Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-04-09

BY MRS. EDWARD A. WALLER


lv wouldn t have twitched him down so hard
when lie climbed on the bureau by the help ol
her broad back as she stopped down to plek
up his night-gown, which he had got rid Oh
with two kicks and jump. No, and ms
mother never thought of the thing. when ne
was wriggling and twisting, and asking 'NIee
questions minute all through breaklaS'' vi
she would have given him the olsSest lump
N the enrsr-bowI. and held him tight in her
sail dav. instead Of wanting 10 shake
i:L ~ AND. iwho saw him two or three weeks
aitor II lad all happened, never should have
- bs yras a hero he was such little
EIIo,v and bis chubby brown checks, and
If yellow curis. and neat little petticoats,
iootsd "a fresh and innocent just like another
three-year-od baby who Is made much Oh
at home ,.-
io, and had so much business on hand that
must be done, and the lazy people IN the mouse I
Who hadn't a thing TO do but Just amuse /
-lonseIves with sweeping and busting, and |
r.+tl,,, the sewing-machine, and other like /
fun. kept getting in his way ana hinuefihs 4
H., sb there was trouble all around, and 1t
was a great relief to all the ot. Jameses' DiS
and little. when Tommy and hls wee sIs'er,a J
few months older than he, proposed to take
10 the sidewalk. which already sWarmed Win
+leir plavmates, and seek their fortune there.
:, they were hated and booted and charged
not to Climb this, and not to touch that, IN
III things got very much mixed IN their little
u5ddles. and then they were let loose win a
mug and kiss q guess Tommy mamma
vas pretty glad she had kissed him before
many hours were over y and a sigh OF relief,
ana the house had peace.
All the hand-organs, and street. harplsts,
.-5 farp;uers in Boston knew this street OF
.s- b6iv innoeents,' 50 and made itin their
wav to happen there very often. 30 when
tr1 = Jameses heard merry music that after
noon under the drawing-r1om windows, and
Tommy humping away on the glass Tor pen
ME, l5 - pay the piper, nobody paia any
attention or currency either, for they we're 50
used to it. By and by the music died away,
and Mr.. st. James never thought OF LOOKING
out. If she had looked, she would have seen
baby trudging down Boylston street alter
very shiny trombone, and two or three other
beautiful yellow things that ooaXed MN Win
their sweet tones on from house to house.
away from wee sister and all the others lnno-
cents. and alas far away from his own
home
Five o'clock came, and Mrs. St james be-
can TO think 1t was almost time for the chill
dren to burst in upon the delightful quiet.
-Six o'clock cane and so did the wee sister.
=. Where is Tommv?" "a don 'tknow, but I
Guess he's gone to Kitty Green's house.
Nurse Chrissy went for him, and JET little
cross as she went, and made up her mind TO
eli Master Tommy be was d" 10 come home
his own selfanother night or etc, etc,
etc But no Tommy had been seen at Mr..
Groom : OF 81 Mr. Whites nor in any OF the
,Ieosant houses on the street Of the holy IN
I5ocens - Dear me What fear and sor-
row there were in Tommy's home Mr.. st.
James forgot his dinner, and rushed oil TO the
,,,lice station 10 tell his sad story; and pretty
lloon if was known in every district in Bls
nm that bow. three years old, with blue
oros Yellow carls. dressed in white Marseil-
lss a3d named Tommy St James, was lost
What the baby's mother felt and / don
want to think. aud would not tell yon II
could.
Seven O'Clock came, eight O'Clock, nine
,-cIock. no news Of little Tommy There was
lie crib. with its smooth white cover and pill
". but no little curly head to tumble them;
Il, was his little night-gown which he had
s-I;c,..s ogt Of thatvery morning, now hang
49, sill ard empty that nurse Chrissy al
most hated it. sad bid 1t away 50 that the
moor mother could D0i zee H.
There were all his toys, never perhaps ,I 20
he ratified. and spun, and dragged ana roll
ed. and bounced by those restless hAnls OF ms
acaIn. o dear dear ana II might nave
been your mamma's darling or my Queenie'
who was lost
But God was very good to that mamma ana
mana. and about ten o o'clock the bell rang Eio-
ientlv. and policeman handed liz a uisl alcH
which had Just reached the station
RHODE leland.
Tommy St. James, of Boston, three years
old. came out on my train tonight. All
right. VIII bring him back first tram TO-
morrow.
Signed, CoNDucToR-
-and-R. r.
Now, what do You suppose his mother did
when she knew her baby was safe ! Why she
kept very stall for some time, and then, all Of
4 sudden. she burst out crying and said "
know they'll let that child tumble out Of bed
te-ziight lust as well as | want to
Mothers are queer.
,Tou vii not be surprised to hear that Mr..
and NJ Fl James. and all the children, and
nnrse Oh, iasy, were down at the station next
morning long before the Rhode Is land tram
was due. hut it came laundering IN at last
with A special rank and whistle for such
great occasion, and Conductor --- with
smile on his face. and Dir. Tommy St James
in his arms stepped off the car, Hugs, KISS
es. questions, without number-ai laughing
and talking at once Tommy ST. James alone
was unmoved. to all Appearance General
Grant himself couldn't have been more non
committal.
There was dignity for you, mans ooHso'ed
recti (which is something the Roman boys
used to wear under their jackets to save them
selves whipping, or from feeling 1t II it
came) but there was not word OF eNplana-
ton from the small hero. ,,,,
But this is how 1t happened-a bird told
me. and the conductor confirmed H. ana
Tommy St. James never denied It.
he shiny music crept out OF tommy siSn'
o4 las. while he was watching cog Iioii0'
I'D wb, n he remembered 1t again ne went
wondering up and down. looking and listen
inc for the charming piper, TIL he came 70 u
roilroad track. and there stood a car aione q.
by itsslf in bright new coat OF pant. Iom-
nv felt rather tireG by this time now ne
tb,,ugbt Of il. and as be eouldn { remember
oTno5y all his uamma's 00nt's any - Don
o. into a railroad-car." he jGst climbed up
lie stems and walked in And when he saw
Nv ,,d,- II was and how still and enpty, he
tbouSbt it WAS pity his wee sister and the
other innocents hadn't come too; and when
he saw how red and soft and broad the seats
were. he lust cuddled up bis tired Legs on ono
Of them. and laid his warm, curly head down
lust to sec how it would seem. snd-and De-
fore he had winked at half the gay pictures
on the wall. Tommy was fast asleep!
By and by the car began 10 move back
ward and forward on the track, pushed by
the men who were "making up the steam
DoattTain, but Tommy never woke. Ihen
one alter another the passengers came IN, ana
ehose theTp places All wOndereda at the pretss
" curry head lying there on its crimson eash-
ion' Dui everybody thought somebody else
Ane" mo an ABOUT II +, 70 no questions were ask
ed. ihen the great engine came growing up
ana ei9tched the pretty painted car with the
lost oaoy IN 1t, and with shrek of savage
10y plunged along the track right behind
Tommy so~n home (snd even airted wreath
'oi smoke IN nurse Chrissy's very face as she
stood at. the nursery window - over the hills
and lar away" and Tommy never 50 much as
preathed the quicker
Presently Conductor-eame through the
car, looking after the tickets. He glanced
rather sharply at the sleeping boy. for Il was
'ery early in the journey to fall asleep to be