Catoctin clarion., 1907-02-21

yer, Saranne" Saranne's eyes gilt.
tered. "But your only making game Of
US, sir. Come along, Saranne."
"God forbid that should make game
of misery! We will all sup together"
And to the amazement and JOY Of the
sisters they found themselves presently
sitting in a compartment Of the best
eating house in the neighborhood, with
large plates of stewed ellis before them.
1t was night and feast to be re-
membered, for they had found two
friends who from that time never lost
sight Of them.
Mr.. Deepdale, indeed, after while
Informed Little Make-Believe that they
might depend upon him to the extent
of half crown week, and her gratl-
tude knew no bounds.
She never tired speaking Of them to
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, so
kind; there was nobody, there never
had been anybody in the world half so
good as these gentlemen who stopped
to relieve and comfort, and were ex-
alted by SO doing.
They were princes. they We're angels,
and they were prayed for and blessed-
for being human.
II was thinking, dad" said Walter
many months afterward.
"Yes, Wally, you were thinking"
''That Little Make-Believe and Sa-
ranne being SO ignorant-they don't
even know how to read-what fun it
would be II I were to turn school
master"
"And teach them?"
eyes, dad-say for an hour once a
week. 1t would be good thing for
them when they grew up"
"a capital thing, Wally."
"Shall l, dad?"
"Shall you, Wally? When did you
run one way and 1 another? Do you
know, my boy, that this is very sweet
and beautiful world?'
ut is very sweet and beautiful, dad
with you in it."
II was thinking of you, my boy"
"And I of you, father"
Mr.. Deepdale gazed at the portrait
of his wife, which hung upon the wall,
and prayer of thankfulness trembled
OH 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, i'll the wretched home provided
for them by their fatller-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 We're shin-
ins in human hearts and heavenly
hours were spent.
A word about this father.
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 incorrigible, an irreclaimable
drunkard.
1t actually became kind Of boast
with him that, in the records of the
local police court, no person had been
charged with beiHs drunk and disor-
derly more frequently than himself.
To first and pre-eminent in any of
the ways of life confers certain dis
tnction, and this distinction Little
Make-Belieye's father enjoyed.
Regularly as he came out of prison
he favored his children with a visit
and expected to be waited on.
Without a murmur did Little Make
Believe perform daughters duties to
q worthless parent, never sorrowing
when he left her, never rejoicing when
he returned.
AS matter Of course he became &C,
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 glad
to remove them to g. more comfortable
home, but to this their father demurred
unless he formed one Of the family
group-to which, naturally, they could
not consent
OF necessity, then, they remained in
the lodgment he provided for them;
there was unhappily no law to strip
him of his authority.
Sometimes on a Saturday night the
cellar was honored with visitors.
The c0bbler who lived in the adjoin'
ing room, for one; Thomas Dexter, fof
another; Walters father, very FIRE.
quently.
With these, after the lessons, could
Walter converse and argue, and he was
SO like his father in his modesty and
gentleness and tenderness that his
views on most of the subjects which
happned to crop up could not fail to
leave an endurable impression.
He read stories to them, and the
children wandered in a new fairylandl
But he was not the only teacher and
entertainer.
On rare occasions Little Make-Be-
lieve's fantastic fancies found express.
sion. Walters fairy, stories bore fruit