The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-10-09

"Never Mind That" Directed Rhoda.
will be glad to see me. Thank you'll"
And Jed started down the frosty road.
"Jedl"
"Yes, ma'am," said Jed, hating ten
feet away.
"You go home, like good boy, won't
your Promise me that"
II will when am sure dad has left
the diggings," stipulated the runaway.
very well-and here, Jed. You say
you are hungry. You must take this
Rhoda had extended her noontide
lunch, done up neatly in brown paper
parcel. Jed started forward ravenous-
ly. Then he retreated, putting his
hands clasped behind him.
"Oh, no, ma'aml" he demonstrated.
Il couldn't do that. Your dinner"
Never mind that" directed Rhoda.
ITS only a quarter of q mile to the
house, and if l get very hungry l can
run home and get bite"
you're good as gold" declared Jed
huskily, and there was genuine emo
ton in his tones. "Yes, ma'am, I'll go
homeland stay home"
The next morning, spick and span,
Jed came to school. He was the model
attendant Of the day. There was a
snowstorm that night. When Rhoda,
her arctics in place, started for her
school duties next morning, she was
surprised to find a two-foot cleared
track running from the door into the
road along 1t past the timber stretch
and straight up to the very door of the
schoolhouse. She glanced approvlngly
at Jed during the morning session, but
he seemed insensible to the attention.
THANK you, Jedl' spoke Miss Ford
as, at recess, she passed him at the
door.
what for, ma'am?" inquired Jed in
nocently.
1.-THE nice clear path you shoveled
for me this morning"
"Why, that wasn't me. Say, did
some one2 Why, it was him, Of
coursel'' exclaimed Jed, with sudden
burst or lntellgence.
."And who is 'him2" inquired Rhoda.
euriously.
"The man gave your lunch to-"
"My-lunchT" repeated Rhoda, mys-
titled.
"Yes, ma'am. Oh, that's SOL didn't
tell you, did II You see, 1 didn't eat
your lunch, although l was nigh fam
ished. 1 gave it to a fellow who need
ed 1t ten times worse than l did,
reckon"
"WhO was 1t, JEDI" asked Rhoda,
with rising interest.
"a young man, tall, dark and hand
some. He's been hanging around the
town for week. Stranger My broth
er BIZ, who works at the post office,
says he calls there half dozen times
day, so he must be waiting around
for some letter."
"But what about the lunch7" pressed
Rhoda.
why, just as was going to eat 1t,
after leaving you," narrated Jed, II
saw him sitting on a tree stump. He
looked starved and half-frozen.
thought to myself, maybe you're sort
of prodlga1 son, like myself I went
up to him and said, You look hungry,
Mister Pretty near he said, with a
sigh that hit me hard. l set the lunch
down beside him. l told him how
came by it. That dainty, pretty miss,
he Says-'Bless herPn
did he say that?" breathed Rhoda,
flushing quite delightedly.
He did, and 1 say it. too, ma'am,"
iterated Jed, CALAMITY. He tried to
make me take back the lunch. / just
ran away. l was glad. Looking back,
| saw him just devouring that lunch
Ike starved wolf"
Dainty, pretty miss"-Rhoda was
somehow pleased with the phrase. She
was glad, too, that her sacrifice had
done second duty. The air of mystery
about the stranger interested her. His
grateful recognition Of her charity in