The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-13
By LIDA SCHEM

first time in his life there was sweeping over ham tha awe and wonder for animate nature. which makes its strongest appeal through the medium of the newly born or very young and dependent creatures. And then there fell on his the Sentence that tool away tho t ressing feeling of which the boy had experienced during the interview. Did he want the dog? =
 Do you mean you will give him to mel" he stut. tered hs voice rendered almost inaudible by the emo ton of sudden covetousness for that which, until second ago, had seemed so utterly beyond him
 eff you want him. why not7" said the man, com fortabiy AI was told to get rid of him No one vii ever know" and the>Ooy, his face shining with happ ness his voice normal and exultant more, threw rather than placed the remaining newspapers on the sidewalk, and snatched the puppy from the man al most roughly in his anxiety to transfer hum to the sbeatering safety of his own arms. Well I won't need this, now" said the footman drawing large stone from his coat pocket and throw ing it away
 The boy laughed Nope" he said, Ayou won't neet that" and he fonded the puppy anew, little thril running through him he touched the graceful Osrvs of the little creatares neck there where the string with the stone attached would merci1essly have cu and dragged and he kicked the stone which had Taller at his feet-kicked it with good-hunored tolerance IS he would have kicked any other pavement obsta'
  derous an instrument it had narrowly escaped being
 He lifted the puppy to his face and kissed it. ane the puppy licked his nose in return. The boy crowee with delight Never before had he felt such an un reasoning tenderness for any living creature not ever for his baby sister at home. zyf F. ss7e The footrnan smiled tolerantly at this display o' affection. stsaf
 .TIe's fond of this" he said, and handed the boy lump of. sugar and some carefully cut small pieces fsxxf.. Epek 1afA lick tie stgar, and he'll make friends :" sLe $isss
 The boy took the sugar, and went into new parox- ysm of delight as the puppy uttered low bleat o' delight and ioyously moved his stub of tail when his ribbon-like tongue touched the sweet stuff.
 "I bought it. the man continued, "thnking it would
 And SO they parted, the boy having delivered the balance of his newspapers, the footn,an meanwhile holding the puppy for him
 ; As the lad entered the poor little two-room home in which he and his mother and his younger brothe, and the baby sister lived he rudey expelled from his heaven of joy. His mother usually gentle and patient rave him SO mortified, indignant sso angry a look that his delight was dissipated But he made a brave show. nevertheless. of the happiness which had been so transient. and which had quickly be come shadow.
 The dogsie belongs to me, mother" he said "and isn't he cunning? And he loves sugar" s F Sugar." his mothers pale, face flushed wrath 
 fully "Hzve we sugar to feed to dog when we have none for our own coffee and oatmeal?"
 @Oh, he needn't have i" the boy said, chesrfully "He gets milk chiefly you know."ss
 His mother became even angrier. Her children and herself were chronically underfed and she fendess and widow. and half i'll, had struggled heroically to provide as best she could for her little brood
 Have you any sense at all P she cried T can barely afford to buy the milk that baby needs; and
 
 the street. to be fed Take him right back to where you got him from" ss W
 II cannot" and he began narrating, explaining pleading. He really went about 1t artisticaly, un- consciously striking the right note by appealing tc her pity But the woman, whose nother-heart had been lacerated and wrung to the very breaking point who felt herself the verge of physical breakdown with its attendant horror of losing her earning ca. pacity, was too deeply stricken with her own grief for her children to give sympathy animal
 She was not to be shaken in her decision The dog must not stay. 6e
 T will share my food with him." extenuated the boy 4sse .ss. f
 Nonsense; how will you do your school-work and serve the newspapers if you have even less to cal than now fsT,se- selr
 The boy said no more gulf seemed to open up be tween himself and his mother as she spoke these words. This woman was no longer his mother-his mother who had always seemed beautiful to him though she lived chiefly in calico wrapper these days-days that were spent the sewing and that lasted from the morning until eleven a, night and though her hair thinning visiby above the temples so much that little Aecs of bare scalp were revealed Yet in his sight she had always been wholly beautiful-more beautiful more fine than the ladies in broadcloh suits with rich furs or in daint, silks and lingerie hats, of whom she sometimes caught Aeeting giimpses as they wanrled by in automobiles This woman was not his mother-his mother who wa. kind and gentle, that with tender little gesture she would to this day, big boy that lie was, kiss bruised arm or burned finger to help make il well. Surely this not his mother who would re- ble of all, thought of the necessity of his eating only in connection with the work to be gotten out oi him si
 He did not know which hurt hnm most Now il