Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-12-15

trance WIN HIS UuFueIl uuuCI Ills COctts
chuckled as he saw muffin man and
boy with flags enticing the dwellers
to purchase.
Coming UP the alley with his olsen
gagged arm swinging beside his short
/ body, Old Sam ran up the steps,
| pulled a string that projected through
hole in the door of number two, and
entered the room where were the
curtain and the canary. Then, out of
breath, he unbuttoned his coat and
| peeped within it..
BLESS his heart, he's asleep" he
chuckled. How loke a hangel he
be. He only wants gilt paper wings
and piece o. elastic glued to his
back to be a hangel right through.
Now l wonder what he'll do when he
wakes? | don't feel quite easy in my
mind. cas- I'm not used to children,
and | might make some mistake. Per
haps he'd like muffin or some flags.
I Here, III chance it; it won't do no
harm anyway" and softly setting the
| child down upon a rickety old sofa,
and covering him up with the table
/ cloth, which he snatched from the
table for the purpose, the hunchback
ran out of the room and down into the
| alley, and returned In a few minutes
| with a pile of mullins, three pigs
| trotters (warns) and three gayly col
! ored flags There he exclaimed,
with an air of satisfaction, there's
| cuynor et for a ,,rin,oo Ioavo alouo a
| hangel, What can be nicer than
! trotter an mullins for child? No
| thing-at least / should think not" he
hesitated, gazing at The comestibles.
They're soft an sticky, an what you
might call nourishin'- bones in the
mullins to choke him, bless his heart,
and none in the trotters if takes 'em
out carefully. Now where shall I
stick these flags, eh?"
He looked around with his head on
one side, very much like a jackdaw,
| again, and trotted up and down the
room with his flags in his hand.
At last he decided to stick one in
cracked vase on the mantelshelf an
other in the bread, and the last he re-
served for the pile of mullins and
trotters.
Chuckling to himself and glancing
at the sleeping child occasionally, go
ing about on tiptoe all the while and
expressing his delight in wonderful
strange and grotesque pantomime, he
laid a white cloth on the table, set the
kettle boiling, toasted the mullins, set
three candles alight In various parts
of the room, and then set himself
beside the couch to wait for the awak-
ening of his lord and master, the
young orphan boy.
Presently the child awoke with
! flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes and
happy forgetfulness of his bereave-
| ment
His large eyes rested On the grim,
wrinl1led homelv face of the old man
beside him, then twinkled merrily.
and the urchin smiled and held out
his hands.
Old Sam picked him up and pressed
him to his breast in an ecstasy of
gratitude Nov that's what l call
kind o. ye now. You might woke
humpy and disagreeable, and no Won
der neither, but this here is what
call behayin' handsome, and I'm much
obliged to YOU
He chuc5led a little neryously and
set the child on the chair.
He was fine, healthy little fellow,
with a chubby round face and little
rosebud mouth.
Old Sam thought he never saw such
beauty, no, not even in the picture
shops, and he stood before the child,
making funny faces for him for full
five minutes, until the little one per-
force laughed outright.
Then the old man joined in, and the
spirit of Christmas echoed it unheard
somewhere about their heads.
AN now what is it going to be to
start on my hangel? Is it mullins OIL
| trotters? I'm sorry it amt no better,
nothing in the seed cake and rasp-
> berry tart line But you see,' and
his voice shook little, you was SO
unexpected-but there, never mind
that. You're happy, amt you? Are
you better?"
The child laughed as if he under
stood every word but clambered off the
| chair and chung to the old mans knee.
Law, if he don't want to eat his
tea on my knee exclaimed Sam, in
| delightful whisper. Il never heard tell
of such an intelligent little chap"
He lifted him up and with unprac-
ticed fingers manipulated trotter,
made it up with a muffin, and present
ed small portion of 1t on fork.
Here, try that. Make yourself at
home. amt put no mustard because
/ don't know if you likes 1t, an mus
tard is rather a nasty, deceivin' thing
if you amt up to it. What, you like
the trotter, do you? That's hearty,
too. Ali this is what call enjoyment!
Have cup of tear"
But the boy would not drink out of