Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-09-08

Dut Cuueu anu Il llltlc Sill
named and called Pearl Porter.
To this little girl her grandfather,
Major Porter, showed an affection so
devoted as to be popularity supposed
almost ruinous. HE just spoils that
child" Mrs. Atkinson would say, as
she looked out of her window and
saw Pearl fastening up the Majors
mustaches with hairpins; and she
would turn away with a sigh. 1t was,
perhaps, this devotion, but more prob
ably a native impulse Of the heart
that made Pearl an unusually vain
child.
She was a pretty little thing, with a
floating mist of hair and large, brown
eyes, always beautifully dressed, in
little stiff white embroidered clothes
She was born with a sense Of carriage; !;
and she could not help knowing when
ladies said in loud whispers, isn't
she sweet?"
Her reputation as a Proudy-cat
among the children Of Lake View had,
however, been founded less by her
personality than by an incident Of her
early youth.
When she was only four years old
she had been given little blue silk
parasol with an ivory handle. With
this at church, she had been left in
the pew by her aunt when that lady
went up to the communion rail. When
Mrs. Burden had reached 1t and turned.
that those returning might pass her,
what was the amusement of the con-
gregation and her own astonishment
on seeing Pearl tripping lightly up the
aisle, with her new blue parasol opened
and held gracefully above her head.
The aunt herself was very dressy
lady, and she more thoroughly than
any other member Of the family sym
pathlzed with Pearl in her taste for
making calls, for wearing kid gloves,
q rose folded in it.
This aunt, Major Porters daughter,
was a large woman, with long red
cheeks, tilted blue eyes and an over
whelming, tightly busked figure. At
the top of her small forehead, long
face and towering bulk she always
wore a gllttering little bonnet. She
lived in Washington, and she was able
to pet and indulge her niece only on
occasional visits.
On these visits Mrs. Atkinson used
to watch with longing these two op-
posite and fashionable types walking
out to the carriage together.
N pr+l h,,t ,I, LoJ
ways dreamed of having just such &
child as Pearl.
Buffers tastes were different from
/ Pearls. He had no Imagination for the
world of graceful convention. His
companions We're other grubby, freck-
led little boys, most of them disre-
carefully dressed in trousers bagging
about two inches below the knee. But
ter numbered among his acquaint-
| ances n boy who had run away from
home, boy who had a whip tatooed
on his arm and a man supposed by
Buffers circle to be murderer. But
ter cut the mans grass, and when the
man gave him fifteen cents-the mar
ket price is ten-Butter handed him
| back the unnecessary five, and said,
! mo blood money for me' The man
had laughed in a puzzled way. OF
course, if he had done any thing else,
1t would have given him away
Butter also knew a boy who had
printing press; and in partnership with
him he had conducted successfully an
enterprise of printing pink and green
highly glazed calling cards for the
ladies Of the neighborhood. Besides
the cash capital they derived from
this source, they realized every sum
mer large Income of pins and news
papers from circuses in the barn.
Major Porter sometimes attended
these circuses with Pearl and sat in a
box for ten newspapers, and though
he was so enchanted with Pearl, he
used to watch with pang of envy
Buffers 1.-the wiry frame turning hand
springs in the backyard. For though
he had never had golden curls nor
carried parasol he had once tumbled
ON the grass and chased fire engines
In a dusty and happy oblivion of the
customs Of the world.
once year circus came to one of
the empty lots of Lake View, west of
the Porters. 1t stayed :or one day;
and then pursued its glorious march
In honor of more Western cities. This
day was one long haze of delight for
Butter Atkinson. Its ecstacy began
In the morning when he went with his
friends over to the lot to see the tent
pitched, and it lasted through the con.
cert and at the end of the circus.
Mr.. Atkinson always took Butter
had never thought of not taking him
until one miserable day. when an un
considering e-President-elect and
his thoughtless wife spent twenty-four
hours Of being entertained in the neigh
borhood when the circus was enter
tanning
A large afternoon reception was
given for Mrs. Hendricks at the Por
ters' home. He was an old friend OF
| the Major Mrs Atkinson oqsiofod 4,