"I heard," old Swygert was saying to her. "I heard it! I might 'a' known! I might 'a' known!"
"He stood," she panted, "like a rock--oh, the brave, beautiful thing!"
"Where is that----" Swygert suddenly checked himself and looked around.
A man in the crowd (they had all gathered about now), laughed.
"He's gone after his dog," he said. "Peerless has run away!"
By ELIZABETH ALEXANDER HEERMANN [ELIZABETH ALEXANDER in _Saturday Evening Post_, August 13,1921.]
It had been over two months since Freddy Le Fay's bill had been paid, and Miss Nellie Blair was worried. She had written to Freddy's mother repeatedly, but there had been no answer.
"It's all your own fault, sister. You should never have taken Freddy," Miss Eva said sharply. "I told you so at the time, when I saw his mother's hair. And of course Le Fay is not her real name. It looks to me like a clear case of desertion."
"I can't believe it. She seemed so devoted," faltered Miss Nellie.
"Oh, a girl like that!" Miss Eva sniffed. "You should never have consented."
"Well, the poor thing was so worried, and if it meant saving a child from a dreadful life----"
"But, sister, she seemed to have her heart set on ours. She begged me to make a little gentleman out of him."
"Freddy isn't dreadful!" cried Mary hotly.
"With that atrocious slang! Won't eat his oatmeal! And he's such a queer child--queer! So pale, never laughs, doesn't like any one. Why should you take up for him? He doesn't even like you. Hates me, I suppose."
"It's because we are so different from the women he has known," said Mary.
"I should hope so! Well, sister, what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know what to do," sighed Miss Nellie. "He hasn't any other relatives as far as I know. And the summer coming on, what shall we do?"
"Nothing for it but to send him to an orphanage if she doesn't write soon," said Miss Eva.
"Why not? How can we afford to give children free board and education?"
"It would be a dozen, if we once started it."
"I'll wait another month," said Miss Nellie, "and then, really, something will have to be done."
"There he is now," she said, "sitting on the stone wall at the end of the garden. It's his favourite spot."
"What on earth he wants to sit there for--away from all the other children! He never plays. Look at him! Just sitting there--not moving. How stupid!" exclaimed Miss Eva impatiently.