The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-07-04
:::: BY ,. I. FARJEoN. :::::


of half crown a week, and her graft
tude knew no bounds.
She never tired speaking of them tc
Saranne, who for the most part lis
| tened in silence and endorsed every
word Of praise that fell from her sis
ter's lips.
! They were so noble, so tender, sc
kind; there was nobody, there never
had been anybody in the world half SC
/ good as these gentlemen who stopped
to relieve and comfort, and were ex-
allied by SO doing.
They were princes. they were angels
and they were prayed for and blessed
for being human.
II was thinking, dad" said Walter
many months afterward.
Eyes, Wally, you were thinking"
"That Little Make Believe and Sa.
ranne being so ignorant-they don't
even know how to read-what fun il
would be if / were to turn school
master"
And teach them?"
Eyes, dad say for an hour once .
week. It would be good thing fol
them when they grew up"
"a capital thing, Wally." !iZ1a tub
"Shall /, dad?"
''Shall you, Wally? When did you
run one way and l another? Do you
know, my boy, that this is very sweet
and beautiful world?v
1T is very sweet and beautiful, dad
with you in it."
II was thinking Of you, my boy"
"And / Of you, father"
Mr.. Deepdale gazed at the portraii
of his wife, which hung upon the wall
and prayer of thankfulness trembled
on his lips.
So it came about that Walter turned
schoolmaster and on the Saturday
night Of every week began to teach
Saranne and Little Make-Believe to
read and write.
They progressed very slowly, and
lessons being given them to learn dur.
ing the week, they were seldom, il
ever, perfect in them.
But Walter was patient, and they
were in heaven.
Yes, in the wretched home provided
for them by their father-of whom
some slight mention is necessary, al
though he has but little to do with
this history-in that miserable, dimly.
| lighted cellar, unseen stars were shin.
ing in human hearts and heavenly
hours were spent.
A word ohoY1f fhic fa%ho.
More often in prison than out Of It
at liberty on an average for about four
months out of the twelve.
He was not thief, and cannot
therefore, be called criminal, but he
was incorriglble, an irrecIaimable
drunkard.
| 1t actually became a kind of boast
with him that, in the records of the
| local police court, no person had beer
charged with being drunk and disor-
derly more frequently than himself.
To first and pre-eminent in any Of
the ways of life confers certain dis
| tinction, and this distinction LittIe
Make Believes father enjoyed.
Regularly as he came out Of prison
he favored his children with q WISH
and expected to be waited on.
| Without a murmur did Little Make
Believe perform daughters duties tt
worthless parent, never sorrowine
when he left her, never rejoicing wher
he returned.
| AS a matter of course he became ac
! quainted with his children's new
| friends and in small way traded up
on them. Their interest in Little Make
Believe and Saranne increasing as time
progressed, they would have been glaC
to remove them to a more comfortable
home, but to this their father demurret
unless he formed one of the family
group-to which, naturally, they coult
not consent.
1 OF necessity. then, they remained il
the Judgment he provided for them
there was unhappily no law to striI
him of his authority.
Sometimes on Saturday night til,
cellar was honored with visitors
The cobbler who lived in the adjoin
ing room, for one; Thomas Dexter, fol
another; Walters father, very FIRE
| quently.
With these. after the lessons, coult
Walter converse and argue, and he wal
. so like his father in his modesty ant
i gentleness and tenderness that hi,
views on most Of the subjects which
happned to crop up could not fail t,
: leave an endurable impression.
I. He read stories to them, and til,
children wandered in new fairyIand
But he was not the only teacher ant
entertainer.
On rare occasions Little Make Be
lieves fantastic fancies found expires
sion. Walters fairy stories bore fruit
1t was her habit, as she grew in years
to close her eyes when fancy required
"What do you see, Make Believer
II see Saranne walking in the park
There's fountains, and soldiers, an.
balloons. and flowers. There's water
too and boats, and lots Of people sing
; ing in EN-"
what are you doing?"
Selling matches. Eyerybody's buy
ing them--I can't take the money fas
enough. Here's a woman with DO,
of dresses, and I buy a shining siIve
gown for Saranne, and a feather bed
and white horse, and four pounds D
t beefsteak"
at which strange mixture they al