Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-03-17
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JACK SPRAT
By Edith Wyatt
Copyright. ls0e, by 8. 8. Mcclure Co.

boy named Milo COX AtKlnson,
but called Butter, and 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 ruinous. HE just spoils that
child" Mrs. Atkinson would say as she
looked out of her window and saw
Pearl fastening up the majors mus
taches with hairpins, and she would
turn away with sigh. 1t was per.
haps this devotion, but more probably
a native impulse of the heart, that had
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 lit
tie, stiff, white embroidered clothes.
She was born with sense Of carriage,
and she could not help knowing when
ladies said In loud whispers, isn't she
sweet"
Her reputation as "a proudly cat
among the children Of Lake View had,
however, been founded less by her per-
sonality 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 it and turned that
those returning might pass her, what
was the amusement of the congrega-
ton and her own astonishment on see
ing 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 small cardcase with
a rose folded in it.
This aunt, Major Porter's daughter,
was q 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
glittering little bonnet. She lived IN
Washington, and she was able to pet
and indulge her niece only on OCCASION
al visits.
On these visits Mrs. Atkinson used to
watch with longing these two opposite
and fashionable types walking out to
the carriage together.
She loved Butter, but she had always
dreamed of having just such u child rs
Pearl.
All Buffers tastes were different
from Pearls. He had no imagination
for the world of graceful convention.
His companions We're other grubby,
freckled little boys, most of them dis
regardfully dressed in trousers bagging
about two inches below the knee. But
ter numbered among his acquaintances
q boy who had run away from home.
a boy who had a whip tattooed on his
arm and a man supposed by Buffers
circle to be n murderer. Butter cut the
mans grass, and when the man gave
him Is cents-the market price Is 10
Butter handed him back the unneces-
sary 5 and said, mo blood money for
me-" The man had laughed in a puZ-
zled way. OF course If he had done
anything else it would have given him
away.
Butter also knew a boy who had a
printing press, and in partnership with
him he had conducted successfully an
enterprise of printing pink and green
highly glazed calling cards for the Ia
dies of the neighborhood. Besides the
cash capital they derived from this
source, they realized every summer
large income Of pins and newspapers
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 handsprings
in the back yard, for, though he had
never had golden curls or carried
parasol, he had once tumbled on the
grass and chased fire engines in dusty
and happy oblivion of the customs OF
the world.
Once a year a circus came to one OF
the empty lots Of Lake View west OF
the Porters'. 1t stayed for 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 ecstasy 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 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 vice 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 CIV
On for the Kendrickses at the Porter
home. Mrs. Hendricks was an old
friend Of the major. Mrs. Atkinson
assisted in receiving. Butter was In.
vited by Mrs. Burden to open the door
She believed this to be piece Of kind
consideration. Mrs. Atkinson, too, said
that Butter would be glad to remember
it when he was an old man. and she
could not understand why he looked
so morosely at the clean clothes she
had with such pleasure put out on bis
bed.
He walked out to the woodshed aft
er lunch, kicking his heels sullenly and
listlessly against each other, and when
he came out his eyes were red.
The thought Of the white elephan
had been too much for him. His fa
theirs suggestion that it had beel
whitewashed was not alleviating. Is
whitewashed elephant an everyda!
sight?
He had visions of running away, bu
he knew he should not run away. II,
would stay. scrawling his fingers II
uncomfortable gloves and opening Por
ter's door for dressed up and worth
less ladies, perfectly healthy and abb
to do it for themselves, while amid tn
sawdust the opening procession wa
shining and glittering past unseen, new
; er to be seen, by his longing eyes.
, He observed in the open window
, Pearl and Major Porter at their dali!
after dinner game of "old maid"