The Yale expositor., 1901-05-31

seemed to partake OF the softening in
fluence OF the patchless, natty trousers
and the little brass-buttoned coat, and
the strange street dialect sounded less
offensive in Miss Salome's ears. She
was proud Of her fresh-air boy, and her
heart-strigs, tugged SO often and so
persistently, vibrated with gentle
steadlness. The lonely woman was
near to loving the little lonely child.
Then came the rude awakening when
one morning Miss Salome found her
bird had flown, tricked out in his proud
new plumage. The ragged old clothes
were smoothly folded on chair There
was nothing else save a freshly black
ened stove and shining shoes at Miss
Salome's door, to tell Of his having
been there and gone.
Miss Salome stood a long time be-
side the heap of folded clothes, torn
between anger and grief. She had
never felt so keenly the one way or
the other in all the flfty-seven years
that spanned her quiet life. The
clothes-if he had only left the new
clothes behind instead OF the old!
That would have helped so much.
'But it wouldn't have been near so
human" sighed the poor woman drear-
lily. Then / should have been enter
tanning an angel unawares. No, no,
let him wear EN- back to his slums,
but don't let him ever darken my doors
again from this time forth and forever
morer
Still, she left the little ragged clothes
unmolested. 1t takes time for heart
strings to recover themselves.
Two days after the waits disap-
pearance, Miss Salome saw a strange
little figure hobbling up her walk, to
the accompanying tap of clutches. She
had never seen the boy, but the
clothes! She adjusted her glasses
hastily and nodded as she looked,
They were several sizes too large-the
trousers and the sleeves were turned
up, and the coat was Tapped until but
one row OF brass buttons was visible
but the clothes were the ones Miss
Salome had bought for her fresh-air
boy.
The little figure hobbled nearer, and
an eerie gaunt little face looked up
frankly at Miss Salome.
Its me-Pm Mickey" the child eX-
planned at once. Jerry sent meier
RVS me pal, yer know. He said as
could wear de clothes-he fought
youse wouldn't mind?"
The upward infection at the end
was intense with wistful interrogation.
Mickey propped one crutch under his
arm and ran his thin white fingers up
and down the coat front admiringly.
Amt dey dandies? Jerry was a
regular toff, but l guess I'm too little
to fill 'em QUIT takes the stuffin' out
o. yer ter bunk at dc hospital a
mont"
He drew close to Miss Salome and
touched her dress gently.
Jerry wanted / should AK yer If
yerd be willin' ter swop-he said ter
tell yer were a tip-topper chap an
him-but he lied. Jerry's a brick!
He give me de clothes an made me
come, cos I'm his pal an goes lame.
OATS Jerry"
The child in the overgrown clothes
seemed to shrink to a baby's size as
Miss Salome looked at him out of dim
eyes. The other childs face--Jerry's-
peered over his shoulders at her.
yer won't mind, maam?" it seemed
to say wistfully.
Il say, amt it prime here?" Mickey
said. "Dere's grass you kin step on,
an flowers on de trees, an de house
is painted fit ter split! OATS wat
Jerry let on here'd be-Jerry said he
bet 'twere like wat de mission chap
said goin' to Heaven'd be. Tiff yeT
wouldn't mind, could l bunk on dc
grass, ma 'am?"
Two weeks later, the minister's little
wife called on Miss Salome again. She
pointed out of the window to a little
figure in the grass and smiled.
Still here?" she said.
YES" Miss Salome said briskly,
I'm going to keep Mickey till he's
strong again. He's coming on-you'd
be surprised to see him eat now! And
jerry"
Miss Salome's face broke into mel
low curves-outriders of laugh. The
minister's wife wondered why she had
ever thought it plain face.
Jerry went off as brown and fat!
You know, sent for him to come back
after he ran away and swopped' him
self? He's been here two weeks with
Mickey, and he's just gone today. He
said it was necessary for him to go
back and settle up his business'i"
The laugh had arrived and Miss Sa-
lone gave herself up to it luxuriously.
Such boy! Yes, we're going into
partnership together, Jerry and /, after
that. We're going to -pals!"-An-
ME Hamilton Donnell, in Country Gen.
tleman.
The cost of the public schools of
greater New York for the year 1901
will be s17,710,07s. The number of
pupils in the schools is estimated at
40S,112. So that the average cost for
each pupil is $43.39. In 1890 there
/ ms