The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-09-21

kid
"Oh, see," Miss Orvis leaned back in her chair
and gazed at the cheerful little face. "And you
| and Reddy live on Cherry street?'
'Yessum. We got room with the Battersons
a whole room of our own, just for Reddy and me.
And the Battersons have only got one room left for
their selves, and there's six of EN-"
'You don't say 500" Miss Orvis caught the
lonesome little figure close in her arms. "Is-s
Reddy good to you!"
"You bet he is" came the smothered gasp from
his shoulder. "He never hits me, and he takes ME
out the big bridge with him nights and lets me
see the lights the river, and the boats, and the
trains and everything. He's fine to me. When l
said you scolded me cause [ was late, he said it
was shame"
There was a sudden noise at the door behind
them, queer, hasty noise, half cough and half
choked explosion of laughter and Miss Orvis stood
up quickly
"Hullo Red This is teacher"
1t was the only introduction they ever had, those
two and neither ever forgot the moment. Flush
ing to the curls of her soft dark hair Pauline Or
Wis before her Reddy Lane of Cherry Hill He
tall and broad-shouldered, this Waterman on
the big bridge. blue eyed, with keen answering
gaze; strong iawed, with mouth close Tipped and
short, fair hair that curled crisply back from his
young, resolute face. In his navy blue sweater he
looked like college boy, but the hands that held
his cap were the hands of the toiler.
just ran around AFTER the KID there, ne eH-
claimed, lowering his voice if he were in
tuary. "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 little chan like that to shovel up
after a street car fender rolls him under, and |
get fussy when he don't hustle in. [ 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
fused over a caller from Cherry street she could
not have told herself, but the steadv. anxious adj
miring gaze of Reddy's blue eyes was disturbing
her customary tranquility and dignity. 81
only having quiet little chat with Hardy. [
dered why he was late SO often"
dts my fault" protested Reddy, hastily. you
see, maam, I'm up all night the bridge, and /
don't get home till about 9, and the kid here likes
to eat with me. The Battersons never give him
anything. and it's up to to that he gets his
feed And I don't want him to go to school hun
cry"
mo, indeed" said Miss Orvis, emphatically.
Then she hesitated Hardy had rambed over to the
coored charts and was busy. She lowered her voice
as she asked, Hasn't he any one at ALL mean any
one of his people"
mo, ma am" Reddy answered earnestly my
mother got him out of the foundlings when he
about two months old. The old lady thinks maybe
it would be company for her with me away nights.
His father took tumble off a ferryboat, and just
as she was leaving Hardy up at foundlings' his
mother Topped all to once and died. too. So took
him when my mother died last winter, and the two
of us has bachelors hall over Cherry street"
at was very kind of you" Miss Orvis tried
to say more but the words would not come. 1t was
all brief, so simple and awful, this little trag-
edy of the very poor man.
Il haven't been sorry [ did it. There's always
enough for him, and I'd like to give him chance.
He's thoroughbred, all right"
perhaps [ can help. too," said Miss Orvis, hes
itatingly, half shyly. "T like to ever so much
Reddy's clear, anxious eyes looked at her long
ingly In her trim, girlish way, with the glamor of
another world about her, a world apart from the
bridge" and Cherry street, she seemed to typify
all he wanted his little thoroughbred to attain
q could take him with me over to the settle
ment," she went on, "any evening" or afternoon,
perhaps" with swift uplift of her long lashes at
him. Perhaps you might like it, too Mr. Lance"
Like it? Reddv walked on tiptoe all the way
downstairs, his eyes still full of a wonder like
those of a dream-haunted child, and Hardy had to
dodge the troeys himself at the Bowery crossing
The next night as Pauline Orvis went up the
steps of the settlement, she found the two already
there, waiting patiently. And as she laid her hand
in the warm strong "trip of Reddy Lane she felt
though fate had laid trap for love- with SYM
pathy
And after that night queer thing happened to
the teacher in 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