Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-11
Photo Company.

He looked down at the slippers The
old resentment rose in his breast.
81 want me Shoes" he snarled.
She looked at him curiously.
You couldn't get 'em on if you had
em," she said. AN there amt but
one of 'em here. Brother Abner took
the other one with him to the village.
But the wave of resentment still
foamed in his breast.
"I kin run away just the same" he
cried.
The woman patted his shoulder.
"I guess / wouldn't run away Till
after dinner" she smilingly said.
And then he felt ashamed and hung
his head. 1t was a heavy head and
presently when it bobbed -uncomfort-
ably the woman brought cushion and
put 1t behind him and laid his head
against it, and there he slept until an
| other delicious odor came to him and
reused him. 1t was wonderfully good
dinner, and while he was eating 1t
there on the porch with his bandaged
feet tucked upon a little chair the tall
man looked out on him from time to
time and nodded to him, and the Wo-
man kept him supplied. And after the
dishes were cleared and the tray taken
away the man came to him with two
boxes-one small box and one that was
quite larger.
"There wasn't much left of those
shoes of yours" he said. IAN it was
high time you had a new pair. Here
they are. An that suit of yours is
pretty near ready to tumble off an
this new one seems to have got here
just in tn nick o. time" And he un-
covered the big box.
The boy stared at these marvels.
"F-for me?" he stammered.
Eyes"
He laid his hand lovingly on the
folded coat. Then he looked up at the
tall man.
"Tn bet tn cops'll never know me
now," he said.
So Jem's life began at Laurel farm.
Only he wasn't Jem any more. He
was James now, and the name for
time was as strange to him as his
new clothes. But gradually he grew
accustomed to the changed surround
ings, to the clean air, and a clean
skin, and wholesome food and kind
words. He couldn't understand it at
all, and after a while he gave up the
attempt.
"You amt forgot tn poleece wants
me, have you?" he said one day to
the tall man while they were alone in
the big barn.
The tall man looked down at the
boy
"Guess we won't bother the police
any as long as they don't bother u.s."
he answered.
And then one day a tramp came
shambling up the driveway. He was
an ugly looking fellow, drunk and sur
ly. The tall man stopped him before
he could speak.
Nothing for you" he sharply said.
The fellow hesitated, then turned to-
ward the road. But midway he stopped
and shook his clenched hand at the
tall man and uttered a maudlin threat,
and shambled on.
Presently, when the tall man looked
around for the boy he was gone. He
had slipped behind the hedge and was
following the tramp. If the latter
really had mischief in his heart the
boy meant to find it out.
So. presently when the vagabond
lurched from the roadway and climbed
the fence and went up into the little
grove back of the big barn, the boy
was close behind him where the shad-
ows were thickest.- And when the
tramp sat down in the grass and drew
out his pipe and fumbled for his
matches, the boy was very near.
1t had been dry season and the
grass quickly caught the flame from
the match the vagabond flung to one
side The boy saw the tiny glare and