American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-15
THE BOY WHO TOOK A BOARDER.

ONCE upon time long before any of
you children were bOrn-abOut 2oO years
ago, in fact-a little boy stood, one morn
ing, at the door of IA palace in Florence,
and looked about him.
Why he was standing there | do not
know. Perhaps he was watching for the
butcher or the milkman, for he was a
kitchen-boy in the household of rich
a.d mighty Cardinal. He was twelve
years old, and his name was Thomas.
Suddenly he felt IA tap on his shoulder,
which made him turn around, and he
| said, with great establishment:
What. Is that you, Peter? What
has brought you to Florences and how
are all the people in Cortona?"
They're all WELL" answered Peter,
who likewise was boy of twelve. but
I've left them for good. I'm tired of
taking care of sheep-stupid things. L
ence to learn how. They say there's u
school here where they teach people"
But have you got any money!" asked
Thomas.
| Not penny"
| "Then you can't be a painter. You
had much better take service in the
kitchen with me, here in the palace.
You will be sure of not starving to
death, at least" said the sage Thomas.
|
the other boy, reflectively.
PLENTY. More than enough"
| al don't want to take service, be-
cause l want to be painter said Peter.
But I'll tell you what we'll do. AS
you have more than you need to eat you
shall take me to board-on trust at first,
and when I'm grown-up painter I'll set
tie the bill"
agreed" said Thomas, after mo-
ment's thought. Il can manage it.
Come upstairs to the garnet where |
sleep, and I'll bring you some dinner by
| and by"
| So the two boys went up to the little
room among the chimneypots where
Thomas slept. 1t was very, very small,
and all the furniture in it was an old
| straw bed and two rickety chairs. But
the walls were beautifully whitewashed
The food was good and plentiful. for
when Thomas went down into the kitch-
en- and foraged among the broken meats
he found the half of il fine mutton-pie
which the cook had carelessly thrown
out The Cardinals household was CON
Quoted upon very eNtravagapt prlnci-
| pies
That did not trouble Peter, however,
| and he enjoyed the mutton-pic hugely,
| and told Thomas that he felt as if he
could fly to the moon.
| $50 far, so good" said he; but,
Thomas, l can't be painter without
paper and pencils and brushes and col
ors. Haven't you any money!"
No" said Thomas, despairingly
| land | don't know how to get any, for
shall receive no wages for three years"
| Then can't be a painter, after all, y
said Peter, mournfully.
| III tell you what" suggested Thomas.
"Tll get some charcoal down in the
kitchen, and you can draw pictures on
! the wall"
So Peter set resoIutely to work and
drew so many figures of men and women
and birds and trees and beasts and flow
ers that before long the walls were all
covered with pictures.
At last, one happy day, Thomas came
into possession of "A small piece of silver
money. Upon my word, L don't know
where he got it. But he was much too
honest a boy to take money that did not
belong to him, and so, l presume, he
| derived it from the sale of his "perqui-
sites"
You may be sure there was joy in the
little boarding house up among the
chimney-pOtS, for now Peter could hayc
pencils and paper and indla-rubber and
a few other things that artists need. Then
he changed his way of life little. He
| went out early every morning and wan
dered about Florence and drew every
|
pictures in the churches, or the fronts OF
the old palaces, or the statues in the
public squares, or the outlines of the
hills beyond the ArnO, just as II happened.
Then, when it became too dark to work
any longer, Peter would go home to his
boarding house, and find his dinner all
nicely tucked away under the old straw
bed where Landlord Thomas had put
it, not so much to hide it as to keep it
warm.
Things went on in this way for about
two wears. None of the servants knew
that Thomas kept boarder, or if they
did know it they good-naturcdly shut
their eyes. The cook used to remark
sometimes that Thomas ate "A good deal
for lad of his size, and it was surpris-
ing he didn't grow more.
One day the Cardinal took it into his
head to alter and repair his palace lie
went all over the house in company Win
an architect, and poked into places that
he had never in all his life thought OF
before At last he reached the garnet
and as luck would have it, stumbled
right into Thomas clearinghouse
.sWhy, how's this2" cried the great
| Cardinal, vastly astoniShcd at seeing the
mean little room so beautifully decorated
in charcoal. Have we an artist among
us? Who occupies this room:"
"The kitchenboy, Thomas, your Emf
hence"
"A kitchen-boy. But so great genius
must not be neglected. Call the kitchen
boy, Thomas"
Thomas came up in fear and tremb-
ling. He never had been in the mighty
! Cardinals presence before. He looked
at the charcoal drawings on the wall