Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-04-22

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right soon, and you'll find me at Sixth and
Chesnut. Good-by little chap" and he
went off whistling.
32. Willie did 60 down to see Ben, and
the result was that in weeks time he, too,
was a boot-black at Sixth and Chestnut. He
ran away from his aunt's house, by Ben's ad-
vice, who seemed to think setting up in
business incomplete without such begin
ming. Mrs. Terry, as soon as she could get
away from the baby long enough, which was
not for two days went downtown TO see if
She could find him. After two hours search
She discovered him, welding two of Ben's
brushes, which his friend had loaned until he
was able to purchase for himself She order
ed him to 20 home at once but when the boys
had made her understand that he could earn
fifty cents a day by backing boots, and Will
lie gave her forty cents to buy some calico
for the baby frock, she changed her mind
and said he might stay.
33. He went TO a house in Second street
to live where he got his board for dollar
and u half week. He always earned enough
to pay is board, and some weeks dollar or
two mo.o. Ailer wkile, BY Ben's advice,
who thought it would uit him so much bet
ter, Willie became newsboy, aud every
morning ond afternoon he was to be found
near Sixth and Chestnut streets, with Il bun
die Of daiies, fresh and damp from the press
under his arm, and his cherry, musical voice
aud bright face brought many customer
that otherwise might have passed by.
81. But we come now TO the saddest part
Of Willes story. 1t is hard for little boy
to be very poor-hard to go hungry and rag
gcd-harl to sleep 'old at night, and have
no shoes when the frost and snow come. But
none Of these is SO hard or so sad as sin.
Boot-blacks and news-boys are not all such
boys as Willic's mother had tried to make
him So far Willie had remembered her
but now he was thrown among so
many bad boys, that he began to forget and
neglect them. | will not try to tell YOU
about the bad things which such boys some
times say and do. Nor do | think Willie
ever became as bad as most of them. But
he joined with them in many things which
his poor mother had hoped and prayed her
boy might never do.
30. One Of these newly acquired bad hab-
IL was that of going out with party of
boys on Sunday short distance into the
and watching their opportunity to
take berries, and fruit, and melons, from the
gardens and yards of the farmers.
36. One Sunday they had been out in this
way and found some nice cherries in house
where the people had all gone to church.
boys, five in number, started back to the city.
They had been farther than usual, and Will
lie, being the smallest among them, was very
tired, and his feet were sore from the hot
sand and pebbles. SO when they had got
about half way back, he stopped to rest by
the side of the road, and told the other boys
to 60 on, as he knew the way home by him
self So they left him and hurried onward.
b. He had not been sitting there long
when young lady on horseback passed him
and rode up to house near by. After wait
ing little while for some one to come out,
she turned and beckoned to Willie, who went
to her at once.
3s. Little boy" said she, =" can YOU hold
my horse sos ,~e whAe 20 in here a fcv
nliuutcsf My Old nurse Nves here, and ha
sent me word she is very sick, and wishes
see me. She has boy, but he does not see
I TO be here"
80. Maybe he can't leave his mother,
she is sick" said Willie; but I'll ho
your horse"
40 The young lady unfastened the Ion
skirt of her riding habit, and threw it upo
the saddle and then tripped into the ol
rough-looking house Her pretty little ivor
handled whip fell to the ground. Will
started to pick it up, but two beautiful littl
dogs that had come with the lady, saw it fall
and would not let him touch it,
II. So Willie sat quite still, holding tn,
bride of the gentle pony, which rubbed his
nose against the boys shoulder in Il very
friendly way, as if to make up for the un.
pleasant suspicious of the dogs.
A. In about fifteen minutes the young Ia
dy came out again She thanked Willie very
sweetly and gave him twenty-five cents for
his trouble
48. The dogs l,ow allowed him to pick up
the whip, and the young lady was soon riding
back the way she had come, with both OF
them trotting behind her.
A. Willie started on toward the city
Going down the path from the house to the
road he saw something lying in it. He
picked it up and saw that il was the lady'i
pocket-book, which she had taken from hei
pocket to give him the money. He openec
it, and saw that there were many notes in it,.
45. "Oh," said Willie, "what lot o
greenhacks !"
46. Willie knew very well what he ought tC
do with that pocket-book. The lady had sale
the woman in the house was her nurse. ii,
could leave it with her He started towart
the house to do so but very wicked thought
came into his mind 1t was to keep thu
money 1t would buy SO many things that he
had wanted for great while. After h'
got some new clothes, and n nice hat, and SOM
fine shoes, he could have marbles, and grea
humming-top, and perhaps II great many o
the splendid things in the toy shop windows.
II. Thinking Of all these, he turned agail
and walked toward the city. For awhile h
held the pocket-book in his hand but prett.
soon he put il in his bosom and buttoned hi
Jacket tightly over it, lie walked as fast a
he could, and thought if he was not too tire
when he got home, he would go around to tn
place where Ben lived, and tell him about til
money, and share it with him. Ben had al
ways been clever to him.
I 4S. Pretty soon he heard the noise of
horses hools coming rapidly behind him.
young gentleman rode up aud stopped.
40. Are you the little boy who held
lady's horse at a house about mile back ?
said he, She lost her poeket-book there
Did you see it ?"
80, Alas how one sin opens the door t
another Theft called ialsehood into tn
boys heart, though Willie was generally
truthful little fellow.
81. "No, SIR" he said. IL didn't sc
any thing of it,"
52. But he said it with hanging head, an
a scarlet face for il was the first deliberat
lie that Willie had ever told
SO. The young gentleman looked at hil
sharply 81 hope you are not telling m
falsehood," he said. Does n't your mOthe
teach you better than that ?"
a. His mother Willie had not ono
thought of her in all that fierce temptation
Aud though il was more than three year