aunt Elizabeths
cottage, and his hostess was waiting
at her piazza to greet him. Miss
Gibbs was an elderly lady whose fig
ure and bearing looked as much out
of place in the country as would the
portico of the Fifth Avenue hotel.
No amount of bingham and flannel
could rusticize her.
"Dear Lydia left her apologies TO
you, Mr.. Shepherd" said Aunt Gibbs.
"She has been forced to absent her.
self upon an important duty connect
ed with our children's mission. May
I beg you to amuse yourself until
she returns? Thank you-so kind OF
you-my clerical work leaves me little
leisure in the afternoon, and later
1 have an outdoor class in botany"
Shepherd spent quarter of an hour
in a vain attempt to read a maya
zine, then he flung it down and start
ed at random across the rolling and
sunshiny green of the fields. A shad-
owed lane tempted him for a mile or
hn ho RIM ir1o
ahead of him into the hot glare of
a highway he paused uncertainty.
Hey, Mister Shepherd" called fa-
miliar voice from the fence, and a
familiar head and shoulders appeared
in the adjacent thicket. Voice, head
and shoulders belonged to Cuppy, the
newsboy who was accustomed to sell
him the morning paper at his office
door in New York.
"Hellc, Cuppy," said Walter in great
surprise. Are you up here with the
other hds?"
you bet" assented Cuppy. "The
fat is a couple of blocks down the
street. Milk an pie an chicken-and
sheets fer ter sleep in. Dere's 20
of us. Ter-morrer we has atterleetic
sports. I'm the empire"
Miss Gibbs is very kind to do all
this for you"
Cuppy stopped short in his progress
out of the bushes.
Say" he demanded, "this Miss
Gibbs-are you wild her?"
NO." replied Shepherd thoughtful
ly, I'm agin her."
That's right" said the ragged OBJ
iect of Aunt Elizabeth's bounty. "The
old lady's all right if she'd only leave
us be. What fer does she come round
n-lecturin' and putin us on the
sneak? I'm on the sneak now. She
Gays the rent fer us, an we takes off
our hats fer that. But" he concluded
With a darkening eye, "she runs
hight school out o. doors by daylight
and I'm on the sneak. Miss Farrer,
she's the people,"
"She is all of that" said Shepherd,
feeling strangely comforted; he want
ed to shake the boys brown hand as
they strolled together down the high
way. "She is all of that, for sure"
he added.
"Sure. Miss Farrer's worked fer the
gang of us till she's most down an
out. She looks as pale as me mother
on a wash day. Does yer know what
she's doin' now? Gone up this road a
couple er mile after pig"
after a what?"
"Ter git pig-a creased pig fer the
atterleetics. The farmer what runs
our Joint made her chase away to
buy one off his brother, who needs
the money. 1 told her I'd go meself,
cause she's so tired, but 'Naw,' she
says, Cuppy, youse must stay fer the
bot-enny' So she chases erlone, for
she says it's her dooty, she says"
Shepherd gave his leg a savage slap
with his walking stick.
Hurry along, Cuppy," he exclaimed.