Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-03-17

III might have been q long story, Ton
the hero was nv brave NV good Sir Gala.
/ had, aud perhaps as wei denerved
I Immortality. But he was only boy,
and they say boys don't always have
Justice done them. He was a very poor
4 boy besides, aud there was nobody IN
particular 10 toll the story, and 10 Il
never was told In any regular way, only
passed from lip 10 lip, aud kept sacred
Ia the hearts that held Il, hike the legends
of tlle OLD saints.
I'm afraid he wasn't d saint, though.
He had been known 10 join most heartily
IN iplaying a trick on the pompons little
policeman, that kept the neWsboya In
order while they were waiting for their
papers and once, When n big peanut
boy Nns pounding little candy Peddlcr,
he pitched In vigorously and gave the
big fellow a complete ponainelinR He
had been heard 10 say rough words upon
hard proyeoation, which wmA not ns
strange as IL might have been, seeing he
never in his miserable life wah taught
amy better. I'm short, h. was nothing
better than ragged, dirty, little heath
en-, aud il was out 0f all reason that he
should have wanted 10 ioin Che boys of
hiR ward school In that Last game 0f
" shiny" Why, he hAdn't even pair
Of skates, but came scsEfiiing along with
his clnIazy shoes, as sure footed ns u clt.
except when one of the merry skaters
giided suddenly acro0s his track, or half
a-dozen Of them swarmed pell-mell over
him in the eager rush for the ball He
never minded that, or the frequent Faps
from the sticks that struck wildly nt the
flying ball, and seemed to have ms mnch
fun a. II he were leader. aud bis feet had
silver wings.
He had not been chosen on either side;
not because he was poor-your genuine
boy il a democrat, and snaps his fingers
al social distinction because be had
no skates, and what wms the nne of fei-
low without skates ? Well, ii was hard
work keeping up, and by and by he
shufiied of the Ice, danced turn or two
ON shore 90 warm his feet little. and
started, with his hands in his pockets.
for the glue factory, where Tim Conover
WAS sure 90 let him warm up. liz wasn't
in boy nature not TO nee how the game
was coming ont, however, 80 be crossed
n vacant lot and came down 10 the river
just by the ice houses
All II only needed one glance 10 see
how IL must come out for some Of them.
Only a few rods away was the belt of
blue water where the ice had just been
SAVE across 10 keep the boys from spoil
ing the harvest OF the ice packerss and
every instant they were coming closer no
H. Couldn't they see IL Would not
somebody see II ? No one had eyes or
thoughts for anything but that ball,
gliding, glancinR, daEting here and there
among the steel-clnd feet
IL was a long way around the bend and
mp the river by any street. but straight
across, where the ice-cntters had been NJ
work, was a thin, treacherons sheet Of
broken ice. II might bold boy up. bnt
IL il didn't-thcre was no time 10 think
about that, for the next instant ragged
little hero was dashing ACROSS, whOoping
and screaming like n locomotive gone
mad Would the ice bear Yes per-
haps the hands that are underneath the
falling sparrow held il mp, and the herd
OF startling players looked up, and circle
ed with quick motion from the very edge
of the clIasm at their feet.
" Who was il? Where in he VI they
asked with pale faces.
Gone down with the breaking ice, 10
come up again. gaspine and struggling,
and nj Last 30 be drawn out, chilled and
breathless, by the ice cutters. They
rubbed him with all the vigor Of their
brawny arms they held him mp by the
heels 30 let the water run out they
pounded, and squeezed, and tossed him
In blanket, but he lived through ii All.
and came 10 himself with a stranEiing
cough. and a laugh Of appreciation.
EVERYBODY praised, aud petted, and made
much Of him, and then forgot NIL about
him 50 IL wRs left for me 30 ten his
story, and call IL Tie Sorry IL hero. "