——— Sli P— —————————————————— Bellefonte, Pa., January 3, 1913. | | | Hl — — A GIRL | OF THE LIMBERLOST By GENE STRATTON-PORTER Copyright, 199, by Doubleday. Page & Co SYNOPSIS Althougn a good scholar, Elnora Com- stock, entering high school, is abashed by | her country dress. She needs $20 for books and tuition fees. Her mother is unsympathetic, and Elnora tells her trou- bles to Wesley Sinton, an old neighbor. When Elnora was born her father was drowned in a swamp, embittering her mother’s life. Elnora determines to raise money by gathering forest specimens. The Sintons buy clothes for her. Elnora, getting her books cheaply, finds & market with the Bird Woman for but- terilies, Indlan relics, ete. Mrs. Comstock's devotion to her hus- band's memory will not permit her to. Bell trees or have oil wells dug on her | land. The Sintons bring Elnora new | clothing. I Elnora is delighted with her outfit. Her | mother says she must pay for it. Wes- | ley and Margaret Sinton discuss the girl's airs. Pete Corson, a Limberlost frequenter, | warns Elnora not to visit the Limberlost | at night or go far into the swamp at aay | Billy, a bright but untrained little chap, with a shiftless father and hungry broth- er and sister, gets Elnora's luncheon. Wesley, troubled by Corson's warning, in- vestigates Sinton finds some one has been spying on Elnora. The girl feeds Billy again. She is “taken up” by the high school gir! Billy's father dies, and the lad is taken home by Sinton, who makes provision for his brother and sister. Margaret finds Billy mischievous, but her heart softens, and he is adopted. Pete helps Elnora to collect specimens. Sue buyy a Mark Twain book for her mother. [Continued from last week.) Billy laid a grimy hand on the re- gion of his stomach, and the flithy little waist *ank close to the backbone. | “Bet your life, boss,” he said cheer- fully i “How loug have you been twisted?" asked Sinton. Rilly appealed to the others. “When was it we had the stuff on the bridge?" “Yesterday morning,” said the girl. | “Is that all gone?" asked Sinton. : “She went and told us to take it home,” said Billy ruefully, “and "cause she said to, we took it. Pa had come back, he was drinking some more, and he ate a lot of it—"most the whole thing, and it made bim sick an a dog, and lhe went and wasted all of it. Then he got drunk some more, and now he's asleep again. We didn’t get hardly none.” “You children sit on the steps until the man comes,” said Sinton. “I'll send you some things to eat with him. What's your name, sonny?" “Billy.” said the boy. “Well, Billy, 1 guess you better come with me. I'll take care of him,” Sinton promised the others. He reach- | ed a hand to Billy. { “l ain't no baby, I'm a boy,” said | Bllly as he shufed along beside Sin- | ton, taking a kick at every movable object without regird to his battered toes. Once they passed a Great Dane dog lolling after its master, and Billy as- cended Sinton as if he was a tree and clung to him with trembling hot hands. “I ain't afraid of that dog. scoffed Billy as he was azain placed on the walk, “but one’t he {20% me for a rat or somepin and his teeth cut into my back. If I'd a Cone right I'd a took the law on him.” Sinton looked down into the indig- nant little face. The child was bright enough, he had a good head. but, oh. such a body! Wesley Sinton reached his hand. They were coming into the business part of Onabasha, and the streets were crowded. Billy understood it to mean that he might lose his companion and took a grip. That little hot hand clinging tight to his. the sore feet recklessly scouring the walk, the hun- gry child panting for breath as he tried to keep even, caught Sinton In a tender, empty spot. “Say. son.” he said. “how would you like to be washed clean and have all the supper your skin could hold and sleep in a good hed? “Aw, gee!” said Billy, “I ain't dead yet. Them things is in heaven. Poor folks can’t have them. Pa said so.” “Well, you can have them if you want to go with me and get them,” promised Sinton, “Kin I take some to Jimmy and Belle?” “If you'll come with me and be my boy I'll see that they have plenty.” “What will pa say?” “Your pa isin that kind of sleep now where he won't wake up, Billy,” said Sinton. “I am pretty sure the law will give you to me if you want to | come." “When people don't ever wake up | they're dead,” announced Billy, “Is, my pa dead?” “Yes, he is,” answered Sinton. | 1y’s family and make him take care of | human. My heart goes out to him." Belle, too?” | “I can't adopt all three of you,” said | Sinton they are well provided for. Will you me?" “Yep, I'll come,” said Billy. “Let's eat, first thing we do.” “All right,” agreed Sinton. “Come into this restaurant.” He lifted Billy to the lunch counter and ordered the clerk to give him as many glasses of | milk as he wanted and a biscuit. “I think there's going to be fried chicken when we get houie. Billy,” he said, “sc you just take the edge off now and fill up later.” CHAPTER X, | Wherein Billy Creates a Sensation In the Sinton Home. HILE Billy lunched Sinton call- | ed up the different depart- ments and notified the proper authorities, ending with the Women's Relief association. He sent! a basket of food to Belle and Jimmy, | bought Billy a pair of trousers and a shirt and went to bring Elnora. | “Why, Uncle Wesley!" cried the girl. “Where did you find Billy?” : “I've adopted him for the time being, if not longer,” replied Sinton. | “Where did you get him?” queried the astonizhied Elnora. “Well, young woman,” said Sinton, | “Mr. Brownice told me the history of | your lunch box. It didn't seem so fun- ny to me as it does to the rest of them, | 80 1 went to look up the father of Bil- them or allow the law to do it for him. It will have to be the law.” “He's deader than anything!” broke in Billy. “He can't ever take all the meat any more." “Billy!” gasped Elnora. “Never you mind!" said Sinton. “A child don’t say such things about a fa- ther who loved und raised him right. When it happens the father alone is to blame. You won't hear Billy talk like that about me when I cross over.” | “You don’t mean yon are going to! take him to keep!" “T'll soon need help,” said Sinton. “Billy will come in just about right ten | years from now, and if I raise him I'll have him the way | want him.” “But Aunt Margaret don't like boys,” | objected Elnora. “She won't want him in her home.” “In our home," corrected Sinton. “What makes you want him?’ mar- veled Elnora. “God only knows,” said Sinton. “Bil ly ain't so beautiful, and he ain't so smart. I guess it's because he's so “So did mine,” said Elnora. “I love him. I'd rather see him eat my lunch than have it myself any time.” “What makes you like him?” asked Sinton. “Why, I don't know.” pondered El- nora. “He's so little, he needs so much, he's got such splendid grit and he's perfectly unselfish with his broth- er and sister! But we must wash him before Aunt Margaret sees him. I wonder if mother'— “You needn't bother. I'm going to take him home the way he is,” said Sinton. “I want Maggie to see the worst of it.” “I'm afraid” — began Elnora. “So am 1,” said Sinton, “but I won't give him up. He's taken a sort of grip on my heart. I've always been crazy for a boy. Don't let him hear us.” “Don’t let him get killed!” cried El. | nora. During their talk Billy Led | wandered to the edge of the walk and barely escaped the wheels of a passing automobile in an effort to catch a stray kitten that seemed in danger. Sinton drew Billy back to the walk and held his hand closely. When they ‘Bee me make 'em go!” he shouted as the whip fell a second time. started home Billy sat on the front | seat. He drove with the hitching strap tied to the railing of the dashboard, flourished the whip and yelled with de. light. At first Sinton laughed with him, but by the time he left Elnora with several packages at her gate he was looking serjous enough, Margaret was at the door as they drove up the lane. Sinton left Billy In the carriage, hitched the horses and went to explain to her. He had not reached her before she cried, “Look, Wesley, that child! You'll have a run- away!” Wesley looked and ran. Billy was standing in the carriage slashing the mettlesome horses with the whip. “And you'll take care of Jimmy and as the whip fell a second time. He did make them go. They took | the hitching post and a few fence pal- “I'll take you and see that | ings, which scraped the paint from a wheel. Sinton missed the lines at the | first effort, but the dragging post im- them. He led them to the barn and | ordered Billy to remain in the carriage while he unbitched. Then leading Billy and carrying his packages he en- tered the yard. “You run play a few minutes, Billy,” he said. “I want to talk to the nice lady.” The nice lady was looking rather stupefied as Sinton approached her. “Where in the name of sense did | you get that awful child?’ she de- manded. Her husband told ber Billy's story, “He's half starved. I want to wash him and put clean clothes on him and , give him some supper,” he said. : “Have you got anything to put on him?” “Yes.” “Where did you get it?" “Bought it. It ain't much. All I got didn't cost a dollar.” i “A dollar is a good deal when you work for it the way we do.” i “Well, 1 don’t know a better place to put it. Have you got any hot wa- ter? I'll use this tub at the cistern. Please give me some soap and towels.” Instead Margaret pushed by him with a shriek. Billy had played by producing a cord from his pocket, and, having tiell the tails of Margaret's white kittens together, he had climbed on a box and hung them across the clothesline. Wild with fright, the kit- tens were clawing each other to death, and the air was white with fur. The string had twisted, and the frightened creatures could not recognize friends. Margaret stepped back with bleeding hands. Sinton cut the cord with his knife, and the poor little cats raced under the house bleeding and disfig- | ured. Margaret, white with wrath, faced Sinton. i “If you don’t hitch up and take that animal back to town,” she said, “I will.” Billy threw himself on the grass and began to scream. “You said I could have fried chicken ' for supper,” he wailed. “Yon said she was a nice lady.” i Sinton lifted him, and something in bis manner of handling the child infu- riated Margaret. [lis touch was so gentle! She reached for Billy and grip- ped his shirt collar in the back. Sin- ton’s hand closed over hers. | “Gently, girl!” he said. “This little body is covered with sores.” ! “Sores! she ejaculated. “Sores? What kind of sores” “Oh. they might be from bruises made by fists or boot toes, or they | Wight be bad blood from wrong eating, ! or they might be pure filth. Will you hand we some towels?” “No. I won't,” said Margaret. “Well, give me some rags, then.” Margaret compromised on pieces of old tablecloth, | Sinton led Billy to the cistern, pump- ed cold water into the tub, poured in a kettle of hot aud. beginning at the head, scoured him. The boy shut his litle teeth und said never a word, though he twisted occasionally when the soap struck a raw spot. Margaret watched the process from the window fn amazed and ever increasing anger. Where did Wesley learn it? How could his big hands be so geutie? Sin- | the anil be caught | Wesley took a cup, weakened the drug + eat the kind of food that's fit for little ; and kept mighty clean. | guess they's poison. | strong enough to do effective work, on ; or utter a sound other than to take a { ‘Hood's Sarsaparilia. St. Mary's Beer. ton came to the door. “Have you got any peroxide?’ “A little,” she answered stifly, “Well, I need about a pint, but I'll begin on what you have.” Margaret handed him the bottle. and said to Billy: “Man, these sores on you must be healed. Then you must men. [am going to put some medicine on you, and it is going to sting like fire. If it just runs off I won't use any more. If it boils there is poison in these places, and they must be tied up, dosed every day, and you must be washed Now, hold still, because I am going to put it on.” | “I think the one on my leg is the worst,” said the undaunted Billy, hold- ing out a raw place. Sinton poured on the drug. Billy's body twisted and writhed, but he did not run. “Gee, look at it boil!” he cried. “I You'll have to do it to all of them.” Sinton’s teeth were set as he watch- ed the boy's face. He poured the drug, a dozen places over that little body | and bandaged all he could. Billy's lips quivered at times, and his chin jumped, but he did not shed a tear deep Interest in the boiling. j “Now am I clean?" asked Billy. | “Yes, you are clean outside,” said Sin- | ton. “There is some dirty blood in your | body, and some bad words in your | mouth, that we have to get out, but | that takes time. If we put right things to eat into your stomach that | will do away with the sores, and if you know that I don’t like bad words | You won't say them any oftener than | you can help, will you, Billy?” Billy leaned against Sinton in ap- | parent indifference, ‘ [Continued on page 3. Col. 1.1 Knees Became Stiff FIVE YEARS OF SEVERE RHEUMATISM. Waverly Olls. LYON & COMPANY. Clearance Sale ) of ( ALL WINTER GOODS. o-oo We begin our pre-inventory Clearance Sale now. All odds and ends in every department must be sold at and below cost. Watch for the sign of the Rummage table. It means A BIG SAVING TO YOU. S909 Special Low Prices on All Coats, Suits and Furs during this CLEARANCE SALE The Ri - The Pgh it No odor No soot Lyon & Co. .... Bellefonte Triple refined Pennsyl- vania crude oil. The best lamp oil is Family Favorite 0il FREE-320 page book about olf WAVERLY OIL WORKS CO. rm ———— The sunsnine of lager beer satisfaction radi- ates from every bottle of ELK COUNTY BREWING COMPANY'S EXPORT. Every glass is a sparkl- exquisite taste any brewer’s sibly create. Our ment is equipped latest mechani- and sanitary de- the art of brew- cently installed a ment ranking Our sanitary ilizing the bottles filled, and the of pasteurizing has been auto- guarantees the our product. We at the brewery tles, as exposure to light injures flavor. ElIK County Brewing Company ST. MARYS, PENNSYLVANIA ing draught of and is as pure as skill can pos- entire establish- with the very cal inventions vices known to ing, having re- bottling equip- second to none. methods of ster- before they are scientific process the beer after it matically bottled lasting purity of | bottle our beer | in AMBRE bot- —— ll Mls Bn . Bi... he : Pennsylvania : State : College EDWIN ERLE SPARKS, Ph.D., L.L. D., PRESIDENT. Betablished and waintained Jy the jolt action each— Education—TUITION FREE to both sexes; incidental charges mod- erate. ns middle of September; second of February; Summer for Teachers about the ti ri ...unday of June catalogue, bulletins, announcements, etc., address Firat semester | of each year. For 57-26 of the United States Government and the and Physical nester the first Yeager’s Shoe Store “FITZEZY” The Ladies’ Shoe that Cures Corns EERIE Sold only at Yeager’s Shoe Store, Bush Arcade Building, BELLEFONTE, PA. >
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers