Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-01-04
After Fifteen
Years
By VIRGINIA LEILA VENT
copyrisht. 1906, by /. D. Marshall


Tawcett had bousLt his daily morning
oaper Of u certain Lttle newsgiri be-
meath the steps of his |. station. Little
Timber Toes was the nickname the
boys had given her She was cripple
and carried a crutch.
i've missed YOU, sir Indeed, you
stayed away so long | began to think
YOU weren't coming back ~ all. Lit
lie Climber Toes laughed At her own
falsehood. showing all her fine, infan-
tile teeth at once. Mr.. Fawcett had
spent Sunday with some of his New
Jersey relatives, and this was the greet
ing he received from under the l. stairs
on Tuesday morning
80 you missed me, did youF' 1t was
good to be mis- sed. and if warmed the
cookies OF this Old bachelors dry heart.
well had Il nice time in the country,
little one" said he.
All" said the child, leaning slightly
forward on her crutch. lit must be like
FARMLAND in the country Mother used
to live in the country, and she's told
me all about it. And did you 90 in tho
woods-the deep woods? They must
smell so fresh and cool and delicious.
And then the shader She had Il long
vista Of thoughts in her eyes an entire
forest. She was to all appearances
pretty child Of twelve, with delicate
features and IL mass of brown hair
Just now some rays of sunlight slant
Ing upon her head from the platform
above made it sparkle like gold.
do you know" she went on, seeing
| that her customer was in 10 especial
hurry to catch his train, Il often pic
! ture the woods to myself--trees grow
! ING w by themselves without being
| planted, squirrels running over the
boughs, birds singing in the branches.
| Oh, it must be wonderful
| "IIow would you like to 20 with me
| some Sunday to see the woodsT asked
the man. "They are all around the city
! here. 10 be seen for the mere riding to
| them in the ears
"Oh should love it, The big darl
/ eyes looked disproportionltely large
in the pale, tiny face. And l think
| mother viii he sure to let me-" added
| she gravely You see. I've told her
| about you so many tines
Somehow the whole of July shpned
! by and Little Timber Toes did not
get to see her dear woods nor the
squirrels nor the birds. 70 be sure,
there was no immediate hurry about
it. There was always the facile eX-
cuse. Next week, perhaps or week
after next"
However. there came Il morning
when as Mr.. Fawcett stopped to hand
over his coin and take back n paper
he found Little Timber Toes" place
was vacant. Evidently she was late
today. On his way home he would stop
again The place was still unoccuped
in the evening; also the following
morning \ policeman on the corner,
being consulted. thought the child
might he i'll and gave Mr.. Fawcett the
address where she was supposed to
live.
''Of course she's ILL., unused the man
as he set out to find her late that aft
ernoon "iIer little face has been I'M
commonly white of late and her eyes
uncommonly big
On his way up the narrow stairs in
the miserable tenement in which the
child lived buXom woman passed
him. 1t turned out to be the janitress.
Yes. she's up there all alone poor
little kid. I've Just been a-takin' her
some Cruel Holy saints, but it's hot
up in that atticl" She mopped her
brow in confirmation of the statement.
The door of the little attic room was
I open. hut to the man standing there
! quietly in the hallway it all seemed
quite dark. The shutters were bowed
tight, but The August sun threw tiny
shafts of light through the Stats. As
his ewes became used to the half light
he saw Little Timber Toes" sitting
close against the wall, where she had
been driven by the advancing heat
from the window. For GOODNESS she
had piled her hair on top of her head.
1t gave a certain air of distinction.
Her exquisite, small face her shapely
/ little head resting against the dingy
| wall here in this poverty reduced room,
had the antique perfection and grace
| of an old cameo in defaced and
| scratched setting.
He waited for her to move, to look
| up. He imagined she would hear him
breathe the room was so still, but he
| had TO knock twice before she seemed
able to disconnect herself from her list
less reyerie. Then
"Oh, oh, IL was wishing you might
come. She reached out her hand for
his and held it tight do YOU know
stroking the hand she clasped with her
free one rs If to make sure her words
would not hurt him. 81 kind Of thought
! you'd come even If You did forget
your promise about the dear woods"
SIZE smiled one Of her gay. volatile,
| capriciouS smiles And by that no saw
That She was better
| His conscience smota him somewhat.
iIc changed the subject abruptly.
| "IIow's motherT' he asked.
Pretty well, thanEs she's in the
| tailor trade now"
The tailor trade. rs Shn? Then
shirts didn't pay?"
Not so we'll rs trousers It's the