Smyrna times., 1907-09-18

r. -tl0 'tt ttl4s -f4 l17
O1}. said hu1ria lust WIN, eba
should he excited %, confused ovar =
caller from Cherry street she could
not have told herself. but the steady.
anxious, admiriDg gaze Of Reddy's blue,
eyes was disturbing her customary
tranquility and dignity. 4 was only |
having a quiet little chat with Hardy. |
| wondered why he was late so often"
Its my fault" protested Reddy has |
tilT. You see. ma'am. I'm up ali |
ni"ht on the bridge, and I don't get |
home till about .. and the kid here
likes to'eat with me. The BattersOns !
never give him anything. and it's up |
to me to see that he gets his feed |
And I don't want him to go to school |
hungry"
'No, indeed" said Miss Orvis en-
phatically. Then she hesitated Har-
dy had rambled over to the colored
charts and was busy. She lowered her
voice as she asked. Hasn't he any
one at ALL mean any one of his own
peOple?"
no, ma'am," Reddy answered ear
| nesty. My mother got him out of the
foundlings when he was about two
months old. They lets the kids out up
| there You know, two-fifty q week, and
! the old lady thinks maybe it would be
| company for her with me away nights.
| His father took a tumble off a ferry
| boat. and just as she was leaving
Hardy up at the foundlings his moth
| er Topped all to once and died too. So
! I took him when my mother died last
| winter, and the two of us has bach
elors' hall over on Cherry street"
1T was very kind of yeu.'' Miss
| Orvis tried to say more, but the words
| would not come. 1t was all so brief,
so simple and awful, this little tragedy
of the very poor man.
Il haven't been sorry l did it.
There's always enough for him, and
I'd like to give him a chance He's
thoroughbred all right"
"Perhaps / can help, too" said Miss
! Orvis hesitatingly. half shyly. I'D
like to ever so muck"
Reddy's clear, anxious eyes looked
at her longingIy In her trim. girlish
way. with tie glamour of another world
about her. world apart from the
bridge" and Cherry street, she seemed
to typify all he wanted his little thor
oughbred to attain.
81 could take him with me over to
the settlement She went on, amy
evening or afternoon perhaps" with 4
swift uplift of her long lashes at him.
Perhaps you might like it, too, Mr..
Lane:"
Like it? Reddy walked on tiptoe ali
the way downstairs. his eyes still full
of a wonder like those of Il dream
haunted child, and Hardy had to dodge
the trolleys himself at the Bowery
crossing.
The next night as Pauline Orvis went
up the steps of the Endeavor settle
ment she found the two already there,
waiting patiently. And as she laid her
hand in the warm, strong grip OF
Reddy Lane she felt as though fate
had laid a trap for love, with SYM
pathy as snare.
And after that night a queer thing
happened to the teacher in room IA.
Every morning as she stood at the
head Of the stairs, with the two lines
of small boys passing her, all at once
the color would rise in her cheeks as
Hardy drew near, for not a single
morning passed that he did not bear
love offering of fresh violets. He
cOnfided to her the very first morning
where they came from.
"Red gets them from an old man on
the bridge every morning fresh. He
says they look like you"
One night toward the end of June
they stood out on the stone balcony of
the settlement house, looking down on
the crowds passing below along the
highway of push carts. Miss Oryis was
pleading the cause Of Hardy.
LET me take him with me for the
summer" she begged. 1T has don
, him so much good, being with me-
"Some one else, too" murmured Red
DIV. but she went on:
Il am going to the mountains, -anC
: he would be so much company for me
Besides, it will give you time to study
: if-that is, if'-she hesitated ant
bent farther away from him over the
= broad, low parapet-"ff you really in
r tend taking the civil engineering
I course
'You know what intend doing" h
5 interrupted. "YOu know just as wei
E as do what you've done for the littl
D chap and me. OF course he can g
with you. suppose 1 may run VI
d now and then just to see how he's get
I ting on"
e "Oh. of course" Her voice was lOv
. and without invitation.
Z "And if 1 pass and get the Harrison
:. appointment this fall, why, it's yo
= = that's to blame"
u "BlameP The word left her startle
=. and vaguely frightened.
- "That's what l said. You've take
. and encouraged me the same as 20
: have the boy and made both of US low
> you to death. Oh, you know it's