Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-26
throngs of people that she passed. She
had an indistlnct idea of what she

rshiohSo VI people tliul suc pdSSeu. out
had IN indistlnct idea of what she
wanted to do, and she kept on.
Soon the streets grew less noisy, and
broader, there was an occasional tree,
and the sidewalks were smoother.
Houses took the place Of stores, and
the child began to realize how tired
she was. Her little feet were burn.
Ing, ard seemed very hard to lift, and
She sighed, n soft baby sigh. Then her
face lit up.
Now we'll look for the incest, pref
TEST house, Spot" she said eagerly,
then We'll ring the bell and they'll say
come In That's what mamma did"
In well-furnlshcd library, gentle
man was lying on sofa, one foot.
which was tightly bandaged, on pill
low. The doctor. who had just re-
moved his hand from the bandage,
rose to go.
Its too bad, old man." he said
TITS bad sprain, and will take some
time to cure. 1t was the first time
you'd been out since Ethel's death.
wasn't it:"
The patient nodded and cleared his
throat at the mention of his 6-year-old
girl, who had died two weeks before.
Her mother was dead, also, and he
was alone. His kind, genial nature
had changed since the death of his
child.
The doctor took his leave, and Mr..
Abbott was left to himself. He picked
up book, tried to read, threw i.
Town, and picked up II magazine. Ru
hat soon followed tic book, and h,
arg the bell impatiently.
Get NE cigar will you, Thomas?
he said to an old servant.
Thomas did as lie was told, casti;i
IL plying look at his young master.
Its too bad, sir" he said
ITS beastly Slow grumbled Mr..
Abbott, with little kick Mt his wound.
cd foot. ",rhomas, II any one calls,
show him in."
Half an hour later the doorbell rang,
and as Thomas went along the hall,
Mr.. Abbott pulled the afghan more
smoothly over his foot, saying half
aloud:
THANK heaven, need not spend the
afternoon alone"
He looked eXpectantly towards the
door as Thomas pushed 1t open, say.
ing, "a young lady to see you, sir"
and to his surprise, a child, hatless,
and with falterlng steps entered the
foom.
Thomas, what do you mean by
this:" lie asked sharply. IF you call
this n Joke it is u very poor one"
He was hurt, and n sharp pang went
through his heart. Those brown eyes
brought his Ethel back to him. What
right had another child with brown
eyes? and what
Thomas, very rcd Thomas was
about to explain, when the child spoke;
II came house-huntin'," she said
simply. but" And little sob
rose in her throat-"if you're cross,
I'll go away"
Mr. Abbott looked at her in some
surprise.
"Who are you, child?" he asked
But instead Of answering, the tired
little creature suddenly covered her
face with her hands and burst into
tears.
"Come here" said the invalid, kind
ly, and he put out his hand and caught
her dress. ''Who are you. and why
did you come house-hunting? Won't
you tell me all about it,"
Thomas quietly withdrew and closed
the door, but as he moved to and fro
iii the next room, he could hear the
lnurmuring of the little girls voice. and
then his masters, once more kind and
tender, as he comfortcd the tired child.
Presently the bell tinkled again, and
Thomas opened the door into the II.
brnry to be met with the words:
Hush! She's all tired out, poor
child. Can you lay her on the lounge
without waking her, Thomas? She is
an orphan, poor little mite"
Thomas lifted the sleeping child
from the floor and laid her on the
lounge.
"She has look like Ethel" muir.
INJURED Mr.. Abbott, softly.
The house which Dolly, when lit.
tie girl of four years, selected as "the
incest, prettiest house." has been her
home ever since.--Waverley.