The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-03-27

away with THIS coat, TOT II 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 pair of shoes and ive-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 a sigh
of 10Y went back up the stairs four
steps at jump. He reached the
den unobserved, and moving screen
so that he would not be seen from
the billiard room he noiselessly Sc
cured a pack of cards and, lighting
cigar, sat down in front of the
CRATE fire and gave himself up to
the delicious abandon of solitaire.
After he had beaten the 13 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 a 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-comln
home now" Kentland handed the
tramp a five-dollar bill and gave him
an address to call at the next day to
oct the promised old clothes. With
a 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 he house party
returned.
.Why in the worl didn't you come
home with us?" as ed Kitty. I'VE
all went over to whAre you had been
. sitting, but you WI gone"
Yes" said the lArYard boy, ''you
ought to have helped carry all those
skates home. L say, were just about
turned to ice. Really, that was
about the coldest skating | ever did"
"Wen," put in Kitty, Il suppose
Mr.. 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, L
suppose he's just about frozen 10
death"
All the girls crowded around
Kentland and pitied him and told
him how nice it was for him to sit
there in the snow so heroically while
they were enjoying themselves.
I'm afraid we have all been self
ish," said Violet, shyly. Really, Mr..
Kentland. | thought you were jok-
ing when you said you didn't skate,
1 am sorry we insisted on your 60
ing along"
40. I'm all right" said Kentland,
cheerily. Honestly, | had fine
time this evening" Which was quite
| true.
Il am afraid / have misjudged you
all along" said Miss Harwood a half
nour later, as she and Kentland sat
in the coy corner alone. Il thought
Won were her-well-selfish, and
that you wouldn't do anything but
what suited your own pleasure, but
when | saw you sitting away up
there Oh the bank in the snow and
waving back at us so that we might
feel you were with us in our sport l
knew that we had made a mistake.
You can be awf,llly nice when you
want to be-"
Kentland resolved to give the
tramp two suits of clothes instead
of the one that he had promised.
Later on in the evening, after more
low-toned conversation with Miss
Harwood, lie decided to make it
three and throw in another pair of
shoes.-Chicago Tribune.