Show THAT ANGEL BOY he sang like an angel angela t but his trip to the country will be long remembered by ELEANOR PORTER author of pollyanna just david etc by eleanor it porter I 1 AM SO glad you consented to stay over until Mori flay auntie for now you can hear bear our famous boy choir ethel had bad said at the breakfast table that sunday morning humph 1 ive heard of lem em ann wetherby had returned crisply but I 1 never took much stock in em A choir made 0 boys just as ag it if music could come from yellin hootin boys I 1 an hour later at st marks the softly swelling music of the tha organ was sending curious little thrills tingling to miss Wether bys finger tips then faintly in the distance sounded the first sweet notes of the processional ethel stirred slightly and threw a meaning glance at her aunt the woman met the look unflinchingly them aint no boys she whispered tartly wearer nearer and nearer swelled the chores until the leaders reached the open doors doom miss wetherby gave one look at the white robed singers then she reached over and clutched ethels fingers they bet bel and in their eighties nighties nigh night ties les too apol she added in a horrified whisper one of the boys had a solo in the anthem that morning and as the clear pure soprano rose higher and higher miss bliss wetherby gazed in undisguised awe at the young singer she noted the soulful eyes uplifted devoutly and the broad forehead framed in clustering brown curls to miss wetherby Wet berby it was the taca face of an angel at dinner that day miss WA Wt herby learned that the soloist was bobby sawyer she also learned that he was one of ethels tresh fresh aar mission children and that as yet there was no place for him to go for a vacation that angel child with the heavenly voice and no one to take him int hir miss wetherby bethought herself of her own airy rooms and flowering meadows and snapped her lips together with sudden determination til ill take himl him she announced tersely and went home the next day to prepare for her expected guest early la in the morning of the first monday la july miss wetherby added the finishing touches to the dainty white bedroom upstairs dear little soul I 1 hope hell like she murmured on the table in the corner comer were hymn books the great red and gold family bible and a baxters saints rest the only reading matter suited I 1 to miss conception of the mind behind those soulful orba upraised in devout adoration just before ann started for tte the station tommy green came over to leave his pet dog rover hover for missi Wether bys fresh lair flit boy to play with now thomas green remonstrated ann severely you can take that dirty dog right home I 1 wont have him around besides robert sawyer aint the kind of a boy you be lie ile dont care fur sech things I 1 know he dont halt half an hour later ann wetherby tier her heart thumping loudly against her ribs anxiously scanned the pas pa as they alighted at slocum ville rille station there were not many an old man two girls three or four foul women and a small dirty boy with a dog and a brown paper parcel in his arms ife he had not cornel come I 1 miss wetherby held her breall and looked furtively at the small boy there was nothing familiar in his appearance she was thankful to say eay he must be another one for somebody else still I 1 perhaps lie he might know something about her own angel boy she would ask ann advanced warily with a disapproving eye on the dog little boy can you tell me why robert sawyer come cornel she asked severely the result of her cautious question disconcerted disconcert od her not a little the boy dropped the dog and bundle to the platform threw his lint hat in the air and capered about in mild lid glee RI HI there bonest bones 1 were all right I 1 golly but I 1 thought we were sidetracked fur surel eurel miss wetherby Wet berby sank in limp dismay to a box of frel freight glit near by the bared lead head disclosed the clustering brown curls curis and broad forehead and the eyes uplifted to the whirling tint hat completed the telltale tell tale picture the urchin caught the hat deftly on the back of ills his licad head and pranced up to ann with his hands in ills pockets gee whiz marm but I 1 thought flunked fur sure I 1 reckoned me an bones was barkin up the wrong tree mils time it looked na as if wed come to a off place nn an given us the sup slip rm im bob myself ye see an ive come all right 1 are you robert sawyer she ghe gasped jest ye hear bear that bones laughed the boy shrilly capering round find and round the small email dog again Vs Is robert now do ye hear then he whirled back to his position in front of miss wetherby Wc and made a low bow robert sawyer at yer ser vico he announced in mock pom pomposity posit jr oh I 1 say bay he bo added with a cuick change of position better call me bob I 1 aint uster not liln else id fly oft off the handle quick ern no time putten on alra airs like that miss MIs Wether bys back straightened she made a desperate attempt to regain her usual stern self possession 1 I shall call ye robert boy I 1 dont like er cr that other name there was a prolonged stare and a low whistle from the boy then he turned to pick up ills his bundle come on bones stir yer stumps lively bowl this ere ladys a coln ter take us ter her shebang tor ter stay mos two weeks gee aee whiz bones aint this gr great yant and alth n ath one bound lie he was oft off the platform and turning a series of somersaults on the soft grass followed by the skinny man mangy gy dog which was barking itself nearly wild with joy you cn toller foller me sho said sternly without turning her head toward the culprits on the grass bobby trotted alongside of miss wetherby meekly followed by the y 4 at e a 4 I 1 i 5 v I 1 robert you aint st going home ham today doff cog soon the boy gave his trousers tro usera an awkward hitch bitch and glanced sideways up at the woman oh I 1 say aay marm mann I 1 think its bully of yer ter let nw me an bories bones come he began sheepishly it looked Is a it if our cased ased hang tire fire till the crack 0 doom there want no one ter have us when miss ethel told me her aunts take us it jest struck me ma all of a heap I 1 tell ye me an bones made tracks fur Slocum vIlle bouts soon as let us 1 I balant no doubt of it I 1 retorted ann looking back hopelessly at the dog ye see isee continued the boy confidentially denti ally there aint evry one what I 1 alkes boys an hi therel there 1 go jt it bones 1 ho he suddenly shrieked and scampered wildly after the dog which had bad dashed into the bushes by the side of the road ann did not see her young charge again until she had been home halt half an hour jimimy christmas 1 he be exclaimed 1 I begun ter think id lost ye but I 1 remembered yer last name was as the sames miss bliss ethel an a boy tommy green around the corner lie he told me where ye lived and oh ob I 1 say me an bones are a goin off with him an rover hover after ive bad bo methin ter eat t Is mos grub time aint ltv he added anxiously ann sighed in a discouraged way yes I 1 spose I 1 t Is I 1 left some beans a bakin and dinne dennerll ell be ready pretty quick you can come upstairs alra with me robert an rit ill show ye where yer coln ter sleep she tin dished with nith a sinking heart as aa she thou thought glit of those ruffled pillow shams bobby followed miss bliss wetherby erby into tike dainty chamber lie ile one look and puckered up his lips into a long ions low nh whistle istle well ill be flabbergasted 1 oh I 1 say now 30 dont expect me ter stay in all tills this fuss fusa an fix figins ins he exclaimed ruefully it it Is the room I 1 calculated far ye said ann with almost a choke in her voice alip boy looked up quickly and something rose within him that he did not quite understand oh well weil ye know its slick as a whistle an all that but I 1 aint uster havin it laid on so BO thick I 1 aint no great shakes ye know but ril ill wall walk the chalk all right this time miss bliss wetherby did not soe much moch of at her guest that afternoon he be nt away immediately affet dinner and did not return until supper time after supper he be went at once to his room but it was waa not until was bliss wetherby cpa ceased sed to henr bear the tha patter of his feet on the floor aboe e that she leaned back la in her chair with a sigh of relief beut uin iMin LO 10 make the bed that tuesday morning the sight that met mat her ryes eyes struck terror to her heart the bedclothes vi mere era scattered in wild confusion hau half oer the tha room the washbowl with two long singing books across it she alie discovered to tier her horror borror mas serhji sen lug u a prison tor for a small green snake the tha bible and the remaining hymn bucks bloks topped by baxters saints hurt 4 1 lay in a suspicious looking pile on ali floor under these bliss wetherby illa dia not look after her experience with the snake and the wash bowl her nerves were not strong enough slit sh recoiled in dismay also from the sight of two yellow paper covered books on oil the table flaunting shame lessly the titles jack the pirate ol of red bed island and haunted by a headless ghost ann wetherby never forgot that fourth of july nor for that matter the days that immediately followed she went about with both ears s stuffed with cotton and eyes that were ever on the alert for all manner of creeping crawling things in which bobbye bobbys soul delighted the boy reinforced by the children of the entire neighborhood held a circus in miss Wether bys woodshed and instituted a wild indian camp in her hei attle attic the poor woman was quite powerless and remonstrated all I 1 in 0 vain the boy was so cheerfully goo good d tempered under her sharpest words that the victory was easily his but on saturday when miss bliss wetherby returning from a neighbors found two cats tour four dogs and two toad tied to her parlor chairs to toge gethel with three cages containing resper teely a canary a parrot and a squirrel collected from obliging households she rebelled in earnest and summoned bobby to her side elde 17 robert tobert ive stood all im a coln ter youve pot got to go home monday do you hear 1011 oil come off miss wetherby taint only a menn men gry agry an you dont the acom none misa Wether bys mouth worked convulsively roberti robert 1 she gasped as soon as she could find her voice 1 I never ne never V heard of such dreadful goins on I 1 yoa yo TO a certainly cant stay here no longer she continued sternly an hour later bliss wetherby had bad a caller it was the chorister of her hei church choir the man sat down gingerly on one of the slippery haircloth chairs and proceeded at once to state stata hla his business 1 I understand miss wetherby that you have an er young singer with you miss Wet wetherby berby choked and stammered yes he ha sings er very well mr her the tha woman was still moro more visibly embarrassed 11 1 I I 1 dont know she murmured then in stronger tones the one that looked like him did are there dwor two be asked in stupid amazement miss wetherby laughed uneasily then she sighed well ter tell the truth mr wiggins wigging I 1 pose spose s B there aint but sometimes I 1 think there must be ill send robert down ter the rehearsal tonight and you can see what ye can do with him and with this mr wiggins won was forced to be content bobby sang on sunday the dittli church was full to the doors bobby was already famous in the village the witchery of the glorious voice entered again into the soul ard and indeed sent the entire congregation home in an awed silence that thai was waa the height of admiring homage at breakfast time monday morn morning kig bobby came downstairs with hla his brown paper parcel under his arm ann glanced at his woeful face then went out into the kitchen and slammed tile the oven door sharply well marm ive had a bully time sure cures a gun said the boy wistfully following her robert she began with assumed stern sternness less trying to hide bide her depth ol oj feeling you aint a coln home now mind what abat I 1 bayl take taka them things upstairs quick breakfasts nil all ready 1 A great light transfigured trans figured bobbye face ile he tossed his bis bundie into a corner and fell upon miss wetherby with a hug bug gee marm but yer a bricki brick I 1 an ill run yer errands an split yet yer wood nn an I 1 wont take no dogs an all cats in the parlor an ril HI do evry thid ye want mant me tot to I 1 oh ob golly golly 1 im coln ter stay im goin ter stay im coln ter stay and bobby danced out of the house into the yard there to turn somersault after in ID hilarious glee A queer pieer choking feeling came into ann Wether bys throat she see seethed inel still to feel the loving clasp of those small young arms anns and bobby stayed not only mon dav but through four other long days days which he filled to the brim with fun and trolle and joyous shouts ait a before and yet alth a change the shouts were less shrill and th yells less prolonged when bobby wn wat near the house and ihen ane four long days werf wen over anti and saturday cump came a note ano not bobby amna na sent to the city th note was addre qed to miss etli Wethe rhy and tills this Is what etheli theli IS amazed eyes road read my aly dear niece you can tell tant singer man of roberts that he be la Is not going back anymore any more he Is going to live with me and go to school next winter I 1 arn am going to to adopt him for my very own ills father and mother are bend he said so BO I 1 roust must close now for robert I 1 bun hungry gry and wants hla his dinner love lov to au ANN v |