Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-21

the neck and kissed her. Thcn he fell
asleep.
Rt this time she had no thought of
Going back till the child's father came
She moved about fhe kitchen and din
| ing room in her orderly, effective way
n vay hrsfncsslike, eminently wom-
AMY and good The waste apparent
everywhere annoyed her thrifty soul
| She saw forty ways TO better and save
She set the table with II fresh cloth
AMI mt Il good supper TO cook on the
stove she had blackered ut the cost OF
her pretty. plump hands. her one beau
| ty save her eyes. 1t was nearing q
o'clock.
After 4 little Jimmy awoke ana
without warning began to cry. refuS-
ing to tell what troubled him. but de
nving thar it was his foot. Finally
Ann got low rocker took the child i'm
her arms and began to rock him.
Great boy that he was. he Struggled 10
her. his unloved little heart accepting
the comfort. trusting this soft voiced.
smiling. neither armed woman who
called herself Aunt Ann.
As she sat thus. her attention quite
absorbed. Henry Jasper came YEARLY
to the Kitchen door. his arms loaded
with groceries his face hopeless. He
had been wondering where to look for
Jimmy. who had been allowed that
morning TO go TO n neighbours.
Then with unbelieving joy he saw
the clean room. the spread table. the
new air of comfort. and, best Of all. in
. hn
sIeeping motherless child-a child near
~ as unmothered before his own moth
er's death as after it. She looked up at
him and smiled.
"TIe cut his foot and came home cry
ing / came over. and when | saw so
much to DO I went to work. I knew
you wouldn't mind. Henry"
Mind, The hard thing was that she
should come Just to 80 again; that she
should give him a taste of this calm
comfort. let him see her like this and
deny him Il continuance of it. He was
very miserable in his gratitude.
"Put your packages on the sink"
she commanded. land when / have laid
Jimmy down l will put them away.
VIII you open the oven door ana look
at the biscuitE" He obeyed her. then
stood looking while she deity put
everything in its place. The milk pail
shiningly waited for him TO take it
and 90 out to milk. but he fingered.
And Jimmy awoke and wanted to tell
his father about the enormous fish that
nibbled at his hook and got almost
caught and how lie had cut his foot on
the broken bottle and found Aunt Ann
70 bind it up.
Supper is ready. and you had better
eat before you do the rest of the
chores. Henry" she said, helping the
boy To limp TO his place.
They ate joyfully. talking. laughing,
the man wondering how many min
utes would pass before she rose to go.
The future yawned emptily. She was
asking him about his hOuselleepers.
what he paid them, advising him what
he should do. Finally when she rose
he rose too. They stood facing each
other. and her clear eyes smiled.
''You are Oh. Ann. you have been
goodr' he said awkwardly. "Shall l
hitch up and drive Won home. or will
you walk" SO he had taken her ut
her word II was evident that he had
ilD lnOuSlil VI Atiill5 PEI ilslllNhA AZ
all this But the woman had. She
saw here her place. her opportunity.
The old hurt and anger had passed.
and she was again ut heart the simple
girl who had loved i'm secret this man
who was at last hers. She paused n
moment. still looking at him. There
was now no thought Of being second
best" She would make herself all to
them.
'I'H wash the dishes up first. and
then after You have done the chores
you can walk back with me-" Jimmy
set up n sudden wall from his chair.
where he still sat ut the table.
81 don't want YOU TO 20 away" he
cried. land | won't stay alone while
papa goes with YOU" Ann went be-
hind his chair and put her arms around
him. she did not look ut the child's
father.
Listen, Jimmy. Auntie must 20 TO-
night, but if you will be good till papa
comes back / will come again.
when will you? How long win YOU
stay?" he demanded. with the definite
ness of childhood. No uncertainty for
Jimmy, She did not hesitate.
Il will come back-in the morning
and will stay always-if papa says
that may
Jimmy, forgetting his foot. jumped
at her neck like a little boa construct
or But his father set him down.
wanting her himself just then.
''Are you going TO let her stay,
papa?" Then Henry Jasper laughed.
and the burden of unhappy years roll
cd from his shoulders. Ann was pres
emily forced TO hand him the milk pail
as 4 hint TO let her get ut the dishes.