A Day of Punishment 



my shoes might follow. At the very 

 moment, however, the door leading from 

 the office opened and closed : I heard the 

 tramp of my Father's heavy boots, and his 

 cheery voice calling my name. A moment 

 later he entered the kitchen, peering about 

 him rather blindly in the brightly lighted 

 room, and after kissing Mary and inquiring 

 of Sukie as to her earache, came over to 

 where I stood with my shoes in my hand, 

 like a fierce little beast at bay. 



" Well, how's my boy ? " he said, patting 

 my head, and turning my face up with 

 his hand. '' How's my dear old lad, 

 hey.^" 



O the loving hand and the kind, kind 

 voice! There was no standing out 

 possible for me any longer. I tumbled 

 into his arms, and broke into crying with a 

 kind of shriek. All the pent-up wrath, 

 misery, starvation, and pain of that day 

 came out in that passion of sobbing and 

 tears. 



''Why, boy, what's this .^ " said my 

 Father startled, drawing me closer to him. 

 "What does it all mean, Mary? There, 

 lad, don't 'ee now, don't 'ee," he said, with 

 a tremor in his voice, holding me ever 

 closer and closer to him, and smoothing 

 my hair with the big gentle hand. 

 15S 



