The newspaper., 1908-05-15

His discomfort with their home now
took shape in vigorous action, and
Aunt Mandy came to share it. Trip
after trip to the Riggsville store was
made. Two new chamber sets and
rolls of carpeting arrived at the sta
tion six miles away. and came up the
valley. A paperhanger was engaged
a, 4 kept busy for ten days. The
de-th-bed pictures were literally kick
ed into the COW shed, and in three
weeks four rooms had been SO recon
structed and fitted anew that no one
would recognize them.
Meanwhile Uncle Jud had utterly
neglected his craps" while he worked
around the house. The wide lawn had
been clipped close. A new picket
fence. painted white, replaced the
leaning. ZigZag one around the garden.
Weeds and brush disappeared. and only
Aunt Mandy's protest saved the pic
turesque brown houss from a coat of
paint
And then "Pattycake" arrived.
Nearly a year before she had been
brought here. a weary bedraggled,
dusty. halfstarved waif Now Uncle
Jud met her at the station. his face
shining; Aunt Mandy clasped her
close to her portly person; and as
Chip looked around and saw what had
been done in her honor and to make
her welcome. her eyes filled.
Il never thought anybody would
care for me like this" she exclaimed.
and then glancing at Uncle Jud. her
.Ng - .tr.UU
his neck and. for the first time. kissed
him
And never in all his life had he felt
more amply paid for anything he had
done
Then and there. Chip resolved TO do
something that now lay in her power
to face shame and humbled pride
and all the sacrifice It meant to her
In the end. and reunite these two long
separated brothers. But not now. no.
not yet.
Before her lay two golden joyous
summer months. Aunt Abby was com
ing up later. She could not face her
own humiliation now. She must wait
until these happy days were past. then
tell her wretched story. not sparing
herself one. .iota, and then. II she must.
go her way. an outcast into the world
once more.
How utterly wrong she was in this
conclusion. and how little she under
stood the broad charity of Uncle Jud
need not be explained. She was only
child as yet in all but stature. The
one most bitter sneer of malicious
Hannah still ranked and poisoned her
common sense. Its eject upon Chip
had been as usual on her nature and
belief. and this waif Of the wilderness.
this gnome child. must not be judged
by ordinary standards Like refiec-
tions from grotesque mirrors. so had
her ideas of right and duty been dis
torted by eerie influences and weird
surroundings. There was first the un-
speakable brutality of her father:
then the mental years at Tins Place.
with no more consideration than a
horse or pig received. her only educa-
tion being the uncanny teachings OF
Old Tomah. Under this baleful tut
tion. coupled with the ever present
menace and mystery OF n vast wilder
ness. she passed from childhood into
womanhood. with the fixed belief that
human kind were no better than
brutes: that the forest was peopled by
n neither world Of spites. the shadowy
forms OF both man and beast: and
worse than this that all thought and
action here must be the selfish ones
Of personal gain and personal protec-
tlon. Like a dog forever expecting
blow. like any dumb brute ever on
guard against superior force. so had
Chip grown To maturity. a cringing.
helpless. almost hopeless creature.
and yet one whose Unborn impulses
aud desires rcvolted at her surround.
ings.
Once removed from these. however.
and In a purer atmosphere. she was
like one born again. Her past impress
sions still remained. her queer belief
OF present and future conditions was
still motive force, and the cringing.
blow-expecting nature was yet hers.
For this reason. and because this
new world and these new people were
so unaccountable and quite beyond her
ken In tender influence and loving
care. what they had done and for what
purpose seemed all the more impress
sive But II was In no wise wasted:
instead. II was like God-given sunshine
to flower that has never known