Pippin; A Wandering Flame

ood meal!" he was wont to say. "It's one of the gifts, or so I count it; we've no call to forget 'em

here a precious little store of apple wood, fruit of Jacob's thrifty pruning and thinning. The table itself, in the full light of the westering sun, glowed wi

atables ranged round it in nappies shaped like a bird's bath. "Lord, make me thankful!" he ejaculated. "

tes is payin' boarders, sir, payin' boarders, and behooves us set palatable food before 'em. Why, some of us pays as high as two dollars a week, don't we?" He smiled round the table. Pippin flung a

re I boarded!" said M

o otherwise!" said

ob Bailey went on calmly; "so you see we're all comforta

really know as I ever eat a ham to compare to thi

n with a game leg. "I claim," he said huskily, as if there were crum

w on me one night, and the smoke was checked. We had a ham la

d Pippin in amazement. "

antin' his sight has give him wonderful powers of smell and taste-and touch, t

!" said the bl

nd near, folks wants our hog p'dooce. Mr. Brand is

a little cold hand was

girl. "Please sin

ginning; but Jacob Bailey

't sing, Flora May!" he said. "Beside, I promise

who?" cri

ob. "This way, Pippin! He's pretty feeble,

Man Blossom, too! Old boozer, old snipe! Was he goin' to meet up w

lean bare little room, where, propped on pillows, lay a clean old man. He looked eagerly up as

now you see him! Well! well! And who ever thought of meetin' up with you here, Daddy? And sick, too! but if I had to be sick, I

l man, Pippin; my vitals is all perished; but that ain't what I want to say. I want you to help me! Say you'll help me, P

he bed and sat down. "Put a name to

e used to bring me candy, and poke it in betwixt the bars with her litt

ut there was no n

out her,

goin' to be well, and I want my little gal; I w

comfortably. "Wher

herself, and a good job, too, and she sent word to me that Mary was well and doin' well, but now she'd got shet of me she was goin' to keep her shet. Now what a way that was to talk to

ma's was; color of-there! 'member old Mis' Jennings that lived just over the way from There? Well, sir, she had a heifer, kind o' red brown, like a hoss chestnut when you break it open; and her skin the white of one, too, kind o' soft and creamy; and her eyes like her'n too (the heifer's, Old Man Blossom meant), big and soft and blue with a kind of brown in 'em too-there! he'd know her, Pippin would, by the dimple right corner of her little mouth. Cur'us thing that was.

actor's Lady, or the Turkish Garland," all through to restore tranquillity.

the way I'd go to work if I wasn't perished in my vitals"-he

repeate

-day. If I'd had Brand I'd never been nabbed, and I'd be rollin' in gold to-day, and goin' in my automobile to fin

big mistake. I'm not in the line any more; I guess not!" He threw back his head and laughed joyously. "You didn't know I found the Lord, did you? Well, I have, and there

? Where's Nippe

ent he gave me his wheel. I

taring at him a moment, broke into

e Lord, and he isn't in the line no more! Gorry to hemlock, this is rich

e, and his eyes rolled. P

e called quietly. "Mr.

th practised eyes; lifted the patient, thumped his b

ways brings on a spasm, and you hadn't ought to.

old geezer off, sure thing. He was on the blink, no two ways to that. "Loony too! Hear him laffin' fit to bust when I told him Nipper was dead! Now what do you know a

they would have said. They helped Mrs. Bailey in housework, mending, etc., but always with a touch of condescension and the understanding that it was "to accommodate." In person they were well contrasted. Miss Whetstone was a thin active little woman, with eyes like black glass and thin lips puckered in a sub-acid smile. She was always neat as wax,

eerest button of a nose that ever was seen, Pippin thought. She wore a rather pathetic "front," which was seldom quite straight; in fact, she was a pathetic figure altogether, poor Miss Lucilla, but she did not know it, so all was well. She never forgot that at sixteen she had been Queen of the May at a Sunday school festival, and her trunk still held, under the scanty stock of pett

ne asked. He sounded something awful. Was it the death spasm, did Mr. Pippin think? T

ut Mis' Bailey knows how to handle him. He'll rest easy now

That cheer is comfortable; set right down, now do so! He has been having those spasms

Pippin shook his

as to associate with. Of course you can keep yourself to yourself, and o

nodded, with a friendly glance which said "Presently!" Impossible to go at this moment, for Miss Whetstone evidently had more to say. She was bridling, and making little clucking noises in her throat, expressive (to herself, at least), of delicacy of feeling. Now speech came

els any call to take boarders except Mr. Bailey. You can see for yourself how it is, Mr. Pippin. The house is large and his own family small. He is well connected, Jacob is; his mother was

the two pairs of eyes fixed on him. Now wou

und, and find your welcome runnin' ahead of you like a houn' dog. But if you searched the country o

to make with this young man; it had to be made with every newcomer. Peo

we try to keep up the tone, you see. Now Mr. Blossom-you say he's no kin to you? Well, to speak my mind-and Miss Whetstone

l good, though there never was as much harm in the Old Man as in lots of others. But anyway," he added, "he's

-I beg you

say. I expect his trick is about up, what say? Dandy place to pass awa

st who had just walked past it. But Jacob Bailey had already disappeared in the shed, and it was Flora May's turn. She had followed Pippin, and

Flora May!"

e'll have us a reg'lar singsong, we will so. Real fond of singin', ain't you, Miss Flora Ma

They were of some hard nut wood, each one adorned with flow

the necklace off and was pressing it into Pippin's hand. He took it a

ot travelin' like I am, you see, and I like to see 'em round your neck,

, but her eyes m

e goin' to stay? I'll give you my eagle feathers

in' though, I see. It would be a joke if you was

et monotonous voice, which yet was strangely eager. "Uncle Bailey gave

hed. He laid his hand on the girl's shoulder; instantly her whole form rel

ey, kindly. Flora May shook her head and turne

eady. I don't mean to brag of my singin', don't you think that, but it's what has ben give me, and about all I have to g