Year: 1875

progressed so fast that he could read al
most anything. There had been a sort
of feverish eagerness in his desire to
learn, for which was at loss to ac-
count. Sometimes, coming home from
some party or opera, would find him
studying in the kitchen at midnight.


We grew fond of him. all of us. Cook
said he was no trouble, and he made it
seem as if she had her own boy back
again. He waited on Tom with sort of
dog-like faithfulness and, as for me, l
believe that he would have cut his hand
off for me at any time.


Yet one morning he got up and de-
iberately walked out of the house.
When his breakfast was ready cook call
ed fer him in vain, and in vain she
searched for him from attic to cellar.
But before it was time for Tom to go to
business another boy came, little older
than my vagrant-a nice, respectable
looking boy-and asked for Mr.. May.
He came into the dining-room and stood
there, cap in hand. ..


eff you please, sir" he said, bashful-
ly, "Johnny True wants to know if you
will be so good as to take me Oh in bis
place, considering that he isn't coming
back any more, and have done errands
before, and got good reference"


He had made his little speech in
breathless haste, running all his SEN
tences together into one.


Tom looked at him deliberately, and lit
cigar.


Johnny isn't coming back, hey2"


"No, sir"


"Where is johnny gone ~


"He didn't tell me, if you please, but
he said he should be hurt to death if it
troubled you to lose him, and he knew 1
could do as well as he could"


I saw refusal in Toms eyes, SO I
made haste to forestall it.


"Do take him." I said in a low tone
to Tom, and then [ said to the boy that
just now he had better go to the store,
and Mr.. May would see him presently,
when he came to business.


Tom laughed, a half amused, half
provoked laugh, when he went out, and
said:


"Well, my dear, I don't think your
vagrant has proved to be such success
that you need expect me to let him
choose my next errand boy"


L think, at least, that if he has sent
you one as good as himself, you will
have no fault to find," said, holly. But
all the time there was sore place in my
own heart, for I had thought that my
vagrant would have loved me too well to
run away from me in this way.


That night Tom said that the new
errand boy was doing well, and he had
concluded to keep him on. [ think Tom
missed my vagrant; but not, of course,
SO much as missed my bright scholar
my grateful little follower.


OF course, the new boy lived in his
own home, wherever that might be. I
did not concern myself about him, OF
feel any disposition to put him in the
little bed in the front attic.


Two or three weeks passed and we
heard no word from Johnny True. But
at last a rainy day came, and with it
Johnny. asking for Miss May.


CT guess he's repented," cook said,
coming up stairs to tell me. went down
to Johnny, resolved to be equal to the
occasion-to meet him with all the
severity his ungrateful behavior de-
served. But, somehow, the wistful
look in his blue eyes disarmed me. He
was little thin, and pale, too; and my
heart began to soften even before he
spoke.


81 couldn't stay away, ma'am," he
said, with the clear accent he had caught
SO quickly from my brief teaching,
"and not let you know why went"


"To let me know when you went
would have been more to the purpose"
1 answered, with what sternness 1 could
command. ct had thought better of
you, Johnny, than that you were capa-
BILE of running away"


"But you see, ma'am, I was afraid
you would not let me go if told YOU"


"And why did you want to go We're
you not comfortable ?"


eyes, maam-that was the worst of
it."


"Why the worst of it Have you
any especial objection to be comfort
able 2" I.3 .E ..
Suddenly the blue eyes filled with
tears, like girls; and there was pitt
full sob in the voice which answered me.


ooh, it hurt me so, when was warm,
and had good supper, and everybody's
kind word, to think of poor Mag there
at home, cold and hungry, and with old
Meg beating her. I never should have
come and left her but for the learning to
read. She wanted me to come for that. {"


$50 you could read to herr"


$50 could teach her, ma'am. You
never in all your life saw anybody so
hungry to learn to read as Mag; and
when ! went home that first day and
told her all you said, and told her that
after all couldn't go and leave her
there to take all the hard fare and hard
words, she just began to cry and to
teaze me to go and learn to read, SO /