Lower coast gazette., 1913-09-27

mlSIlly-tO LuF pTlue OlAlo AooAe nA0
blooded ste He called to his sis
ter:
"How's thaty aKlng out? Like
ly he'll amount thing, Mandy?'
"He's got a good l rather like
him. l haven't he. ny disturb
ance at the barn came. II
guess he's getting alons
.'Oh, we'll, he may things
along after a fashion. MSs& 'ae'l
keep the cattle from dying-oN
said the old captain, fretfully.
him in after supper, Mandy, so thu
can talk with him. Maybe | can each
him a little something"
But there was to be no instructions
for the new, hand that night; Captain
Merrithew grew worse. The next two
weeks formed a very dim and hazy
part of his life.
It was nearly four weeks before the
old captain began to take an active
interest in things about him. And then
one morning his sitter found him in
tcntly considering some bits of pa
per. n
They we're the milk slips for the
preceding month. Anything wrong,
Henry?" his sister asked anxiously.
"Of course you couldn't expect a green
boy to keep things up to your stand.
ard. Vas there a big shrinkagew
"No, there wasn't" said the captain.
There wasn't any. shrinkage, and
that's what beats me. How did that
schoolboy come to know how to feed?
There are some things you can't guess
or blunder into"
Miss Amanda Merrithew had learn
ed to like Bill. "He mas gumptlon for
one thing" she said. '"And another
thing, he's studied your farm books
and papers about all the time he's
been in the ~house-when he wasn't
helping to take care of you.'
"H'm'm!" said the captain thought.
fully.
Give been out to the barn several
times" went on Miss Amanda, "and
everything's as clean as can be. And
that coolest snap he stayed up all
night for two nights, heating water to
keep the pipes at the barn trough
from freezing-and he saved them,
too"
Hmm, good work! I've been
afraid that one of these cold snaps
somebody would let those pipes freeze
if / wasn't round to e to them. The
boy does really know something, does
MT he, Mandy??'
"Know %something!" smiled his sis
ter. Il don't know what we should
have done without him, Henry Merri
thew, some of those nights when 20,
; were plum crazy. Seems to me if
were in your place ia be trying to fin,
out something about him-his name
: and so on. It seems kind of heather
) ish-just Bill"
1--WE been thinking about that, Man
/ dy," said the captain, rubbing his Chi
m%editatively. eyes, I've been think
E ing about that. The boy has a goo
face, Mandy"
Although much of the work wa
hard, the "help" at the Merrithev
farm, on thinking things over, foun
that he had really enjoyed his mont
Of responsibility. The dependence
g the creatures appealed to him, and
did their unmistakablet response I
v his kind treatment and gentle han,
4 ling. He enjoyed solving the man
1. perplexing problems that arose, an
he felt that on the whole he had bee
fairly successful. Most of all, he ha
is enjoyed the %comradeship, for such
. certainly was, that HAD come to ext
between himself and his grandfath,
during the old mans convalesc, nc
To his surprise, he found that The
had much in common. He was SUI
that the old mans gruffness hat l
real sting in it; that underneath |;
a kind heart.
Each day the boy had put off. ma
ing himself known. Ought he to ha,
practised the deceit? Under the Ct
cumstances, it had seemed justified.
One morning Captain MerritheW
help announced that he must leave,
take up his school work. GIVE foul
a good hand" he explained to the ca
tain, "and I've told him about evel
thing. I'm sure he understands. +
name is Bennett. He'll do, won't he
The ghost of a smile flickered ov
the captains face, for Sam Benn
had been his right-hand man +
years; but he only said, Eyes, he
CO." Then he added, 1--WE sha'nt t,
get you in a hurry, young man."
An hour later, William Henry Bra
having packed his suit case, aga
looked in on the captain. He seem
strangely disturbed, and the older m