Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-17

l If were Violet don't think would ever look at you again" Then she marched sternly out of the room, and Kentland heard her tell the rest of the l house party gathered at the foot of 1 the stairs that he was too lazy to go skating. The front door slammed and Kent land, looking out of the window, saw the party tramping Away to the park. T suppose ought to go," he said, giv- ing another dismal glance at the grate. He thought about it for awhile and then sadly went downstairs, put on his overcoat and cap and the white woolen mittens that Violet had given him, and went out into the darkness. "Wow!" said Kentland to himself. l~"Confound skating parties, anyhow" "Please, mister" whined & voice at his side, gimme dime; I'm freezing to death."
 Kentland looked at the tramp for awhile. Then brilliant inspiration seized him. "You come with me-" he said to the tramp. He led him back to Mrs. Van Dolah's kitchen and gave him two cups of hot coffee and generous slice of steak. Then he described to him certain party of ten people who would be skating in a crowd in Lincoln park. He put his overcoat on the tramp, and the white mittens, and the cap.
 "You go up to the park" he said, sternly, "and sit down near the bank in the snow somewhere so that you can be plainly seen from the lagoon. Don't sit near enough so that the skaters can come up and talk to you, bat not too far away so that. they can't take notice of this coat, and this hat, and these gloves. Sit, somewhere near the electric light, but not too close. When this party sees you and waves at you, why, you wave back, and when you see them going to take their skates off you cut for this place as fast as you can. Don't try to talk to this party or I'll have you sent to the peni- tentiary for life. And don't run away with this coat, for if you fol-! low my instructions I'll give you one of my old suits and overcoats to- morrow that will be just as good, and a pair of shoes and five-dollar bill into the bargain, and maybe you can blackmail me into doing some. thing else for you. Now go on.' Kentland fairly pushed the tramp out of doors and then with sigh of joy went back up the stairs four steps at a jump. He reached the den unobserved, and moving a screen so that he would not be seen from the billiard room he noiselessly se-i cured pack of cards and, lighting a cigar, sat down in front of the, grate fire and. gave himself up to the delicious abandon of solitaire. After he had beaten the 18 game twice he got down his favorite book and read it through. Then he sat in the window seat and smoked his pipe in silent comfort while he watched the falling snow outside.
 Suddenly he heard knocking at the side door. He hurried down and found the tramp outside. He hur- riedly received back his overcoat, cap and gloves, while the tramp breathlessly told him that he had followed instructions to the letter. "They seed me lots of times," said the tramp, land waved their mitts at me, and give 'em the glad han rite back agen. They're a-comin' home now" Kentland handed the tramp a five-dollar bill and gave him an address to call at the next day to, get the promised old clothes. With gurgle of joy the tramp faded away down the street and Kentland thoughtfully walked around in the; snow on the top step and then rubbed his face with a handful of snow until his countenance was good, ruddy color. He hauled on his coat and mittens and reached the front hall just as the house party returned.
 ..Why in the world didn't you come home with us?" asked Kitty. ''We all went over to where you had been sitting, but you were gone"
 "Yes," said the Harvard boy, 'syou ought to have helped carry all those skates home. I say, we're just about turned to ice Really, that was about the coldest skating I ever did.'
 "Well,' put in Kitty, 'I suppose, MT. Kentland is even colder than the rest of us. We were moving about while he had to sit still up in that terrible snow bank. Poor boy, T. suppose he's just about frozen to. death"
 "I am afraid I have misjudged you all along" said Miss Harwood half hour later, as she and Kentland sat, in the cozy corner alone. II thought you were well-selfish,, and that you wouldn't do anything but what suited your own pleasure, but when I saw you sitting away up, there on the bank in the snow and waving back at us so that we might feel you were with us in our sport I, knew that we had made mistake. You can be awfully nice when you want to be-"
 Kentland resolved to give the tramp two suits of clothes instead of the one that he had promised.I Later on in the evening, after more