The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-01-10

BY .AbpiE +, MirChELL,

Mrs. Vaughn put down the lcttcr sho
had been reading, With II troubled lit
tie sigh Her daughter Madgc looked
up from the step
Whats the matter muthcr2 You
look MS IL you had been reading your
death warrant
Il have the death warrant OF our
summers peace Aunt Mary North
writes TO ask II wc won't keep her
Tom while she and Mr., North ~
abroad for the summer"
Who's her Tomf" asked Madge sue.
cinctly
Her stcpson I've not seen Aunt
Mary since she married MIR North, aud
know next to nothing OF the North
family. But Mrs, Wilson knew Mr.,
North when they We're living in chi
Cago tthat was In the time OF the first
Mrs. North, and she said thcre were
two girls and II boy, The boy was In
kits then, and that was tiye years agn.
SO he must be about eight or niue
years old, Aunt Mary says he has
been III with typhoid and that she re-
members with hope for his health that
the air AT rlpecroft N healing"
"Rut we can't have him, mother,
Think OF having an eight year-old boy
on our hands the whole summerl We
can never get enough cooked for him
TO eat. and hen he drowned regularly
once week and break all his arms
and legs oa the other days And |
wanted n quiet, heavenly rest this sum
mer before | have to gn back to that
awful office. And Il will he well, the
other kind OF n time with Tommy
around, that Is certain"
but Mndee | can't refuse Aunt
Mary, She was your fathers favorite
aunt aud always so good ~ him. No
Tommy viii have to come. whether We
want him or not"
well. then. whenT
THE letter says next Tuesday IN
less they hear from us that II IL not
convenient"
Tell Aunt Mary have the small
pox or that died suddenly AT the
news anything Please. mother"
Il was wondering" said her mother.
whether an elght.yearo boy would
he afraid TO sleep In Il room by hlm-
self, Shall we put bed IN the alcoyc
of my room or fix up the south cham.
| berT
"All the boys I'VE ever Seen" an.
swered Madge, were afraid neither Of
the things under the earth nor OF those
upon It. Give him room to himself,
and then youll he saved the evcrlast,
Ing clatter Of fishing tackle and knives
and toads aud things In your room"
Still grumbllng, Madge helped her
mother get ready the south chamber
As she worked she grew Interested ana
even took from the walls OF her own
room some interesting prints which
she thought would be suitable for n
boys room.
II can't see, though, why Aunt Mary
didn't take the little wretch abro1d
with her-the sea air would do him
good. Take out all the fancy things,
mother, as you value them
III you only understood big boys as
we'll as you seem to understand the
small ones you would not be twenty,
four and still single" teased her moth
er.
Il do. mother" said Madge vehe'
mently. Il understand them altogeth.
er too well, and that's the very reason
| am still single"
There was no immediate reply ia
this, and Mrs. Vaughn T. ned her at
tention TO the room.
"Get all your old picture books and
put them on that shelf. Madge, and
think III bring Jlln's old hobbyhorse
down from the attic. He may desplse
It, but you never can tell"
~ suppose could make him somt
kites" said Madge. There's all thai
red and blue paper and miles OF yellow
string Perhaps If make a big one
he'll get fastened to 1t and fly Off tc
Mars. And while I'm up In the attic
I'm going to bring down some Of Jlm''
old oyeralls.'
Arrangements were finally c0mplct
ed, and Madge rather looked forwart
to the coming Of the little boy, so tina
when Tuesday came she willingl!
drove to the station for him, though
she protested that St. Lawrence ant
his gridiron were as nothing to th'
torment she was undergoing. She tool
along bag Of cookies, "just to stol
up his mouth 80 he can't ask ques
tions," she explained.
The train was late, and Madge got
little cross as she waited In the opel
trap with the hot sun beating dow
upon her. The pony was restless, AM
she dared not leave him to go lnslt
of the station. When the train final.
steamed in, however, she gave IN
reins to a porter and went to find he
young charge, She watched the fey
who came out Of the coaches nervous
ly, with one eye on the dancing pony
but as far as she could see no smal
boy was on the train. Fearing that b
had not heard the name Of the statio
I called she spoke to the conductor, VIII