The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-12-11

oioHis eho HSd'y Eyes opened ana
turned in Dicks direction:
Indeed, l am quite well: there is
nothing the matter" he whispered,
glancing nervously toward the door
'If you will let me go now l shall be
quite well.'
'Well, here's your dime, at any
rate" said Dick.
The boy looked at it wistfully, but
slowly shook his head. mo, thank
you, l didn't earn it," he said. And
then, before the astonished Dick
could stop him, he turned quickly and
ran out of the hotel.
Order dinner, captain" cried Dick,
making for the door also. 81 can't
let him go like that; I'll be back
presently" He dashed out of the
place in pursuit of the boy.
He had some little distance to 90.
and, under ordinary circumstances,
might have turned back, laughing at
himself for his Quixotic folly. But
the pathetic face of the boy haunted
him; he seemed to be looking again
into those brown eyes. So he went
on hurriedly, keeping the figure be-
fore him in sight, until he came into
the narrower streets of the little
town, far away from the sea. And
| there he ran the boy to earth.
Right at the very top of one of the
smallest houses the boy-still uncon-
scious that he was being watched
| thrust open a door, and disappeared
| into room. Motives of delicacy pre-
vented Dick from going further; and
yet he wanted to help the lad if he
could. Hesitatingly he waited about
| on the staircase, half-inclined to
blame himself for taking SO much
trouble over matter which did not.
after all, really concern him; half
inclined to push the matter further
and follow the lad into the room.
! He must have waited quite ten min
utes on that staircase, forgetful of
Capt. Boxer and the dinner, and ev-
erything. At last, however, he
knocked at the door softly; getting
no response, opened it and went into
the room.
1t was poor place, poorly fur
nished, yet exquisiteIy neat and clean.
As matter of fact, Dick had no eyes
for the room or anything about it;
| he stood still, just within the door,
watching the bowed figure of young
girl, whose arms were spread out on
the table, and whose head was buried
| between her arms. At the moment
that Dick entered she was sobbing
| <,i,;a}lx- ,nJ in man
ner heartbreaking to hear.
Now Dick was, before all things,
tenderhearted On the impulse of the
moment he moved forward in his i'm
petuous, boyish fashion, and touched
the girl gently on the shoulder.
Don't you give way, you know"
He stopped in amazemen.t. The girl
started to her feet and faced him;
and he drew back, staring at her blank
ly. For here was the short, curly
brown hair, the deep, pathetic brown
eyes, and the delicate white face of
the boy who had tried to carry his bag.
Yet her dress now was what it ought
to have been-plain. and neat and
rather shabby. but quite womanly
The girl, for her part, recognized Dick,
and, with cry, covered her face with
her hands and shrank away from him.
"Don't do that" said Dick, hastily
"You don't know me at all, if you do
that. I thought there was something
strange about you. I want to help you
--if you'll let me-"
There was something so winning
about the boyish, good-humored face
and in the frank young voice, that she
began to regain confidence; and told
him hurriedly, and in as few words
as possible, something of her story
Of how she had been left almost pen.
niless, with younger brother to sup
port; of how she had come, with the
younger brother, to this quiet place
in search of health for the boy; OF
the death of the boy: and of her find
ing herself friendless and penniless In
strange place. In moment OF de-
spair she had donned her dead broth
er's clothes, and gone out, in the hope
of earning money in some fashion
that should find her food. While she
talked Dick had a sudden inspiration
and acted upon it.
!. "Look here" he said, "what is youl
name?''
"Tamlyn-Bertha Tamlyn," replied
the girl.
Most extraordinary" exclaimed
Dick, inyenting story on the spot
"My father knew your father-grea1
friends they were; and he left sort
of injunction hpon me to look after
you-to be friends with you. Shall we
begin now?"
She was very skeptical at first, but
Dick stuck to his story; and the girl
, after all she had gone through, wal
. very glad to meet some one who treat
ed her as frankly and gently as n
|, might have treated his own sister
For perhaps the first time in his lif'
Dick Lyddon began to be deeply inter
ested in some one; began to cas-
, about in his mind for methods of help
ing her delicately. Suffice it that M
smoothed the way for her wonderful
IL. that among other things a mys