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Show In Pleasant Places tfWIMHafwMlMilBl When first I saw her sho was In tho lano whoro It crosses tho main , -oad which leads from tho city to I'leasant Places. A sharp anglo is undo just whero you turn to tho loft jy a tiny church, which looks down, vlth broad nnd smiling features upon lIio (urroundlng churchyard. Sho flashed Into vlow ns I was turning turn-ing tho corner with criminal careless-ress, careless-ress, having moro than ono oyo on my front tiro, which seemed somewhat flabby. To avoid hurting her I Bwcrvcd into tho bank. For a similar reason, I think, I could havo swerved Into Niagara. Ni-agara. However, In this caso Fato did but innd mo upon a lino crop of blackberry hushes. "O dear!" sho said. "Has It hurted jou?" I assured her that It had not, though at my ago and weight n man can icarcoly expect to cscapo scathless. . rom an nttempt to climb a steep bank on n bicycle. "Hut there's lots of Rtlngcrs In your hands!" sho said, In dismayed tones. And O, a lot moro In jour clothes!" Her dimpled hands wero soon busy oxti acting tho thorns, nnd after live minutes' work only a few wero left. As they thinned, tho loss of each ono brought its regrets. Would sho run away when they woro nil gono? "My butters!" sho cried suddenly, running to' n bundle of freshly th-3red th-3red buttercups which sho had dropped m hor nnxlcty and perturbation. "O, my poor butters daddy's butters!" sho added, with an air of Introduction. 'Ho loves "cm!" "So you havo boon getting some," I said, "to tako homo to him?" "No," sho said, slinking hor head sadly, her brown eyes filled with awe. 'They say daddy's homo Is In Evil. Thnt's a long way ofl, Isn't It?" she asked wistfully. I was obliged to confess that It wt. a long way off from her. "My homo Is my auntie's homo not my proper nuntlo," sho hastened to add, "llko Auntlo Ithoda, but my untle Harris. That's my Auntlo Harris' Har-ris' " pointing to n laborer's cottage by tho northern boundary of the Jiurchyard. "I never see my Auntie Ithoda now, hut mamma comes, Jou know, sometimes, nnd pays Auntlo Harris n lot of pennies, and kisses mo. tnd laves mo. Daddy comes on his olsikler sometimes. Ho hasn't been lor a long tlmo, but he's coming to-Jay," to-Jay," sho concluded proudly, with a greater Joy In hor faco than her tender ten-der fcatuios seemed ablo to hold. Ono Is apt to grow sad at times. "Daddy and mamma never como to see you together?" 1 said softly. "Never! Daddy has been wicked; mamma says so. But I lovo him, nnd" with moro mute appeal than dctcr-aiiratlon dctcr-aiiratlon In her cyos "I'm n-golng to 'liako him good. I can, can't I, If I tries nwful hard!" 1 did not reply, pointing out to her instead a lark that was rising over the adjoining field, nnd scarcely knowing know-ing why Its song thrilled so. "Tho stingers aren't all out," she said, In tones that expressed a con iclousncss of Ingratitude "Let me id 'em!" Sho perched on my knee. 'Let's talk about daddy," sho said. I replied that wo would talk about laddy with nil my heart, which wo did for tho host half of an hour. "Havo you got a daddy a wicked me'.'" sho finally asked. I assured her that I did not possess one of nny grndo. "I am nn old bachelor," I said, "and llvo all alone." Hor faco was full of sympathy. "And a daddy never comes to see vou?" sho said, gently. "Not oven a mamma! Poor man!" Her Ideas of compensation betrayed A-hero lay tho keeping of her little heart. "I'm Graco," sho said softly, after a thoughtful pauso. "I'll como and set on If you llko." It took somo littlo tlmo to cxplalr 0 Graco tho dlfllcultles which lay in ho way of such an act of charltj. Jvontunlly tho mattor was compro uisod by my ngreolng to como somo uraos to seo hor nt Pleasant Places. "You'ro not a very old bachelor," iho said, nftor a pc iod of Intense re .lection. "My dad's young, and ho'b ,'ot somo grays u-comlng. You've got uo grays." . I throw no Impediment In tho way of .ier diligent search for graju, oven disclosing a few usually hidden from prying eyes by a leftward tilt of cap jr hat. Sho smiled happily when she aw them; mnybo, In tho buds of ho' .uturo Ideas, thoy mndo daddy and me moro analogous. Wo heard tho sound of a blcyclo tire crunching tho coarso grit of tho lano. Looking up, sho leapod from my knoo, and was off llko tho wind. Furthor lown tho road a young follow of nbout JO, looking tall and woll In a dark ycllm suit, stood, with outstretched hands and shining oyos. Heedless of tho thorns, his ejelo lay whoro ho had ict It fall among tho briars. "O, my daddy!" sho gasped, throwing throw-ing horself Into his arms. "My wick-ickcd wick-ickcd daddy! Havo you como to bo mailed good?" As It was necessary to pass them to proceed, I paused for a moment near thorn, thinking sho might look up to say good-day. Hut I was no longer of her world. Hor chubby hands still grasping tho "butters" which ho loved, wero locked tightly around his nock, and tho man'B dark faco was burlod from sight In a moss of soft dark curls. 1 mounted softly and rodo away from Graco and Pleasant Places. Tho surotror was far advanced when I saw hor npaln, for tho city had H claimed mo much, and Pleasant Placet BJ had been for others. Tho scent of th H liny had nigh died from tho lanes, and BJ tho corn was growing golden raort B quickly than ono likes when ono li H loth for tho summer to go. IB Sho was sitting, with a book, not far BJ from tho spot of our acquaintance. f"m Subsequently I learned that she wai ft never far from that placo when the H vlllago school hours wcro over. It nai H thcro sho always met tho dark-faced BJ man, and thcro sho would sit for houri H when ho wns miles away, looking at B tho plcturo books he brought her. H "Well?" I cried, for her attention ol E tho pictures mado her unawaro ot mj HJ approach. Sho looked up, quickly to recognize, and smiled. "Oh," sho said, "it's tho fat man!" Then softly, to herself: "What fell In tho stingers!" Sho mndo room for mo beside bcr, daintily moving an Inch or so of dress. I was thinking of her passionate rush to tho other man's anna. It really seems absurd, but I felt Just a little disconcerted, "Where's your blslklor?" sho asked. It was nt tho ii.n, I Informed her. "I told my daddy about you," sho said. "Ho comes to bco mo cv-e-ry Sunday now. Wo havo dinner and tea at Aunt Harris'." "And mamma?" I Inquired. "Mamma comes somo days Saturdays." Satur-days." Sho pointed to tho book, and added, confidentially: "But I havo daddy dad-dy always. He's In here. I know It's him, because he's got wlckstcrs on his Up; not nil over." JB "And nro you making him good?" 1 BBj Sho gavo mo tho searching look ot H criticism as onco boforo. H "Ho Is not wicked now," sho said H slowly. "Mamma told Auntlo Harris H so. Dear mummy says a littlo angel H was alwojs pulling at his heart, and B pulling at his heart until It broke, and H ho could not stay nway. Ho la good H now mamma Bays so; but she says BJ no enn nover bo forgiven. Can't he?" H I could not moot her look of wistful BJ entreaty, so turned my gazo to tho BJ fields, thinking of many things I havo seen and heard and read, until my eyes wero brnvo enough to meet hers. "Perhaps ho has suffered, little ono, and thoso who havo suffered may hopo to ho forgiven," I said, looking at her. Sho left my sldo with sudden hasto, clambering upon my knee, and I felt tho ecstasy of her soft arms about my neck. "I lovo you!" sho sobbed passionately. passion-ately. "My daddy has suffered ho toldcd mo so. I lovo you, fat man!" Thoro nro ever things to bring a fall to prldo. I Inquired diplomatically If sho would not llko to call mo uncle. "O, jes!" sho cried, Bmlllng through her tears llko April sunshlno. "Uuclo Uncle " "Hob?" "Yes, Undo Bob! Not my proper " uncle, though, you know," she wns J carclul to add, "but llko my Auntie Eg Harris." And so tho amendment was carried. HJ During tho ripening of tho corn tho HJ spot saw mo onco again; but she was not there. Without her tho lnno scorned strangely empty nnd uninteresting; uninter-esting; so I, lacking tho moral courage to seek her at "Auntlo" Harris', turned my wheel back towards tho city. Tho tlmo ot harvest, when tho country coun-try works and tho city plays, came, and I, who had seen overmuch of tha latter, thought with joy of a quiet sojourn so-journ In tho Joys of tho former not far away, bo It confessed, from Pleasant Pleas-ant Places. I did not go on tho "blslkler," choosing choos-ing tho train, and, alighting at tho littlo lit-tlo railway station, walkod along the narrow, high-hedged lano, then In fullest full-est gnrmont of nut, briar and honey-.suckle. honey-.suckle. A mtlo or so, nnd ono comes to tho crossing, and takes tho Hold paths, which wind tholr way to tho church. When climbing tho second stile, BJ whero tho stubble meets tho view In BJ uitumn In a broad, undulating ex- BJ panso of rich gold, my eyes fell upon Bj the figures of a man and woman who H wero walking towards tho utile from H 'ho opposito direction. Graco trottedfBJLiH between them, holding each by tho ff yp hand, hor fnco cxpresslvo of Joy crys- U tallzcd, nnd albo of, I almost thought, BJ victory. BJ "Look!" sho cried. "Mamma dad- B) dj' thoro's Undo Bob!" Bj Thoy paused, tho woman with a ra- BJ illnnt smile upon hor fnco, which was BJ beautiful with tho beauty of a rippling H brook touched by tho sunlight on tho BJ surface; tho man with a thoughtful BJ look, as If debating If It wcro better BJ to Bpenk or to pass on. He Inclined 3 his head, flushed deeply as I lifted my BJ tap, and, with a low "Good afternoon," IB wo went our different wa-vs. His was H not n weak faco, and surely seldom IB was seen boforo tho shadows of mon- BJ tal conflict bo darkly thrown on human H features. Tho child's passionate words BJ flashed to my mind: "My dnddy hai IB suffered ho toldcd mo so!" BJ When thoy reached the bond which E hid tho first stllo from my vlow thoy BJ paused, glancing bnckward. Tho littlo Bj ono disengaged ono ot her hands and H waved nn adlou, then tripped on bo- BJ tween them, out of my sight, out ot BJ my ken, round tho grassy bond which BJ curves towards tho railway station. BJ Her right hand wns given to tho man, fl her left to the woman; eo were thoy BJ Unkod together. In tho ovenlng I B sought "Auntlo" Harris' little cottago, fl and rosponded to a printed Imitation VjS which hung lu tho window to tako lea Wm within. Hi Ovor a cup of that homely bevcrago HR wo condoled with each othor for our SS mutual loss sho from a financial point H of vlow, I from Dut I scarcely fl know. Selocted. BJ |