River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-10-11
From Our Young Folks.
The Boy. who, was Himself.

When Captain Carew came home
from his long cruise, he went, as usual,
straight to his, sisters house in Troy.
He had, indeed, nobody to care for but
her and her boy and girl.IJJlH .ia
"You don't seem pleased with Agnes
and Joe 2" she said, uneasily, that even
ing, observing the keen watch he kept
on the children. They have altered
very much, 1 think, and improved ?"
dyes, they've altered" Buthe stop
Presently Agnes brought him her
Photograph album. /" Here are my
heart treasures, y. she said, and turned
first to beautiful girl in cap and
plume. That is Miss ,Lafon. So
picturesque looking and brilliant =
Why, she talks in epigrams. She spent
1 the winter with us, and mamma was as
\ fond of her as l." g,a
eyes, she is very clever, witty girl,
and her manner is peculiarly fascinat-
a Ing A s daughter Of Colonel 1af0n's'
II remember" said the ecaaptain.-
"There was boy, too, Ell ?"
80 yes, John Lafon'!" exclaimed
Joe. "I wish you could see him, uncle.
Such an exquisite gentleman. Dress,
manner, everything !" ~
"He is cadet at West Point, I" inter-
posed their mother. "The training
there does give certain polish to
4 boy that is very desirable, brother. -
She glanced furtively at Joe.
"And these Lafons spent the winter
with you Ohio Now / understand"
huttered the captain. .s 81 remember
the Lafon children" he added, aloud.
/ | liked their character and manner,
90. Both were natural and unaffected,
in Hena," -rstN
The captain found the change deeper
the children than he had expected.
gnes, who had been a neat, Dutch
uilt child, with "a downright honesty
her freckled lace that was very pleas
pit to see, had acquired ahabit of pip
pg when she talked, with falsetto
veetness alarming to plain people, and
as subject to gushes of airy vivacity
pd attempted witticisms that set the
ptain's teeth on edge. Joe, wko was
numbering fellow, intended for mer-
hant's clerk, and who used to be noted
p his ready ploddlng habit of study,
hd success in mathematics. had taken
the role of a genius he studied,
liked, worked, jerks, only accord
g to his "mood y; he tipped in and
bt of room with the graces of bal
dancer, had adopted light, court
Jus tone of persifage, (which suits
m, grunted the captain, "'about as
operly as a cockatoo's feathers would
hide of walrus.".Y pl
The next evening the children forget
hg for while to play their new parts,
nggled, as they used to do, close to
side on the big soda in front of the
Tell us story, uncle, . Grid Agnes.
About shipwreck," added Joe.
A story, hey ~ The captain con-
cred moment, and then began -
One of the completest wrecks I
p saw was that of the brig L'Etoile,
ven ashore on the coast below Cape
nlopen. She struck on the bar, and
I ore morning she was beaten into
like, hand rails. Well, that was
lak up There were but three of the
] " saved, the black cook, and two
ldren, aboy and girl. It might have
n you, Joe and Aggy; dashed to a
D rel, they were When they were
h ked up, their clothes were torn to
b by the breakers but there was
o IN them yet. Old Darnell, a fisher
4 at Rehoboth Bay, brought them
h and the women of the village soon
b them in their hands Darnell
b lght me,up to hiskitchen that even
% to see i'll could make out who
d what they welo.
t. They talk some lingo he said,
nlt at none of us can understand
or Infounditwas a patols, half French,
10 German, not very clear, but Imado
,n ~ after whilegosT The girl was ex
10 = Ted, and slept heavily. The boy
tb geslde her, Watching. His name
ii Louis, said l. where is your
,C on fyour family RI He pointed to
yea. There, he said
What all n isaac o.
All.' / fancied, at the time, that
Of poy was one who would grieve bit
ID but that nobody would see him
nd tear. He had an odd, yellow
lip ned, high-featured face, with
a1 ~, slow eyes not like any boy 1
lid ever seen. Though no boy ever
q look lust like another eh, Joe p
;a NO, Sir, said Joe, wondering how
ID captain could talk such plati-
to ne boys father, as it turned out,
;be peen in service in Algeria, and was
d g with his family to the country.
,h her he had kinsfolk in France,
SD did not know he had been born
le cared in the Algerian fort. The
mr. ~ swallowed up all record of him
us name. Two days after ar.