Stories And Sketches

be indescribable, and Terry was one of those. He calledhimself sixteen years of age; but, excepting that he was low of stature,you would about as soon have taken him for sixty, as sixteen. Hiscountenance looked anything but youthful, and there was altogether asort of queer, ancient look about him which caused him to appear veryremarkable. When he first came to reside with Mr. L. the boys in theneighborhood nicknamed him "The little Old Man," but they soon learnedby experience that their wisest plan was to place a safe distancebetween Terry and themselves before applying that name to him, for theimplied taunt regarding his peculiar appearance enraged him beyondmeasure. Whenever he entered the room, specially if he ventured aremark--and no matter how serious you might have been a momentbefore--the laugh would come, do your best to repress it. When I firstbecame an inmate with the family, I was too often inclined to laugh atthe oddities of Terry--and I believe a much graver person than I was atthat time would have done the same--but after a time, when I learnedsomething of his past life, I regarded him with a feeling of pity,