Year: 1877

Tramp, Tramp"


GOOD STORY.


A lonely country road, with the night
closing upon it; the sun set and the sky
black, and white streaks where he had
been the color gone from all the earth,
even from the many-tinted naples and
sumacs that an hour before had famed
in their October brilliancy; the air frosty
and fresh-just the night to go bowling
swiftly home in light wagon over Il
well-graded road, with the prospect of
Il bright fire and hot supper at the end
of the journey.


Mrs. Cuthbert wished that her hus-
band would come "bowling home," as
she lighted the lamp and placed it in
the centre of the pretty tea table, so
daintily set forth with her wedding
glass and silver; the supper would not
be fit to eat if he were much later, and
Mrs. Cuthbert was too conscientious ii
housewife not to feel alarmed at the
idea of her good things being spoiled.
But, like the even-tempered little wO-
man she was, she only put an extra
stick on the woed fire cracking on the
hearth, and settled down in her favor
ite arm chair, with her sewing to keep
her hands busy, while her ears were on
the alert for her husbands step, or a
cry from the baby up stairs.


She was quite alone, it being one of
those periods that sooften befall Amer
ican housekeepers, when the ''help''
has taken it into her head to depart
without waiting for Il successor to be
appointed.


The fire snapped and blazed, the
clock licked on, and all was quiet. But
if Mrs. Cuthbert had chanced to look up
she might have seen a face pressed
close against the window pane-an ugly
face with a rough beard and tangled
hair, a broken nose that looked most
unprepossessing flattened on the glass,
and eyes that cleaned greedily at the
silver on the table-but she did not,
and all was quiet.


The clock struck seven, and Mrs.
Cuthbert started, surprised and dis
tressed. She forgot about the supper
frizzing away to nothing in the oven,
and began to worry about her husband
it was such a lonely walk, if it was
only two miles, and she did wish he
would come.


Footsteps on the front porch sent her
fears to the winds, and a spirit of mis-
chief took possession of her i'll their
stead the door was locked, and she
would make him wait Il few minutes to
pay him for making her wait so long.


She bent her head and pretended not
to notice, even when she heard the
steps descend from the porch and tramp
over the grass to the window.


The sash was violently thrown up,
and the ugly face that had been regard
ing her a short time before, was thrust
into the room, and then IA fierce voice
demanded:


"Why don't you come and open the
door for me ?"


Mrs. Cuthbert nodded her pretty
head, and without turning round an
swered, saucily:


''No, sir, don't mean to let you in
tonight"


The ugly face looked thunder-struck,
then frightened, and finally two grimy
paws clutched the window, shutting it
with crash that made the glasses quiv
er, and the ugly face was gone.


''Oh dear now he's angry always
do carry my fun too far" cried Mrs
Cuthbert, springing from her chair and
rushing into the hall.


"GeOrge! George !"


She turned the lock.


"George!"


The porch was empty, but she caught
sight of dark figure hurrying up the
path to the barn.


ooh, you're not going to hide from
me in that way, sir y she called out,
running down the steps and on toward
the barn.


The dark figure was swallowed up in
the great black doorway before she
reached it.


'Oh, you great goose she said,
standing on the threshold, "dOn't you
suppose l can find you? You had bet
ter give yourself up at once.


Then she waited. The dark figure
crouched still closer behind the old car
riage, and there was no answer.


81 shall find you, sir; know every
corner" she gave warning then, with
arms stretched out before her, COM
menced to search. In and out among
the barrels and boxes she went in the
utter blackness, calling out merrily now





punish him for giving her so much
trouble. Once she almost touched the
shrinking figure but it held its breath,
and she passed on.


1t was a weird game of fhide-and-seek
the dark figure With the ugly face cow
ering among the wheels, listening with
strange kind of savage fear to the
light footsteps that sounded now here,
now there he heard them climb the
ladder and patter about in the loft over
head, then come down again, and the
vOice-not so merry now-repeat heI
assurance of finding the truant, and a
sudden desire entered his brain to
spring upon her and choke her. II
would not be the first time he had done
such deed, but her perfect andacity
seemed to paralyze him, and again she
passed him all unconscious. He saw
her pause in the doorway, dimly out
lined against the sky, and then disap-
pear down the path.


''Ef she amt the pluckiest un ]" he
grOwled, as he crept from behind the