The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-22

boy named Milo Cox Atkinson,
but called Butter, and a little girl,
named and called Pearl Porter.
TO this little girl her grandfather
Major Porter. showed an affection so
devoted as to be popularity supposed
almost runous. "He just spells that
child" Mrs. Atkinson would say, as
she looked out Of her window and
saw Pearl fastening up the Majors
mustaches with hairplns; 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 pretty little thing, with
floating mist OF hair and large, brown
eyes, always beautifully dressed in
little. stiff, white embroidered clothes.
She was horn with 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 a little blue silk
parascl with an ivory handle. With
this OF 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 it and turned,
that thQHe returning might pass her,
what was the amusement of the con-
gregatiOB and her own establishment
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
pathized with. Pearl in her taste for
making calls, for wearing kid gloves,
and for carrying a small cardcase with
q rose folded in it.
This aunt Major Porters daughter,
was a large woman, with long red
cheeks. tilted blue eyes and an over
whelmlng, tightly busked figure. Al
the top of her small forehead, long
face and towering bulk she always
wore o. glittering little bonnet. She
lived in Washington, and she was able
to pet and indulge her niece only Oh
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.
She loved Butter, but she had al
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 were other grubby, freck
led little boys, most of them disre
carefully dressed in trousers baggins
about two inches below the knee. But
ter numbered among his acquaint
ances a boy who had run away from
home, a boy who had a whip tatooet
on his arm and a man supposed b,
Buffers circle to be a murderer But
ter cut the mans grass, and when tn
man gave him fifteen cents-the mar
ket price is ten-Butter handed hin
back the unnecessary five, and said
mo blood money for me-" The ma
had laughed in a puzzled way. o
course, if he had done any thing else
it would have given him away.
Butter also knew a boy who had
printing press; and in partnership wit
him he had conducted successfully a
enterprise of printing pink and gree
highly glazed calling cards for til
ladies of the neighborhood Beside
the cash capital they derived froI
this source, they realized every sun
mer a large income of pins and new
papers from circuses in the barn.
Major Porter sometimes attende
these circuses with Pearl and sat in
box for ten newspapers, and thong
he was SO enchanted with Pearl,
used to watch with a pang of env
Buffers 1.-THE wiry frame turning han
springs in the backyard. For thong
he had never had golden curls n,
carried a parasol, he had once tumble
on the grass and chased fire engin
in a dusty and happy oblivion of Il
customs of the world.
Once a year a circus came to one
the empty lots Of Lake View, west
the POrtersc:- 1t stayed Tor one da
and then pursued its glorious mar,
in honor Of more Western cities. I'll
day was one long haze of delight f
Butter Atkinson. It's ecstacy beg
in the morning when he went with /