Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-08
OOrttster @ailp Spp.
THE WORST BOY IN SCHOOL.
BY MRS. CAROLINE A. soULE.
LfrOm the Iowa State Journal
TGnug1uJ,I

baretooted, almost hatless pupil She made
the way pleasant to him, talking to him of the
beautiful world that they lived in, and point
ing out the various interesting things that
were all about them the old gray mountains
Ill the distance, with the purple shadows of
evening dropping over them; the green fields
.5slde them, with the white lambkins sporting
Ger them the dim forest with its cathedral
alsles, stretching into the distance the bloom
ing orchards, with their snowy promises the
httle Drookiet with its singing waves the
brown and golden birds filling the scented air
with their clear 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
Vulnerable feeling, she said quietly, "What a
good God to place us in 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 to mankind to show them the way to
heaven?"
90 yes, ma'am," and the boy spoke de-
voutly.
81 thought you would, and so | asked you.
L am going to have class in the sunday
school, and shall open it next Sunday. You
will come, Willie. and be one of my scholars"
"Pd like to, man," and then he glanced at
his bare feet and his ragged clothes, and sighed
as he added 'but | don't see how l can
These are all the clothes l have to wear"
GIVE thought Of that, Willie, and if you will
come tomorrow morning to the Deacons and
let me have your jacket awhile, I'll mend up
Tor you, and here's quarter I'll give you to
go to the store and buy you new hat. You
can get good straw hat for that, can't you.
go yes. Dear me, how good you are to me.
I don't see what makes you So Everybody
else frets and scold at me, and says Iii go to
the penitentiary yet, Pm so bad"
81 love you, Willie, and that is why treat
you as | do An orphan myself, | can feel for
your lonely life. Heaven only knows what
might have been, had not good friends cared
for me when my father and mother died and
left me alone i'll the wide world Willie Pve
great hopes ofyou. You learn quick, remem.
Der well, and see into things easily. You are
capable OF making yourself good name in the
world, You will do it, [ know you will Don't
you believe it g. and she looked hopefully into
his eyes
81 want to, 0, if ] only could I'll try.
III study hard every day, I'll go to sunday
school every Sunday. And if l do grow up
good. I'll lay it all to you foy no one else ever
cared for me. They even grudge me my vic
tuaIs o, but L We seen hard times, !" and tears
trickled down his cheeks.
Don't think Of them, Willie. Look forward.
There is sunny future in store for you.
Goodnight. Don't forget to bring the jacket"
"What under the sun
have you got in your hands Miss Merton said
Mrs. Gray, the next morning, as the school
maam entered the kitchen.
"Why, it's Wllie's jacket I've promised
TO mend it for him, so that he can go to sun
day school tomorrow, and I've come to beg
some patches"
mercy on me, but you can never mend that
ragged thing"
30, yes, L can. Where can 1 find some
E.se.hes 2"
"Why there's lots of them in the loft over
the woodshed. l store them up there for car
pet rags all through the winter and in the
spring take them down and wash them up and
sort them over bnt dear me, you can never
do anything with that old thing"
you'll see" was the cheerful response, and
the school ma'am mounted up the ladder to
the loft, and selected some suitable patches.
Sitting down by the window, she ripped up
both sleeves above the elbow, cut off the rags
and placed them down, sewed up the seams
again, and put in fresh lining, and made new
cuffs. Then she cast off the torn button
holes, pieced out the sides and made new ones
and darned here and there till there was not
single hole.
"IIas the school ma'am turned tailoress, !"
said the deacon, as he came i'll to dinner,
what wages no you make z!
go, good ones, | tell you. Amt a good
hand at patching?" and she held up the neatly
mended 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.
"You must have some hopes of the boy,
Miss Merton, or you V ould not take so much
pains with him."
81 have great hopes of him, Deacon Gray"
And she detailed the experience of the week.
"Ah, but one swallow does not make a
summer"
81 know it, Deacon, but one swallow is a
harbnger of summer. 1t gives us hope of
seed time and harvest 1t tells us there is
warm weather somewhere deacon. l have
studied the boy this week, and am satisfied
that he only needs kind treatment and en-
couragement to place him far above the aver.
age OF men. q, il you would only let him
come here now. I'll answer for his good con
duct"
The deacon hesitated, but Miss Merton
plead, and eloquently, too, for she felt that a
souls salvation lay in the answer she should
receive TO her petition.
you'd make good preacher, Miss Mer
too" and he drew his hand over his eyes. "It's
hard resisting you. In fact | guess I'll have to
yield. If mothers willing, he may come 10
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
arranged. I'll answer for him"
"Where are those pants laid off last week,
wife those grey ones They were pretty
good yet-only thin about the seat, and out al
the knees. | guess between you you could
get the boy a decent pair out Of them"
40 yes, indeed, father, could cut them over
o,,1 tn fl,a ind
I'll get at them as soon as l do up the dinner
work"
Just at evening Willie came for his jacket
and words cannotexpress his joy at learning
he was henceforth to live under the same root
with his idolized teacher.
so, I'll be SO good" he said. ''Do tell me
what | could do for you, Mrs. Gray" and
without 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
filled the kettle, fed the pigs, and brought III
the eggs.
"Can you milk, Willie the Deacon gener.
ally does, but he's late tonight, and will be
tired when he comes in"
90 yes, ma'am, guess ! can, and lie soor
brought the swimming pals into the dairy.
The snowwhte biscuit, the quivering Gus
tard pie, the mellow cider apple sauce, tho
golden butter, and the fragrant tea, were jus
placed on the neatly laid table when the Dea
cons step was heard.
Waiting" said he, "wel sit down, / mus
do my chores first"
They're all done" said Willie, respectful
ly, 81 did them"
"Ah, you did them, did you? Well, then
wen have tea"
Mrs Gray had placed an extra plate by the
side of the school ma'am, and now motione,
Willie to sit there.