Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

realize what pleasure. Silo was 8ivW8s
exercised all her little winning ways. The
did his friend. told her as she sat on ms
knee OF a very interesting person-his
own son. The child listened, Interested
at first. and then enraptured. she asked
eyes frightened as he gladly answered
the pretty sympathetic child. already
deep in his heart for her fathers sake
He told her about the boy who was SO
big and strong, and who could run ana
leap and swim and play cricket and foot
ball better than any other boy with whom
he played. When. warmed himself by
the keen interest of the little girl. and
seeing her beautiful black eyes beginning
to glow. he. too. woke to the glory Of the
tha fathers lonely heart gave out their
store. The other father. thrilled with de-
light because Of his baby's JOY with. un-
DERIVING all. an added pleasure that the
were for boys, looked on approvingiy.
now and again asking questions himself
in furtherance of the child's wishes.
And so all the afternoon as they sat In
the garden, close to the stream that came
out Of the rock, An Wolf told fathers
tales Of his only son. OF the school races
when he had won so many prizes. VI
the swimming match In the Islam river
when. after he had won the race ana had
dressed himself. he went into the water In
upset boat How when Widow Norton's
only son could not be found. he dived
into the deep hole Of the intake OF the
milldam Of the great Carstone mills.
drowned. And how. after diving twice
without success. he had insisted on going
down the third time. though people bad
tried to hold him back. and how he had
brought up in his arms the child. all
white and so near death that they had to
put him in the ashes Of the bakers oven
before he could be brought back to life
Here the child wept and few to her
father for comfort: and hung round his
neck, and buried her face In his comfort
able waistcoat. where she could hear his
heart beat and his watch tick. The two
men were moved Also partly by the hero
ism of the deed and it's touching issue.
and partly by the child's emotion. The
clasp of their hands. in fresh renewal of
old friendship, over the baby's head
seemed to link together the two fathers
and the two children. When Stephen re-
covered, for her weeping was not from
sorrow, but only emotion, and asked for
more stories Of Harold. while all the
time she chung tight to her fathers neck
lest they should brighten her. till the
presence of Mrs. JarrOld, looming on the
edge of the lawn, called to mind that tea
time had come.
Even the child's anxiety to hear more
gave way before the habit Of obedience.
She slid down from her fathers knee and
coming over to DR.. An Wolf, gravely
held out her hand and said: "Go0d-bye!"
Then she kissed him and said:
''Thank you, so much. Won't you come
soon again and tell us more" Then she
jumped again upon her fathers knee and
hugged him round the neck and kissed
him over and over again. When she had
taken Mrs. Jarrold.s hand she let 1t go
and ran back to her father and pulled
down his head and whispered in his ear:
Daddy, please make Harold's daddy.
when he comes again, bring Harold with
him.
. After all It is natural for women to put
the essence OF the letter in the post
That was indeed, happy day. whose
.memory nsvsr faded from the minds Of
any Of them. and, did the dead have
Rower to watch the footsteps er+ Of !, those
women would h4ve lowered round in hap
piness. Did their wings rustic, that
might have been the, cool breeze which
famed the foreheads Of both men as after
the child's departure they instinctively
raised their hats. as though in the pres
ence Of something hoiier than them
selves ~
J Two weeks afterwasd DR.. An Wolf
came again and brought Harold with
him. The time had gone heavily with
little Stephen when she knew that Harold
was coming with his father. At last the
time came and she went out to the hall
door with her father to welcome the
guests. At the top of the great granite
the white awning ran. she stood holding
her fathers hand and waving q welcome.
The meeting was great pleasure to
both the children and resulted in an i'm
once conceived a great admiration for. the
big. strong boy. nearly twice her age and
more than twice her size. Mrs. Jarrold,
from the moment she set eyes on him.
liked the big kindly faced boy. who
treated her like a lady. and who stood
awkwardIy blushing and silent in the
middle Of the nursery listening to the tiny
childs proffers of affection. For what
ever kind of love it is that boys are capa-
BILE of. Harold had fallen into It,
AS for Harold's new-found affection. 1t
was as deep as his nature. An only child
who had in his memory nothing of q
mothers love. his naturally affectionate
nature had in his childish days found no
means Of expression: A man child can
hardly pour out his full heart to a man.
even father or comrade. and this
child had not. in a way, the consultations
Of other children. Though many of DIR.
An VOLTS friends who were mothers
made much of the pretty, quiet boy, and
never seemed to get really intimate with
them. Boys he knew. and with them he
could hold his own and yet be on affec-
tionate terms But girls were strange to
1iIiu, aduu III IhcIT PicScHCC ITO NATURALLY
was shy.
From his boyhood up to his twelfth
year Harold's knowledge Of Eirihood
never increased nor did his awe diminish.
His first glimpse Of Stephen was, he
felt, one that he never could forget. She
had insisted on putting on the red riding
habit which daddy had given her for her
birthday. and now she stood on the top
Of the steps all glorious in hunting pink.
with the habit held over her arms, with
the tiny hunting boots all shiny under
meath. She had no hat on. and her beau
tiful hair of golden red shone in its glory.
But even 1t was almost outshone by the
Joyous flush on her cheeks as she stood
waving the little hand that did not hold
daddys.
During luncheon Stephen was fairly 81
lent: she usually chartered all through as
freely as bird sings.
The ride after luncheon was q memoir |
able one. The whole party had gone |
into the stable, and while there Harold
had shown 80 much knowledge of the
horses and was so easy with them that
Topham himself suggested that he should
be allowed to choose one for his own
first both willing, but they took some con-
Germ when they found that he had Sc
lected one Of the biggest horses In the
stable. the squire's pet hunter. Robin |
Hood. The elders looked at one another |
apprehensively. but they were treasured
when old Topham, Shaping his leg with
delight, said. half aloud to himself:
= Dang me. If young master bean't
right He have his head screwed on, he |
have! There bean't 'orse in the stables |
as safe to ride for all his speed and bot |