OCR Text |
Show ijiKliil ri TM lfl!r &dBm 1RVIN0 DACHELUER illusxA-TIONS BY IICWIN raIW. CHAPTER NINE Continued. 13 "I itln't OBKzncl'ly used to this kind of n Job, but If you'll look out o the winder, I'll have It chopped uu' split uu' corded In 11 minute," mild Mr. Illcnklnsop. He j;ot nlons very well with his task. When they hegnn eating he remarked, re-marked, "I've been lookln' at that pie-tur' pie-tur' of a lrl with n baby In her arms. UrltiK-s the water to my eyes, It's kind 0' lifelike and nat'ral. It's an A number one plctur' no mistake." He pointed at a large painting on the wall. "It's I'aullne!" said the Shepherd. "Sure she's one o' tho saints o' Godl" the widow exclaimed. "She's started a school for tho children o' them Kytalluns nn' Polos. She's tryln' to make 'em good Americana." "I'll never forget that night," Mr. Dlenklnsop remarked. "If ye don't forglt It, I'll never mend another hole In ycr pants," tho widow answered. "I'vo never blabbed a word about It to any one but Mr. Singleton." "Keep that in ycr soul, man. It's yer ticket to Paradise," said tho widow. "She goes every day to teach tho Poles and Italians, but I have her hero with me always," tho Shepherd remarked. re-marked. "I'm glad when the morning morn-ing cornea so that I can seo her again." "God bless tho child! Wo was sorry to loso her but wo have tin plctur and tho look o' her with the love 0' God in her face," said the Widow Mornn. "Now light yer pipe and tako yer comfort, man," said tho hospitable widow, after tho dishes were cleared away. "Sure It's more like Christmas to sec a man an' a pipe In tho house. No, you can't help mo with tho dishes, nnd 1 wouldn't have you pottering pot-tering around me if you could. Heavens, Heav-ens, no I A man In the kitchen is worse than a hole In ycr petticoat." So Mr. Itlcnklnsop sat with the Shepherd while tho widow went about her work. With his rumpled hair, clean-shaven face, long noso and prominent ears, he was not n handsome hand-some man, but there was something In his face today that had been absent ab-sent for so long that It was a new man that sat at the table of the Widow Mornn, a man whom happiness and the feeling that he had really got back his Old Self had transformed. "This Is the top notch an' no mistake," mis-take," he remnrked as he lighted his pipe. "Itlenklnsop is happy. He feels like his Old Self. Ho has no fault to find with anything or anybody." Mr. nienklnsop delivered this report on the state of his feelings with n serious seri-ous look In his gray eyes. "It kind o' reminds me o' the time when I used to hang up my stockln' an' look for tho reindeer tracks In the snow on Christmas mornln'," ho went on. "Since then, my ol' socks have been full o' pain an' troublo every Christmas." "Those I knit for ye left here full of good wishes," said tho Shepherd. "Sny, when I put 'em on this morn- in' with tho b'lled shirt nn the suit that Mr. Ulng sent me, my Old Self came an' asked mo where I was goln' and when I said I was goln' to spoil' Christians with a respectable fam'ly, ho said, 'I guess I'll go with ye,' so here we be." "The Old Selves of tho village have all been kicked out-of-doors," said the Shepherd. "The other day you told me about tho' trouble you had with yours. That night, nil the Old Selves of lttugvlllo got together down In the garden und talked and talked about their relatives so I couldn't sleep. It was a kind of Seltland. I told Judge Crooker about It and ho said that that was exactly what was going on In tho Town hall tho other night at the public pub-lic meeting." "The folks are drunk as drunk ns I was In Hazelmead last May," said Mr. Illenklnsop. "They have been drunk with gold and pleasure " "The fruit of tho vino of plenty," said .Judge Crooker, who had Just coino up the stairs. "Merry Christ-inns Christ-inns I" ho exclulmed as he shook hands. "Mr. Illenklnsop, you look as If you were enjoying yourself." "An' why not when yer Self has been away an' Just got back'" "And you've killed the fatted turkey," said tho Judge, as ho took out Ills silver snufT box. "One by one the prodigals aro returning." They heard footsteps on the stairs and the merry voice of the Widow Mo-ran. Mo-ran. In a moment, Mr. and Mrs. IUug stood In the doorway. "Mr. and Mrs. Ulng, I want to make you acquainted with my dear friend, Hubert Mornn," said Judge Crooker. There were tears In the Shepherd's, eyes as Mrs. Hlng stooped and "tlssed hlm. He looked up nt tho mill Owner us the latter took his hand. "I am glad to see you," said Mr. Ulng. Ml8 this is this Mr. J. Ptittcrton Hlng'" the Shepherd asked, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Yes, and It Is my fault that you do not know me better. I want to bo your friend." The Shepherd put his handkerchief over his eyes. Ills voice trembled wheh he said: "You have been very kind to us." "But I'm really hoping to do something some-thing for you," Mr. Ulng assured him. "I'vo brought n grent surgeon from New York who thinks ho can help you. He will be over to seo you In tho morning." They had a half-hour's visit with the little Shepherd. Mr. Ulng, who was n Judge of good pictures, said that the boy's work showed great promise and that his picture of the mother and child would bring n good price if he cared to sell it. When they aroso to go, Mr. Hlenklnsop thanked tho mill owner for his Christmas Christ-mas suit "Don't mention it," said Mr. Blng. "Well, it mentions itself purty mid-dlln' mid-dlln' often," Mr. Hlenklnsop laughed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" the former asked. "Well, sir, to tell ye the dead hones' truth, I'vo got a now ambition," said Mr. Dlenklnsop. "I've thought of it nights a good deal. I'd like to be sextunt o' the church an' ring that ol' bell," "We'll seo what can bo dono about it," Mr. Blng answered with a laugh, ns they went down stairs with Judgo Crooker, followed by the dog Chrlst-mn9, Chrlst-mn9, who scampered around them on the street with a merry growl of challenge, chal-lenge, as if tho spirit of the day wcra in him. For a time they walked In silence, each member of tho little party busy with their own thoughts. Tho Shepherd Shep-herd of the Birds had mndo a pro "I'll Have It Chopped an' Split an' Corded In a Minute," Said Mr. Blenklnsop. found impression on the mind of Mr. Blng, nnd ho was realizing that there was more to tho world than a fnt bank balance. "What is It that makes the boy so appealing?" Mr. Blng usked of Hie Judge. "Well, ho hns a spirit untouched by any evil thought, unbroken to tho lures and thorny ways of tho world of which ho knows nothing, for one thing," answered an-swered Judgo Crooker. "Hu has a wonderful personality," Mrs. Blng remarked. "Yes, ho has that. But tho thing that underlies and shines through It la his great attraction." "What do you call it?" .Mrs. Blng asked. "A clean and noblo spirit I Is there nny other thing In this world that, In Itself, Is really worth having?" "Compared with hlm, I recognlzo that I am very poor Indeed," said J. Patterson Blng, and his associates In the tluauiial world would have had dlllleiilty In recognizing the voice with Its unaccustomed note of humility. "You aro 'hat I would call a promising prom-ising young mail," the Judge answered. "If you don't get discouraged, you're going to amount to something. I am glad, because you are, In a sense, the father of the great family of Blng-vllle." Blng-vllle." ( TIIK KNI1 |