The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-15

button in a button that
would not stay buttoned. 1t required
much time and he sat down on the
step and with all his ten fat, wee fin
gers labored. Then, "Das a doodle
boy" he o%bjurgated himself as he
resumed his climb of the stairs, the
button b%uttoned; "Das a daryin' yittle
gentleman"
He shook the knob. Waited, Jug
ging OIL the toes of him and discours-
ing to N~icodemus.
The door remained closed.
Two fat palms smote it wrathfully.
Open" he commanded; "pease
open dis door,"
Nobody answered.
Poor yittle boy" he wheedled at
keyhole; "zere amt nobody loves
i'm"
Nicodemus yapped and made feints
at desertion when a dog parked out
side. FaWned back, and licked the
fingers where bread and honey aroma
fingered. Sat up and waved an affable
paw at him.
lie sat down on the floor and gath
cred his yellow dog into his ~pinafore
and Rugged.
"'cept Nitodemus an myssef." he
said. -
Great-grand came up the hall.
is you been a bad boy, dreat-dran? 2"
he said. rs you all shutted out?" i,
Great-grand sighed.
Seems like this horse just will run
away" in doleful tone, land I've got a
bone in my foot and I can't run after
him."
In a wink he was after the rampant
steed. Captured and mounted, rode
it lordily hither and yon, and when
at last he came back from the breath
less miles we had slipped down the
back way and at stairfoot waited.
Slowly, with dignity, he dismounted,
put his steed in stall, came back to
stair-head, and, legs astride and head
thrown back, surveyed us from the
heights of remembered injury. Be.
side him, perky, tongue lolling out,
Nicodemus squatted.
Long legs gathered to his chin,
| 81 d!lO ldQSSu ull1SC1l Ou lu6 LOD
step and twinkled.
Eyes, sirs," quoth g~reat-grand;
"shutted us all out!"
Our baby nodded confirmation and
Nicodemus yawned in our faces.
Men mys Nitodemus an mys dreat.
dran," he said. can mys dreat-dran
is dot a bone in his foot a I needed
to kiss mys muvver."
But for three long days the library
ddoor remained locked.
And regularly, after each mornings
breakfast, he mounted the stairs and
tried the knob and cogitated to Nico.
demus, and poked broom straws under
the door.
Christmas eve we sat about a great
open fire. Great-grand loved to dig
and delve in the red-charred logs and
imprison the swarms of rosy bees
Fascinated, l would watch the swirl
ing upfed sparks, wondering what
phantasms of youth he saw al.&eauti
full in them, what faces went past in
that rosy mirage that his own should
wear SO tender an answering look
into eyes he alone was seeing. Some
times our baby would come to stand
between his knees, head leaned
against his shoulder, and from within
the encircling arms watch. Sometimes
he would straddle one old knee and
snug his head under the down-leaning
old chin, gold hair and white hair com.
mingled, and hand over the old hand
help the poker that prodded and piled
the embers. And the wide eyes seemed
to be seeing with the old mans vision.
ing, so united he would sit.
Christmas eve we sat about the
great open fireplace. Great-grand sort
ed and piled his red-charred logs
Grandmother was watching, lost ir
idleness. Grand father had gone down
cellar for apples and in my lap my
baby was telling me secrets. We
listened beyond the singings OF the
flames; beyond the delicate soft sing
ing and the signing and the daughters
of them, the wind in the chimney
From the end of the new backlog the
saps distilled, all the summers rains
and dews and green growings in thei1
whicker-whicker. We had hated tc
shut out the skies, so divinely nea,
they closed in upon earth, with thei,
starry strands %garlanding the rim Of
hills. Our baby had seen his first me
teor-a feathered trail Of ethereal fire
and a soundless splendor as the me
teor burst and %biggened into a globe
Of slysian azure, and went out. And
the black violet skies seemed We,
deepljer black with that blue glory
memoried against them, and the stars
pallid and cold. And my baby won
dered If there might not be another
Christmas baby, in that blue glory. He
wondered whether, If we'd go out, WI
might not find a few boys and girl.
and babies that got left over, wher
God forgot who had asked to have
some left at their houses. He wished
he'd been there that night at the OK
ems inn, to see the little child. So.
he could have brought 1t home to his
own SETS house. He wanted a bah,
SO bad. And ven his sweets-freightee