The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-09-25

The door Of room Il, primary depart
ment opened very slowly. very contHtely,
and small anxious. freckled face peeked
In. Miss Orvis turned from the black
board at a smothered giggIe from the chill
dren and saw the freckled face.
Come IN. Hardy" the curving line Of
her pretty, sympathetic mouth straight
ened with sudden determination Ii was
the fourth time that week that Hardy
Andrews had come in late. and even the
children were beginning to look upon it
as a joke. Discipline must be enforced,
even when the delinquent is only seven
and a half Miss Orvis left the black
board with I see a bird" half fin
ished, and stepped forward 10 meet
Hardy.
He was smiling comfortably in his half
shy, half roguish way, and flirting openly
with Marguerite Mcguire in the front
seat.
HARDY you are late again"
'Yessum," said Hardy, happily
It's the fourth time this week. Hardy.
Have you any excuse2"
Nom" Hardy rubbed one shoe over
the toe Of the other and tried 10 Jam his
stockinet cap into his side trousers
pocket
why didn't your mother write one for
you?"
It was so still in the large sunny
schoolroom you could hear the clock tick
high up on the wall. and the buzziug of
the flies over near the open window,
where the rows Of gerauiums stood. but
slowly the color mounted ia Hardys
little thin. freckled face. and after a
minute he looked up at Miss OrvIs. his
big blue eyes filled with a half-apOlogetc
bewiIderment-
7 never had any mother" The silence
was worse than ever. Miss Orvis caught
her breath and looked NJ the rest of the
children 70 see what horrible effect the
announcement had made on them, but
they were only interested and Joyous
over the diversion. Hardy caught the
look and FASTENED TO cover his mistake.
But I got a father, Miss Oryis, all
right I'm Reddy Lanes kid and Reddy
q watchman over on the bridge at night
and he don't get home till most 10 O'Clock
in the morning, and that's why I'm late,
cause I like TO have breakfast with him. ="
Miss Orvis hesitated, but the blue eyes
pleaded well their cause, and she smiled
as she laid one hand on "Roddy Lanes
kids head
But somehow all the morning she
caught herself musing on the child who
had no mother. Il was a tragedy, OF
course; some stormy, tear-swept page of
life from the great city's underworld, and
only this bit of wreckage left 10 tell the
story. Tears welled 10 her own lashes
once or twice as she watched Hardy $
small, eager face. SO trusting and fool
ishly happy, when he had nothing IN the
whole world TO be happy for except the
mere fact that he was alive
AS the lines were forming at noon she
touched Hardy on the shoulder and told
him 10 wait a minute at her desk. and
the little fellow obeyed, watching the rest
Of the boys proudly from his post on
teachers chair. And when all was still
in the great building Miss Oryis came
back and took him on her lap.
Your papa's a Waterman. YOU say.
dear, over on the BRIDGE she began, but
Hardy interposed hastily.
'Oh, no; not my father-that's Reddy.
I never had any father I'm a founding
Kid, Reddy says, and his mother rented
me, and then she died and Reddy adopted
me his own self, so now I'm his kid"
oh, l see Miss Orvis leaned back
in her chair and gazed at the cheerful
little face And you and Reddy live in
Cherry street?"
'YessUm. We got a room with the
RlTfaTElrG q E4rE.I. -
just for Reddy and me- And the Bat
tersons have only got one room left for
their own selves, and there's six Of EN-"
You don't say so" Miss Orvis caught
the lonesome little figure close In her
arms Isis Reddy good 20 .y0u?"
You bet he is" came the smothered
gasp from her shoulder He never hits
me. and he takes me out on the big
bridge with him nights and lets NE see
the lights on the river. and the boats.
and the trains. and everything He's
fine 10 me. When 1 said you scolded
me cause l was late, he said Il was a
d--n shame"
There was a sudden noise at the door
behind them, d queer hasty noise. half q
cough. half a choked explosion Of laugh
ter. and Miss Orvis stood up quickly.
"Hullo. Red. This is teacher"
II was the only introduction they ever
had. these two. and neither ever forgot
the moment Flushing TO the cu-ls of her
soft dark hair. Pauline OTVis saw before
her Reddy Lane, OF Cherry Hill. He was
tail and br0ad-shoUldered. this Waterman
on the big bridge, blue-eyed. with keen,
answering gaze, strengthened. with a
mouth close Tipped. and short fair hair
that curled crisply back from his young,
resolute face. In his navy blue sweater
he looked Ike college boy, but the
hands that held his cap were the hands
Of the tOiler.
Il just run around after the kid there,
he explained, lowering his voice as if he
wefe in q sanctuary He's always home
as soon as the rest, and I'm worried
when he don't show up. They don't
leave enough of a little chap like that TO
shovel up after a street car fender rolls
him under, and I get fussy when he
don't hustle in. I didn't know you'd kept
him. What's the row?"
why. nothing; nothing at ALL" Miss
.Orvis said. hurriedly Just why she
should be excited or confused over a
caller from Cherry street she could not
have told herself. but the steady, anxious
admiring gaze of Reddy's blue eyes was
disturbing her customary tranquility ami
dignity. i was only having a quiet little
chat with Hardy. wondered why he
was late so often"
It's my fault" protested Reddy hasti-
ly. You see, ma am. I'm Up all night on
Al