Pippin; A Wandering Flame

they had been your own. Mrs. Baxter, the baker's wife, was like-well, call it an aunt. Yes, she sure was like a good aunt, and equally so was her uncle; as for Buster, the boy-well, that

t of 'em, like-li

when Father had caught his hand in the oven door and lamed him so; she did not know what upon earth they would have done without Pippin. Indeed he showed himself so handy that after the first week Mr. Baxter offered him a permanent job, decla

sor-grinder to sing in their choir while he sojourned in their midst. Was he a Catholic? Father O'Brien asked. No? More was the pity, but let him come and sing in the church, and 'twould be good for him and the rest besides. Pippin assented joyfully. He would be real pleased to come, and sing the best he kn

a general way, you know. Mr. Stebbins looked grave, and said that was not a very safe doctrine. He hoped his young friend would join their service of song on Sunday evening; it might be

nd him behind the green moreen half-curtains in the Methodist meetinghouse, pouring out his soul in gospel hymns and assuring his hearers that they would meet beside the river, the beautiful, the beautiful river, in such tones and with such feeling that every woman in meeting wept, and there was a mighty blowing up of nasal trumpets among the men. Elder Stebbins' discourse was ra

things that jarred-for a time-on his sensibilities; as thus. They were together in the shop one evening, and a customer came in for his eve

n, and that loaf would hav

s pleased with this batch, I thought the Lord give me an elegant bake on

ically as he accompanied him to the door, and-on

asked the shoemaker. "A pre

might have been, if he'd had education. He's ju

iliatory, but the

em, I say, when they're just pious. They'll

me. "He's a scissor-grinder by trade, and a master hand at it. I hurt my hand last week, and he

ers. "You look out for him, that's all I say. Shar

, this time with his eye on Pippin, who was arr

m handsome? And dandy to eat-green grass! Mis' Baxter give m

usly that he was a pilgrim, he was a stranger

t deta

am g

Baxter, "I was

ion instantly. "Yes,

y, and wholly embarrassed-"whether maybe you-just in a manner, you understand, just in

y round. "Meanin'-wit

meetinghouse and was rarely to be mentioned except within its four walls. "For example," he went on

th of pies, pumpkin, apple, mince and custard, with cakes of every variety, from the wedding cake which was Mr. Baxter's special pride, to his wife's creamcakes, eagerly sought by the neighborhood for ten

e this! Don't know as I get you this time, Boss!" He turned bewilder

loaves, and straightened one that had slipped out of p

emme tell you just the way it is." Fairly stammering in his eagerness, Pippin le

"No need to speak out loud, Pippin. Just as w

, sir." The baker nodded gravely. "Well, then! That's what I was raised to, and it run off my tongue like water, till-till I come to know Elder Hadley. I'm tol'able noticin', sir; I expect crooks is, when they're all there; you have to be, to get on. I noticed right off the way he spoke, clean and short and pleasant, no damnin' nor cussin'; and I liked it, same as I liked clean folks and despised dirty ones. That was all there was to it at first. But yet I couldn't

. "I get it, Pippin. I

gen'leman that stepped in just now? He's no use for me, I see that right off; I wondered why, and now 'tis clear as print. I'd oughter sized him up better. Take that kind of man, and he may be good

He laughed and rubbed his hands. "Stubbed his toe on-on the Lord's ladder

er's there, ain't we, sir?" Pippi

rubbed an imaginary spot on the shining glass. "That's all right,

the like when people were in a hurry. Pippin, after a glance at the clock, had taken some penni

?" repeated the bak

uarter missin' yesterday, Boss, you rec'lect, a

looked serious. "I

hem up one by one on the blade of his jackknife, deposited them on the counter. "I've n

nner, but they came forward readily, and the girl asked for a five-cent loaf of white bread, putting at the same moment five pennies on the counter, close beside those which already lay th

lied cheerfully. "Cost you a qua

y sprang back from the counter and danced about the shop, crying and splut

w in the name-why, you must have made a mistake and took up some of Mr. Baxter's pennies. Yes, sir, that's what you done. Didn't you know that bakeshop pennies was hot? They be, sure thing! There goes Sissy!" as the

carefully modulated kick, and with a frie

kids! If I met 'em in the city, I should say they was in trainin'. I'll

s head sadly. "Those little kids! Why, the boy doesn't look to be

min' to make a first-rate crook, you've got to start in early with him. B

her, and keep her awake nights. One comfort, they're not Kingdom born, those

, or out along the green roads that led from it in various directions. When he came to a promising looking corner with houses set within comfortable reach of one another, he would stop, and leaning on his whee

scissors to

one to you

and

ed an

ve any be

scissors to

ecie and

'em

ou wi

ion you'l

a kind of miracle. I sang the first line through two three times, and lo ye! the next one turned right up matchin' of it. Now tha

aps be better to substitute 'species' for 'specie'? The la

what I'm after every time, so I get i

sewives peering out, children running to gather round the magic wheel, listening

dunno-I expect the air got discouraged, some way of it. They'd open the windows, but the outside air was shy of comin' in-

out briskly with its wheel, were apt to overhaul it, and after a glance at Pippin's face would most likely ask, "Goin' along a p

a brown horse. Pippin's eyes were brown, too, but they danced and sparkled like running water;

. His voice was grave

imed at," said Pippin, "but

ry your trade with you, same as I do!" He jerked his head backward toward a neat arrangeme

hand when I was lookin' for a job, and I took it up then and there. Yes, sir, 'tis a good trade, and a man might do well at it, I don't doubt, but yet I don't feel it to be my own trade

es studied h

nty-two? I thought about there! Well,

The brown man listened attentively, murmuring, "Sho

ant to be right down sure I've got t

her assented.

rk with my hands; not this way, but farmin', or like that. The sm

er assente

've got the gift, but-ever thought of goin' to

the stones, like it wanted to eat 'em; and brown-kind o' like hair it was, floatin' about; and every now and then a big wa

n' man," he said simply. "I spent good part of my life at sea. I'm runnin' a candy route at present-have a pep'mint! Do! 'Twon't cost you a cent, and it's real

in his eyes. "There's all that, the smell of the ground, and-and buttercups and-things; b

red the brown man. "H

ell you what!" Pippin's eyes were shining now, and his hands clenched. "I've been sayin' along, this month past, I'd forget all th

Calvin Parks is what I was christened,

ppi

ani

t Pi

n name or

name th

t no given name;

member, Granny Faa called me it, and Dod Bashford called me 'pu

r own, so she put them on. As for the baby, she took it partly because it smiled in her face and made something stir in that withered region where her heart was still alive, but more because her son wished it. Gypsy Gil (short for Gilbert), bent over the child delightedly; he snapped his fingers, and the baby crowed and jumped in the withered arms that held it. "Hell! ain't he a pippin?" said Gil. "Say, kid, ain't you a pippin?" "Goo!" said the baby. That was all. It was very simple. During the we

hout two names to him, and yet it sounds all right, too. Pippin! Well-well, son, I will say

is this a

of mellow brick, standing back from the road under its giant elms, its neat garden skirts gathe

or Farm!"

dea of one, and I wish

me to come and see him, and I promised I would. Well, if this ain't a leadin', I never see one. Mr. Parks, I'm pleased en

self. Think of your knowin' Jacob! Well! well! He's pure fruit and cane suga

ew one, too. He had been telling the woman about him ever since that day, he assured Pippin. Only this morning he had said he wished that young fe

rked up, and she is cuterin', times when her rheumatism ketches her. Come

nce of pride-the chilly splendor of the parlor, with its e

ere!" he said. "Kitchen

for the settles on either side, and warm though the day was, two or three old people were sitting there, rubbing their chilly knees and warming their poor old hands. They looked up, and their faces sharpened into lively curiosity at sigh

ing. Say we have a pep'mint all round, what? Or a marshmallow? U

, a sweet-faced woman came from an inner room

you about, Lucy!" he said. "Cur'us he

n't you, Mr.-now Jacob told me your name!-Pippin-to be sure! Be seated, Mr. Pi

ld be tickled to death to stay. Or if there's anything else you'd rather-what I aim at is to please,

r hand gently on th

e's good as gold, but she's a little wantin', and sh

y hair!" she repeated in a musical singsong. "My lovely, lovely

ome singin'!" she said. "F

face, pure and perfect in form and tint. "It's

ous of all else save flying wheel and shining steel. Glancing up after a while, he saw all the inhabitants of the Poor Farm gathered in the doorway, listening; he p

will you? Hardly you can't tell wh

into a wild

arry m

more trou

away to a

de nigge

ng hab I

dled ma

my eye bef

e sugar c

he woods, her blue print gown taking the lovely lines of her figure, her masses of fair hair, neatly braided, wound round and round her head. Such a pretty head! Just a little too small, poor Flora May! not for

es shone; those brown ones, for instance, of the brown man towe

ut yet it's went wrong, some ways, bu

song, he smiled and nod

ra May!" cried the

start on this aidge, Miss Flora May-No

was an

man w

ied swe

en of G

y went

garden

y spied

over y

id to ch

wn to m

ay pluck

two, and

Tree Carol. A far longer way back to an English lane in early summer, the gypsy tilt halted under a laden cherry tree, the gypsy mother si

ur cherri

ur cherr

ur cherr

upon the

n there'll be no supper in this house till you give over singin'. I'm full lo