The Brandon news., 1903-03-12
AS Good as a Girl.
BY LOUISE ROWLAND

and deftly scraping off the dough,
that had accumulated on it's Sides eff
do say it, there amt bin a hand
somer batch of doughnuts than that set
on any pantry shelf in Bolton this fall;
leastwise, none that we've seen."
Gimme one O. them," said q small
voice, as a dirty little hand was thrust
In at the kitchen window, and grimy
finger pointed at the colander piled
high with the brown circles, braids
and diamonds, that Miss Ann Eliza
was contemplating with SO much salts
1action.
Land sakes alive!" she cried, and
the rolling-pin fell to the floor with a
bang. who be you? Git right down
from there. I shouldn't wonder If you
was a steppin' right on my jacminot
Sosebush."
The hand was withdrawn so quickly,
and it had been such a small hand, that
Miss Somers, from some feeling Of
eompunction, or possibly to gain time,
added, "You kin go round back"
Now Miss Eliza, all through the
morning, as she lifted from the boiling
Fat each doughnut as it attained the
sions of her self offering her friends,
who might drop in during the day,
few of her doughnutS on one of her
best china plates, and she could almost
hear them say, ''These are the best
ever did eat; they just melt in your
mouth" and she could see herself with
proud generosity complying to their
requests for the receipt.
She knew there would be no such ap-
probation from boy-boys had no
place in Miss Eliza's catalogue of use
ful hings-nevertheless she selected
the last doughnut that had been fried,
made from odds and ends of dough
which had the merit of being much
larger, if also much inferior in quality
TO the others, and after depositing the
colander in the pantry, stepped to the
back door.
"Well, I never did," she cried, rest
Ing both hands on her hips and regard
Ing the owner of the hand that had
90 rudely disturbed her equanimity.
A queer little figure stood there. The
boy might have been anywhere from
seven to ten years old. He was very
small, but his face might have seen a
score of years, so deep were it's lines
1T was framed in the rim of brown
derby hat that had, probably, once
sheltered more fortunate member of
society.
The few articles of clothing, 4 al
though in tatters, were evidently his
own, as regarded origin as we'll as
possession; while his feet were protect
ed by ladies' shoes of by no means
Cinderella proportions.
From under the hat two big gray
eyes fixed upon the doughnut which
Miss Eliza held in her hand; not long,
however, for waving all ceremony, the
boy took it quickly from between her
fingers, and the doughnut disappeared
In three mouthfuls, so much to Miss
Eliza's alarm, that she ran for a glass
OF milk; for she often remarked that
sponge cake and doughnuts, be they
ever so light, did beat all for sticking
In ones throat, and for her part she
never could eat either without drinking
at least two cups of tea to get them
down.
The milk followed the doughnut, and
evidently met with some degree of ap-
probation, for the hard and weary little
face softened as it was lifted to Miss
Eiiza's, and the boy said,-
Gimme sumpin' ter do"
Miss Somers regarded all boys as her
natural enemies. Living alone for the
past twenty years since her father,
Farmer Somers, died, she associated
them only with stolen fruit and tram
pied flower beds, and so declared them
''imps and pests" and impatient with
herself for relenting toward one OF the
race to this extent, said sharply
Eyes, wash your face"
She closed the door, drove the bolt
IN with good deal of force, and went
back to her task of clearing up.
This done, and having eaten her fru-
gal dinner, she went upstairs and
made her afternoon toilet.
Before sitting down to her small
mending she thought of her plants ne
elected this busy day; so taking the
watering pot from it's hook in the
porch, she went out to the cistern to
fiji it, for she always maintained that
NO plants ever flourished like those
watered with pure rain water.
This was a day of upsets. There, by
the side of the cistern, cuddled up in q
heap, his head pillowed ON the butter
firkin, that served for bucket. lay her
small acquaintance Of the morning, fast
asleep.
His face, streaked by his recent anna
feur ablutions, looked so drawn and
pinched that Miss Somers was startled
and took hold Of his shoulder.
The boy jumped to his feet, ducked
under her arm, and ran to the other
side of the cistern.
Il washed me face; gim me sump-
In ter do" he said, for he felt there was
need of propitiating this woman, who,
notwithstanding her kindness, spoke