Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-04-26
IRON tho Iowa School Journal
The Worst Boy in School
by MRS. CAROLINE A. sogLE.



them would be much greater
They walked home together, Friday evening
the school ma'am and the little ragged. bare
footed, aud almost hatless pupil She mad,
the way pleasantly to him, talking to him Of
the beautiful world that they lived in, and point
ing out the various interesting things thai
were all about them; the old gray mountains il
the distance, with the purple shadows of even
ing dropping over them; the green fields beside
them the dim forest with its cathedral asles
stretching far into the distance; the blooming
orchards, with their snowy promises; the little
brooklet with its singing waves; the brown
and golden birds filling the scented air with
their golden notes; and lastly, the scarlet west
with the amber currents of sunshine playing
over it in gorgeous tides. And when she knew
his heart was interested, and full of unuttera-
bic feeling, she said quietly, "What a good
God to place us in 3 world so fair. Would
you not like to know something more about
him, Willie! Would you not like to study
that holy book of His, which he has given
mankind, to show them the way to heaven =
%, yes, ma'sm,' and the boy spoke devout-
ly.
4 thought you would, and so I asked you. 1
am going to have class in the Sunday School,
and shall open it next Sunday. You viii come,
Willie, and be one of my scholars
I'D like to, ma'am. Then he glanced at
his bare feet and his ragged clothes, and sighed,
as he added, but don't see how can. These
are all the clothes have to wear'
I've thought of that Willie, and if you will
come to morrow to the Deacon's and let me
have your jacket awhile, I'll mend it up for
you, and here quarter I'll give you to go to
the store and bny new hat You can get a
good straw one for that, can't you!'
% yes. Dear me how good you are TO me,
don't see what makes you so. Everybody
else frets and scolds at me, and says Ill 90 to
the penitentiary yet, Pm so bad
4 love you, Willie, and that is why l treat
you as l do. An orphan myself can fell for
your lonely life. He aven enly knows what
might have been, had not good friends cared
for me when my father and mother died and
lett me alone in the world. Willie, I've great
hopes of you. You are capable of making
yourselfa good name in the world You will
do it too, l know you will. Don't you believe
it !'-and she looked hopefully into his eyes.
i want to; o, if I only could III try I'll
study hard every day, and I'll go to Sunday
School every Sunday. And if l do grow up
coed, I'lllay it all to you for no one else ever
cared for me. They even ,grudge me my vict-
uals. 0, but I've seen hard times, and tears
triekled down his cheeks.
Don't think OF them, W lille Look forward
There is a sunny future in store for you. Good
night. Don forget the jacket
What under the sun have
yOu got in your hands Miss Merton z said Mrs
Gray, the next morning, as the school ma am
entered the kitchen.
'Why, it's WilIie's jacket. I've promised to
mend for him, so that he can go to Sunday
School tomorrow, and I've come to beg some
patches
Mercy on me, gou can Fever mend that rsg-
ged thing
%, yes, I can. Where oaa l find some patch.
es 2
'Why, there's lois of them in the loft over
the woodshed l store them up there for car
pet rags all through the winter, andin the
spring take them down and wash them up and
sort them over; but dear me, you never can do
anything with that old thing
You'll see,' WAS the cheerful response, and
the school ma'aIa mounted up the ladder to the
loft, and selected some suitable patches. Sit
ting down by the window, she ripped up both
sleeves above the elbow, cut off rags and pieced
them down, sewed up the seams again, and pot
in fresh lining, and made new cuffs Then
she cut off the torn button-holes, pieced out
the sides and made new ones, and darned here
and there, till there was not single hole.
Has the school ma'am turned tailoress, said
the Deacon, as he came in to dinner, what
wages do you make .
%, good ones, tell you Amt good hand
at patching = and she held up the neatly mems
ded Jacket And then before she could speak
further Mrs Gray told the Deacon whose it
was and how it looked when she brought it in
'Ycu must have some hopes of the boy, Miss
Merton, or you would not take so much PAINS
with him..
Il have great hopes of him. Deacon Gray
And she detailed the experience Of the week
'Ah, but one swallow doesn'b make sum.
mer.'
4 know it, Deacon, but then one swallow is
a harbinger Of summer. 1t gives US hope of
seedtime and harvest 1t tells US there is warm
weather somewhere. Deacon, have studied
the boy this week, and am satisfied that he
only needs kind treatment and encouragement
to place him far above the average of men. o,
if you would only let him come here now.
III answer for his go1d conduct
The Deacon hesitated, but Miss Merton plead,
and eloquently too, for she felt that souls sal
vation lay in the answer she should receive to
her position.
You'd make good preacher, Miss Merton,
and he drew his hand over his eyes. ITS hard
resisting you. In fact | guess l'il have to
yield If mothers willing, he may come to
night
You'll never repent this good deed, Dea-
con, never never The boy must be good in
such home as this; SO neat, quiet and well ar
ranged. III answer for him.
Where are those pants laid off last week,
wife; those gray onesS They were pretty good
yet-only thin about the seat, and out at the
knees. lguess between you, you could get the
boy q decent pair out of them.'
% yes, indeed, father, could cut them over
and turn the fronts to the back. Yes. indeed,
III get at them as soon as do up the dinner
work.
Just at evening Willie came for his Jacket
and words cannot express his joy at learning
he was heneeforth to live under the same roof
with his idoiized teacher.
%, III be so good he said. DO tell me
what could do for you, Mrs. Gray and with
out waiting for an answer, he ran out to the
shed and brought in the nights wood, and split
the kindlings, and drew the water and filed
the kettle, fed the pigs and brought in the
eggs. G
Can you milk, Willie the Deacon generally
does, but he's late to night, and will be tired
when he comes in.'
U yes, ma'am, guess l can,' and ne soon
brought the swimming pals into the dairy.
The snow>white biscuit, the quiyering custard
pie, and mellow cider apple sauce, the golden
butter and the fragrant lea, were Just placed
on the neatly laid table when the Deacon's step
was heard.