Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-02-16

WHY Did She Do 1t?
mo. I'll never speak to Marie again;
never, never,"
why, my Whirlwind, what is it
now?"
--Oh, Aunt Clara, you are SO patient
and forgiving that, of course, you will
see no wrong!"
well, tell me all about it, my lit
tie Whirlwind, and 1 promise not to
be hard on you"
Yes, and Aunt Clara will so smoothe
out all the wrinkles that before day
light tomorrow you'll be waking me
up with your singing, so that you may
be in time to make it up with Marie
This last speech was from Ned, who
sat on a stool by the big fireplace, and
had put down his book as 'Whirlwind''
burst into the room She tossed her
head impatiently at him for an answer,
and began her tale of woe to her lis
tening and ever patient young aunt.
When she had finished, Aunt Clara
answered never a word. A light
cleaned in her dark eyes, and she
sighed. After little while she spoke,
softly and gently, but not at all about
Whirlwind or Marie; only as if she
were looking back over the years. And,
indeed, she was.
"Shall 1 tell you a story, my dear?'
Ned dropped his book again, and
,Whirlwind was all attention.
This is a true story ola friend OF
mine. When we hear true stories,'
they are generally told because they
show some noble trait of character, or
some thrilling episode, or a spirit OF
bravery or something of that kind. Yet
more often, in our frail human lives,
it is not the moment of nObleneSs that
leaves lasting good, but our very weak
nesses, photographed on the sensitive
plate of our imagination, that stare at
lus again and again, until we could not,
in very shame, act SO again.
This little incident happened many
years ago to a child, who is now a
woman, and although she never again
saw the other prominent character in
the episode, the vision of that one
quick, impulsive wrong action rises
again and again before her, and its
memory can never be effaced.
"She was not bad little girl, no.
was she a 'goody-goody' one, just an
iordinary little girl She was playing,
lone SPINNER evening, on the sidewalk
with her little friends of the neighbor-
hood They had exhausted themselves,
full of mischief, and action, and i'm
patience, was waiting to resume the
play.
Suddenly, along the street came a
| strange sight to these boys and girls,
whose ages ranged from five to eight
1t was a child of the streets, a little
newsgirl, in a torn frock, and with
tumbled hair, and dirty hands and
| face. She had evidently wandered from
| her own neighborhood, and she seemed
very much out of place among these
children of careful parents.
1.-THE little ones, one and all, drew
together on stoop, gazing in shyness
and curiosity at the stranger, who
might have been gypsy, if one had
| judged by her semi-wild appearance.
When she reached the group, she
paused, and there was moment OF
| silence The twilight had deepened into
dark by this time, and the CLEAN OF
the street lamps, which were not cleo
trio then, shone dimly upon them all
II work for my Hvingi' suddenly
and proudly spoke up the little waif;
and perhaps a feeling of childish shame
| fell upon them. for no one answered.
"sSee what 1 have.' continued the
| little voice, and there was a sound OF
| clinking coins as she slipped her hand
into her ragged dress, and drew it out
| again, extending the open palm fol
them to see. Eagerly they scrambled
| forward to look, and then it was thai
| Lefty did what she was never able to
explain, even to this day, grown WON
an though she is
ct all happened in a moment, II
less time than it can be told; and
| while they were all scrambling to see
Lefty stepped forward with them. and
| striking the extended hand from be
meath, she knocked it upwards, send
ing the coins flying over the sidewalk
and into the gutter. Even before the
| words for shamei" were uttered BY
the children, Letty's heart was strick
en- with remorse.
We'll, of course, the waif cried, and
they all stopped to gather up the coins
all, that is, except Lefty, whose fool
,ish pride forbade her to acknowledge
| her fault She was a very little girl
of course and / know that she wa
not an unkind one, just as you know
that Marie is not unkind in her heart
even though she is impulsive and hasty
like our sWhirlwind'; but though tina