Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-10-09
From Our Young Folks.
The Boy who was Himself.

from MS long cruise, ne went, as usual
straight to his sisters house in Troy.
He had, indeed, nobody to care for but
her and her boy and girl.
" You don't seem pleased with Agnes
and Joe ~ she said uneasily, that even
ing, observing the keen watch he kept
on the children. They have altered
very much, [ think, and improved 2"
C Yes, they've altered" Buthe stop
ped there,
Presently Agnes brought him her
photograph-album. Here are my
heart, treasures, she said, and turned
first to a beautiful girl in cap and
plume. g That is Miss Lafon. So
picturesque looking and brilliant !
Why, she talks in epigrams. She spent
the winter with us, and mamma was as
fond Of her as l.
Eyes, she is very clever, witty girl,
and her manner is peculiarly fascinat-
ing. A daughter of Colonel Lafon's,
Charles"
Il remember" said the captain
" There was q boy, too, eh 20 -
80 yes, John Lafon - exclaimed
Joe. C l wish you could see him, uncle.
Such an exquisite gentleman. Dress,
manner, everything !"
He is cadet at West Point, -" inter
posed their mother. EThe training
there does give a certain polish to a
boy that is very desirable, brother. -
She glanced furtively at Joe.
SC And these Lafons spent the winter
with you ? Ohio Now I understand, y
muttered the captain. 6 remember
the Lafon children" he added, aloud.
" [ liked their character and manner,
too. Both were natural and unaffected.
in Hena,"
The captain found the change deeper
IN the children than he had expected.
Agnes. who had been a neat, Dutch
built child, with a downright honesty
In her freckled lace that was very pleas
ant to see, had acquired habit of pip
ing when she talked, with a falsetto
sweetness alarming to plain people, and
was subject to gushes of airy vivacity
and attempted witticisms that set the
captains teeth on edge Joe, WHO wa s
a numbering fellow, intended for mer-
chants clerk, and who used to be noted
for his ready plodd1ng habit of study,
and success in mathematics. had taken
up the role of genius he studied,
talked, worked, by jerks, only accord
ing to his 6 mood -; he tipped in and
out of a room with the graces of a bal
let-dancer had adopted light, court
eous tone of persi7age, which suits
him. grunted the captain, " about as
properly as a cockatoo'5 feathers would
the hide of walrus."
The next evening the children forget
ting for while to play their new parts,
snuggled, as they used to do, close to
his side on the big soda in front of the
fire.
=" Tell us a story, uncle" Grid Agnes.
: "About shipwreck,n added joe
r g A story, hey 2" The captain con-
sidered a moment, and then began -
One of the completest wrecks ]
ever saw was that Of the brig L'Etoile,
driven ashore on the coast below Cape
Henlopen. She struck on the bar, and
before morning she was beaten into
bits like hand rails. Well, that was a
break up There were but three of the
crew aved,-tne black cook, and two
children, a boy and girl. It might have
been you, Joe and Aggy lashed to a
barrel, they were. When they were
picked up, their clothes were torn to
rags by the breakers; but there was
life in them yet. Old Darner, fisher
man at Rehoboth Bay, brought them
in, and the women of the village soon
had them in their hands Darnell
brought me up to his kitchen that even.
ing, to see if 1 could make out who
and what they weIo. s. +. .-
They talk some lingo, he said,
that none of us can understand.
found twas a patols, half French,
half German, not very clear, but mada
it out after while. The girl was ex
hausted, and slept heavily. The boy
sat beside her, watching. His name
was Louis. %"
Louis said I, where is your
father your family?' He pointed to
the sea. There, he said.
g What all q
ALL [ fancied, at the time, that
the boy was one who would grieve bit
terly, but that nobody would see him
shed tear. He had an odd, yellow
skinned, featured face, with
steady, slow eyes not like any boy l
had ever seen. Though no boy ever
does look just like another eh, Joe p
* No, sir, said Joe, wondering how
sea- captain could talk such plati-
tudes.
g The boys father, as it turned out,
had been in5service in Algeria, and was
coming with his family to the country.
Whether he had kinsfolk in France,
Louis did not know he had been born
and reared in the Algerian fort. The
sea had swallowed up all record of him
but his name. Two days afterward
Darnell came to me again to serve as
Interpreter.
90 Something must be done with the
children, he said Squire Drow ad-
vlses that they be sent on to New York,
but that's just sending them to the
devil. It'll go hard, ii we can't send
for them here in 'Hobath Bay. My
wife means to keep the girl, and there's
half dozen have offered to take Louis.
When we reached the house, we
called Louis. He was not boy whom
you could shove off into the gang of
lads in the village. Eos all his quiet
and childishness, he somehow made his
mark on you, stood off from the rest
with a sort Of separate identity, per-
sonal presence, which amounted to
magnetism. Yet, withal, he was SIM
pie little fellow, not quick-witted,
either. We thought it right to tell him
what the arrangements were.
" Mrs. Darnell has been like a
mother to your sister 2 [ said. He nod
ded, with look which showed he was
not ungrateful. EShe means to keep
her, and rear her own, I continued.
" Pardon, monsieur, but have only
waited until Francois is strong, and [
will take her to our own home
" But my dear boy said I, you
have no home. Re ally, now, you are
but a boy, -arguin g with myself, for
something made me feel that he was
more of man than Darnell. You
must let us plan for you for few years.
Leave your sister here she'll be in
kind hands, and I'll give you a place
on my vessel. I'll watch over you as
if you were my own son for my heart
warmed strangely to the poor boy, left
to face the world without a rag he