Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-05-23
CHAPTER XI.
AUNT COMFORTS ASYLUM.

NeZer! NeZer!' called Aunt Com l fort, from the kitchen door that June Sunday morning, but no answer came 1 T declare I never see the beat O that l boy" she muttered, returning to the 1 sitting room, Ines never round 'ceptin | meal times, n then he's allus under | foot.''
 What is it, auntie," inquired a 1 younger lady, dressed in gray cash mere, and drawing on well-worn glove, anything I can do for you?' T want'a sprig O fennel and a bunch O them laylocks to put on the pulpit, 'n' the last bell II be ringin' in a lninute,'' the elder one responded in a Mustered" tone, while glancing into | small, gilt-framed mirror.
 Without a word Angie gathered her skirts up, barely showing trim ankles, and tripping into the garden, soon re- l turned with a cluster of fennel still moist with dew. Then, stepping out of l the front door, she broke long twigs of lilac blossoms from the two luxuriant bushes fanking the porch.
 tI'll go on ahead, auntie,'A she said, placing her fragrant bouquet on the | glove, 'and you and Hannah can come when she is ready"
 l Angie had always "gone ahead" in l Aunt Comforts home, ever since she had reached the close of school days. And now, little past "old maids cor ner," but not looking it, she ruled the household.
 It was an odd collection, too, for Aunt Comfort, large of heart as per- son, had, in the sixties, contributed husband and only son to the nation, and to console herself iil part had es- tabl1shed a. Sort O sylum for the homeless as Greenvale would put it. First came Hannah Pettibone, hope less spinster, so angular of temper and features that no one but Aunt Com fort would have her around Then Angie, a tot of six, who one morning had awakened to complete sorphanhood and assertion in the house near the mill, and scared, hungry, and in tears, had to run to her aunt's with her tale l of woe and the first news of hen fathers disappearance. After Angie came Hans, an import, who walked barefoot into Greenvale one hot sum- mer day, his possessions tied in red bandanna, and he unable to speak a word of English.
 1t mattered not, however, for as Aunt Lorena" Thorp phrased it, If a tramp was lookin' for hum, he'd find Aunt Comforts door open.'
 Her last addition to this motley col- lection was Ebenezer Talmage, or 'Nezer." whose father had been sent ] to jail for stealing, and whose mother, discouraged by poverty and cough, had gone hence, leaving him town | charge.
 As was customary in Greenvale 1 NeZer was then bound out'' to the highest bidder. That is, some land owner gave bond for the boys main- tenance, agreeing to allow him so many months schooling until he reached the age of II, and, in lieu thereof, to re- ceive his labor until of age Tn this case David Curtis became Nezer's pro prietor, but as Davids table-board was I notorious for it's .tthinness," the hun gry boy was soon driven to secret wis., it's pantryward, to end in discovery a l whipping, and bread -and-water diet for three days.
 But Nezer was not the boy to en- dure this for long, and one cold winter morn Aunt Comfort found him half starved, at her back door, crying and l begging for food.
 How her motherly heart opened, how she warmed and fed him, beside the kitchen stove; how he pleaded to re- main, willing to work and sleep in the barn; and how she, with misgivings as to 'sthe law on 't,' finally consented is numbered with her many Good Sa- maritan acts.
 "It's burnin' shame to treat a poor orphan that way" was her comment, ''n' if David Curtis wants him back, J let him come n fetch him. If he does, he'll git piece O my mind''
 But David made no effort to reclaim Nezer, and as no one else cared what became of him, Aunt Comfort added to her assortment of unfortunates, and set about bringing him up according to her light. He was hard problem to solve, however, for once fed and warmed, his sole ambition was mis- chief of the most diabolical. kind He Bhod Aunt Comforts cat with clam shells, fastened by graft1ng-WaX, and, with flsh-line for halter, gave that unhappy cat her first lesson in skat- ing on the mill pond. It was joy su- preme to Nezer, while he watched his victim humping, rowling, and vainly clawing the smooth ice, as the wind drew her across, only to be dragged back and repeat the exercise. When early spring came, he found a nest of black snakes, still dormant, and put ting them in bag, took them to An gie's school, where he was pupil, and, slyly tucking them under the Franklin stove, awaited developments, which came in due time, aYsd resulted in every girl, including Angie, seeking safety on top of benches and desks and screaming with delirious fear. while the big boys enjoyed a snake-killing bee.
 Nezer's star act came later, however