The Tupelo journal., 1903-03-20
The hands. ch,,bhv ana ,yar,.

SJrOked the nalf OF the weeping WO-
man. Dorothy raised her eyes to
look at the little face pressed to
hers, and then she started. A dozen
feet away stood Henry Egerton, an
expression of confusion and uncer-
tainty OF his face.
He raised his hat and said:
Pardon me, I've come for Virginia.
She ran away, and l could not catch
her until she crossed-crossed over
here"
Dorothy still held the child in her
arms, and Virginia suddenly ex-
claimed:
Use found muzzer! Tze found
muzzer, Uncl' Hen'y. Here she is"
The face of the man worked
strangely. A softening of the firm
outlines made him look tender and
sympathetic.
Poor Virginia lost her mother a
week ago." he murmured, ''and she
has come to live with me. / could
not bear to tell her the truth. But I
suppose / was wrong. Come, Vir-
ginia, come with Uncle Henry"
"Not unless muzzer too,"
pleaded the child.
The embarrassment of the man in
creased. Dorothy, understanding the
position of the two, suddenly raised
her eyes from the shock of brown
hair and said quickly:
Leave the child with me a short
time. She is happy, and II need
some ne"
There was a break in her voice, but
she continued with more self-control:
But L must go away for a doctor.
Father is very sick, and he needs
help and medicine"
Henry Egerton had been thinking
of the picture the two made framed
in the doorway, and he started at the
mention of her father. Then, APP
parently without thinking, he said:
I'm go for the doctor if you'll keep
Virginia until 1 return. I'll be back
soon"
He strobe away rapidly without
CHANGING again at the picture, which
somehow had strangely affected him,
and within tea minutes he was riding
tiercely toward Oklahoma City. Dur
ing the ten miles he hardly saw an
object on the landscape, and when
he returned in company with the
physician he was quiet and taciturn.
Virginia and Dorothy were not in
the doorway to greet him on his re-
turn, but unmindful of the fued be-
tween the two families, he strobe
into the small shack behind the ply
stefan. Then, while hat individual
examined his patient, he waited pa
tiently at the foot of the rude bed,
furtively watching two faces which
seemed ~inseparably associated to-
gether.
Jared Wellington was a long time
in bed, and the fever wasted him to a
skeleton. Nature had robbed him of
the power and strength to protect
his shack from the approach of the
enemy. But before his complete re-
covery the dead line" had been OBJ
liberated. The little footsteps of Vir-
GINA had worm a smooth path across
it from shack to shack, and often
Henry Egerton followed after his
tiny niece, Ito go IN see muzzer."
Somehow there was as much attrac-
ton for him as for the innocent child,
who had found in it's bereavement
another who quickly healed the
wound.
Then one day Henry Egerton
walked to the old shack with lines
drawn tighter around his mouth, and
with Eyes hardened to bear a new
burden. The decision of the courts
in their respective claims had been
handed down. The ownership of the
valuable quarter-section was decided
forever. Beyond the hearing of the
convalescent man, who sat in the sun
in the doorway, Egerton told the
news to Dorothy. Under the blunt
announcement she paled and flushed
by turns. Then pity for the drawn
face before her made her exclaim:
"Oh, I'm sorry for you, Mr.. Eyer
ton. l think you should own half"
mo, it was all or none. Now the
courts have decided it all belongs to
your father. I'm an interloper, and
must leave at once. You have the
right to order me off before night"
But l won't do it, Mr.. Egerton,"
Dorothy replied, with a bright smile.
You can stay as long as you like"
mo mar could do that unless" he
Observation-Disclosures you will let me
work the place for you. l could stay
as your hired man until your father
was well again; <but / won't. / would
stay at your bidding-if-if-you
would always be Virginia's mother"
Dorothy held forth a trembling
hand. He seized it and covered it
with kisses, hastily interpreting the
action as a plea to stay, and Dorothy
did not have the courage to break
his illusion. Then from the shadow
of the shack a small figure toddled
forth and a baby's voice exclaimed:
'Muzzer, make Uncl' Hen'y stay an
play bear with me. I wants him"
Dorothy, with a happy smile and
cleaning eyes, picked the child up in
her arms and replied between her
caresses: "He will stay, Virginia, and
he shall play bear with you all the
morning."--N. Y. Times.
Good Suggestion.
A well-known lecturer was once in
yifed tn tea aft a certain house Inn