Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1907-08-15
Akin 10 Love
By LOUISE MERRIFIELD.
= Copyrighted, 1901. by 2. c. Eastment \
=
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The door of room IA, primary de
partment, opened very slowly, very
contriteIy, and small, anxious
freckled face pee'.ed In. Miss Orvis
turned from the blackboard at smoth
cred giggle from the children and saw
the freckled face.
Come in, Hardy" The curvng line
of her pretty, sympathetic mouth
Strengthened with sudden determine
zion. 1t was the fourth time that week
that Hardy Andrews had come in
late. and even the children were be-
ginning to look upon 1t as joke.
Discipline must he enforced, even
when the delinquent Is only seven and
n half Miss Orvis left the blackboard
with II see bird" half finished and
stepped forward to meet Hardy.
He was smiling comfortably in his
half shy, half roguish way and flirting
openly with Marguerite Mcguire in tbe
| front seat.
Hardy, you are late again
| tSSull, Sdll liuAhy hoPf'F'
IT'S the fourth time this week, Han
dy Have you any excuseT'
Nom" Hardy rubbed one shoe
| over the toe of the other and tried
| to Jam his stockinct cap into his side
trousers pocket.
"Why didn't your mother write one
for your
1t was so still in the large, sunny
| schoolroom you could hear the clock
| tick high up on the wall and the buzz
| ing of the flies over near the open Win
| dow where the rows Of geraniums
| stood, but slowly the color mounted
| in Hardy's little, thin. freckled face
and after minute he looked up al
Miss Orvis, his big blue eyes filled
with n half apologize bewilderment.
II never had any mother" The ST.
lence was worse than ever Miss Orvis
! caught her breath and looked ut the
| rest Of the children to see what hor-
| rible effect the announcement had
made OH them, but they were only in
|
Hardy caught the look and FASTENED
to cover his mistake.
| But l got father, Miss Orvis. all
| right. I'm Reddy Lanes kid and Red
dy's a Waterman 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 / like to have
breakfast with him."
Miss Orvs hestated, but the blue
| eyes pleaded well their cause, and she
smiled Az she laid one hand on Reddy
Lanes kids head.
| But somehow all the morning she
| canght herself musing OH the child
| who had no mother 1t was a tragedy,
Of course-some stormy, tear swept
page Of life from the great city's I'M
derworld and only this bit Of wreckage
left to tell the story Tears welled to
her own lashes once or twice as she
watched Hardy's small, eager face. so
trusting and foolishly 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 to wait 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
Orvis came back and took him on her
lap.
Your papa's watchman, you say,
dear, over on the bridge?" she began.
but Hardy interposed hastily.
| "Oh, no, not my father-that's Red
dy. 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. 20
now I'm his kid"
| "oh. see" Miss Orvls leaned back
In her chair and gazed at the cheerful
little face. "And you and Reddy live
on Cherry street,"
| "Iessum. We got a room with the
| Battersons, whole room of our own.
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-"
| ipH hou say so. MISS OryiS
| caught the lonesome little figure close
IN her arms. Isis Reddy good To
| your
Aon bet he is" came the smothered
gasp from her shoulder. He never
| hlts me, and he takes me out on the
Dig bridge with him nights and let's
me see the lights on the river and tina
boats and the trains and everything.
hes hne to me. When l said you
scolded me cause | was late, he said
II was --- shame"
There was n sudden noise nj the door
behind them, queer hasty noise half
cough, half choked explosion OF
laughter, and Miss Oryis stood M
quickly.
Hello Red. This IS teacher
1t was the only introduction thew
ever had, those two, and neither ever
forgot the moment. Flushing to the
curls of her soft dark hair. Pauline
orvis saw before her Reddy Lane of
Cherry street He was tall and broad
shouldered, this Waterman on the big
nj