New Britain herald., 1915-08-07

what on cdILH Lct So ny ShAA never see sich a perseverin' little imp in all my born days. The way your mothers brung you up is somethin' scandalous."
 "Dit app!" reiterated the laughing child. "I'm doin' to dwive you to Ban bury Cwoss to see the hole in the fence. Dit app! It's forfeit and If you don't pay forfeit you has to div 200 kisses and cawwy me up to pea in your arms, you know; same as mummy"
 Good land!" exclaimed Miss Jo in dismay, "I never see sich child. There ain't no shakin' you off nor git tin rid of you nohow: you iist poster and poster until body has to give in. Where's the hole in the fence? o, down that way is it? We'll, come on' then, and be done with it!"
 From the first it had been Miss Tap scott's firm determinatiop to put the child on the other side of the fence and to nail up the boards as soon as the breach was pointed out to her; but. oddly enough, when they came to it at last her whole attention seemed to be claimed by the large quantity of cherries which the storm had stripped from the trees, and which now lay scattered thickly on the close-cropped grass.
 "Its puffickly sinful for all that fruit to go to waste" unused she. 'Tain't hurt a bit. and it'll make beautiful cherry pies. Be you fond of cherry pie. babby?"
 70, love it! And so does num- my"
 "Ye do. hey? We'll, iist you run up to my backdoor and fetch back that little wicker basket you'll see settin' on the winder ledge, and we'll pick these cherries up and you kin take them in to your ma when you go. Hur- ry up now-I've got my geranium beds to attend to quick's ever l kin get back to 'em."
 But even then the gap in the fence still remained unclosed; for the un- tidy state of the grass under the trees where the fallen leaves and the broken twigs lay appealed to Miss Jos love or neatness, and she and the child busied themselves in collecting them and bearing them away to the rubbish heap.
 It was while they were in the mids' of this operation that an anxious voice sounded, and a pale, frightened little woman appeared at the gap ID the fence.
 70, Wally boy, how you frightened me, dear!-I woke up and couldn, find him anywhere, Miss Tapscott Come back, dearie. You mustn't go III there mummy promised that you wouldn't. Please forgive him, Miss Tapscott; I'll see that it never occurs again"
 70, he ain't hurtin' nothin', and he's sort of been company" admitted Miss Jo grmly. "I'll allow it's agfn reg ulations, but I guess it won't kill mo- body for once The storm blew down the fence, and his kitten ran in here. I've give him some cherries to make a pie of. He says him and you likes cherry pie, and-;well, there's more fruit than I kin use anyway, so you're welcome to it."
 "Thank you so much; it's very kind of you.-Come, Wally dear.-Can't we send you some of our roses in return, Miss Tapscott? They are in the very perfection of bloom"
 I've told you once I hate roses!" snapped Miss Jo resentfully. My breads in the oven, and I ain't got no time to talk Good morning"
 The gap in the fence was not mend ed that day, nor yet the next, nor the next again; and, although no storm came to strip the cherry trees of their scarlet treasure, each morning unfail- ingly there was a scattered mass of "windfalls" lying on the grass beneath the trees at one particular spot-an utterly irresistible temptation to the lonely little figure that went past the gap in the fence at the hour when mummy slept, and her head was bad" and Wally boy and Kitty" were left to entertain each other in the gar den.