Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-02-17
love THE CONQUEROR|
80 CHARLES cARWcE 600

| for Sam Growls Christmas Snowdrop,
and as Sam was wont to declare to
any one-or no one IL he happened 70
be alone-the little fellow promised,
IL fate were kind to him, to be man.
If Fate proved kind!
Something in the shape of improve
ment had fallen upon Sam himself in
the six months which had elapsed
since that merry Christmas eve. and
the cause was palpable.
There was less Of ruggedness ia his
grim, wrinkled face and less OF dirt
upon his hands.
The hunchback's voice, which a
lsneighbor had once likened to hnrdy-
gurdy out of time, was softened and
toned down to kindly CROWD, which
at times rose to chuckiing falsetto,
/ and about the whole of the distorted,
misshapen figure had grown a some
| thing at variance with the old. reck-
| less untidiness and a marked sign OF
change of an object in life.
| There was not much poetry in Par
adise Alley. 1t was not "a locality IA
vorable to the full development of the
| finer sensibilities; but few of the
jewellers in the dark, dirty, squalid
corner but felt touch of something
| like sympathy when they saw old Sam
trudge out with his precious child in
/ his bosom or hanging on to his hand,
and throughout the alley from end to
end there was not one who would
Z have dared to took surly at the mite
while his huRchbaol1 guardian was
near to see.
And they saw him only when he was
out. Had they seen him at home,
lighting up the little room-as he lit
up the old mans heart playing with
the grotesque figure as it bent over
its work; had they fheard his prattle,
and the hysly falsetto which it pro-
voked from Sam, the Paradise Alley
its might have been all the better
for it, and Derhaps-who knows? for
example is more defective than pre-
cept-haye loved their own little ones
more haagitaly
i Yet, Sam had ian object in life, a
something TO live for, but it made his
life not only sweet to him, but awful!
Il Often. as the old man sat looking
at the child as it played beside him, OF
SAT at his knee with it's golden head
resting peacefully against the hard
labor-stained Waistcoat, he would
4 think:
j IF ! WAS to die! All. what would
become of lninY?"
4 And he would snatch the precious
blessing to ibis heart and wipe away
well, a speck of leather dust which
had Gown iintohhis eye
i They were all the world to each
other
And ut had occurred to Sam that his
Snowdrop might feel the want of
chiadRsh 'eompanionship, and his heart
smote him $50 fully that it nerved him
to speak.
Snow" he ssaid, falteringly. in that
strange. half mature and half infan.
tile, I'm which lhet always addressed the
child, and which the mite seemed to
fulaw understand, Snow, it occurs to
me quite promiscuous, that maybe
yon'd like playmate Or two. If so be
as Inn might, II takes it unkind of Won
mot to mention iii!"1 and he shook his
head sOlamnly.
The little felS0wc climbed ND to his
knee and fixed "a pair of bright .biue
eyes thoughtfnHyaupon the cd mans
small ,aneS.
I If SO DE as you should -growIed
the old man, Nwhy, wwe'll get a few.
You shall have sas,many as you likes;
| GaHaOms there's plenty of 'em in the
alley! Well pask oout the cleanest
and have ia mice sspin. Puss in boots,
hOpsaotoh. Tom T4dtller's ground, and
land all them sort,ofs games. What do
you SAY, ARow?'
~E'es," chirped the aittle fellow, with
a rather doubtful mod, and Sam,
snotheaing wistfsll ssigh, took him
1 the next moaning sfRto the middle of
the alley and quietly introduced him
1
! Then he reiTeated to the window
and watched with all Ibis heart in his
eyes.
The child played at first shyiy, but
still with infantile ,-glee, until, in a
burst OF Growing, he happened to
glance at the MIsldom and saw old
Father SaMa;s lOnely, s0rrowful face
before the old man could hide it be-
hind the curtain.
In an instant he threw down the
the ball. and. qs1itHng this companions.
toddled painfnllg Np the steps, ham.
mered at the door with his Tiny fist,
and, on Sans openiEg 1T, held out his
arms to be taken up
The next morning Sam silently took
him out again, but the child's gentle
heart had read and fally understood
the meaning OF the lonely old face at
the window, and he married to Sam
as soon as the hunchback had put him
down, and, in his childish treble, said.
No. pay with Old Father Sam"
So Sam bore him back. and, mad
with dehght-which he hid over the
old boot he was mendfng- was the
child's only playmate once raOre.
Then caaae the summer, and that
heat that Mrs. Newton had declared
Was unbearahle in her cool drawing
rooms and b0adoirs.
In Paradise Alley she would have|
fonnd difficuitg in discovering some
word by which to describe it.