The Jennings daily record., 1902-02-14


sluggish, sneaking," the rector affirm
ed. punctuatiag the Indictment with
pauses in his effort to be exact.
shadow of protest fitted over his wife's
face. First, Billy was motherless
Secondly, under cover of garden
hedge one day she had watched Billy
take aim at crow, and his eyes, eager,
sweet and blue as larkspur, had ap-
pealed to her unforgettably. Decided
ly, Billy's eyes when they could be
seen, counted.
It was said of the rector that he
knew every man, woman and child In
the county; and they, by reason OF his
sweet cordiality of manner, knew and
loved him. The rector owed his popu-
larity more to a single grace than to
the whole big sum of his v1rtues-a
grace of sympathy so rare, SO d1scr1m-
mating, so replete with charity as to
make him quite unofficially, of course
but in very real sense. the confessor
of his people.
But with Billy the rector could
make no headway. Billy was MS
thorn in the flesh, an ever-present ap-
peal to his sympathy, but lodging ev-
cry expression of it with the elusive
ness Of a phantom. His kindl1est
overtures glanced the armor OF the
child's reserve. One day the rector
took him perforce for a drive, hoping
to thaw this stolid unresponsiveness.
He told his most thrilling stories; Billy
remained utterly aloof. The rector
was approaching state of actual dis
| comfiture when Billy himself snapped
odr
the phaeton. He disappeared in the
| brush like a scared rabbit. The rector
| decided to bide his time.
1t was in harvest time that Billy's
mother breathed her last, swiftly.
TRANQUILITY, meekly grateful for her re-
lease. Billy's father had bullied her
into stingless grave. Billy's father,
| burly irascible farmer, had long
since tired of his sickly wife; he was
doubtless glad Of his release. But he
felt fresh displeasure against her;
she had died in his busiest season
without consulting his convenience.
Billy's conception of death was very
nebulous. He observed the funeral
| preparations with a sort of wonder
though the unwonted stiffness and
darkness made his heart f1utter. II
was not until the rector led him to
the bier and tenderly told him to kiss
his mother goodbye, and the tall man
with black gloves screwed on the lid
that Billy began to apprehend. The
chill Of desolation came upon him anC
he sobbed softly, unobtrusively lest hi:
father should hear. He had smartet
too often for the offense to take risks
At last the casket was lowered ant
the rector's voice became more solemn
Billy sobbed audibly. He drew a:
near the rector as he dared and in
creased the distance from his father
Presently Billy heard a thud. "Ashe
to ashes dust to dust" and the recto
had thrown a clump of dirt at hi
mother! He moaned aloud in his an
guish. To Billy, who knew nothing o
symbolism, the act savored only of un
friendliness He interpreted it in tn
light of his own experience, and il
roadside warfare with his kind, Bill
had learned the value of pebbly saH
as ammunition.
Hence the rector's difficulty with hi
young parishioner
The farmer lost no time in bringin;
home a buXom widow whose quarrel
some progeny soon crowded Billy ou
A nostalgia for the woods seized him
he became nomadic in his effort at sell
effacement, and his father, who hate
the sight of his understood offsprin
"slinking around like a whipped dog.
was not sorry. No wonder Billy pass
ed as "sullen, sluggish, sneaking."
Billy exulted in woodcraft. He kne'
the boggy hollows where the violet
and blood-root grew; the songs of tn
birds were the familiar voices of h
friends, and he studied the habits {
the birds and chipmunks with tf
fervor of a naturalist. Billy did NJ
miss his mothers kisses so poignantl
in the forest.
In the course of time a new intere
came into Billy's life. One day
passing the rectory he saw a iittl
yellow pig frisking about the lawn
the most unaccountable fashion. Bill
, stopped short in amazement. 1t WASH
a pig after all, but could it be-ye
: it was a dog, a tawny little rolybo
with a black stripe down his bac
and a tail that curled like a pigs, al
a face that reminded Billy of old Unc
Ike's bulldog, only it was black al
looked less dangerous. Billy sldl
. I'D to the fence and whistled soft
. The pug frisked over with his nose i
ouisitively tilted. He shifted at Bill
, and then backed off Evidently he w
not prepossessed Billy dived into
pocket for his lunch and held it Goa
i. ~S