Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-08-26
The Boy who Took a BOarder.

Once upon a time, long before any
of you children were bOrn-abOut two
hundred and fifty years ago, in fact-a
little boy stood, one morning, at the
door of a palace in FlOrence,a and looked
about him.
Why he was standing there, I do not
know. Perhaps he was watching for
the butcher or the milkman, for he was
a kitchen-bOy in the household of n
rich and mighty cardinal. He WIS
twelve years old, and his name was
Thomas.
Suddenly he felt tap on his shoul-
der, which made him turn around, and
he said, with great astOnishment:
What Is that you, Peterl What
has brought you to Florence and how
are all the people in CartOna9n
They're all WELL" answered Peter.
who likewise was a boy of twelve
But I've left them FOR good. I'm
tired of taking care of sheep-stupid
things! | want to be painter. I've
come to Florence to learn how. They
say there's a school here where they
teach people"
But have you got any money ?"
asked Thomas.
-NOt Il ptlluN.
'',Then you can't be a painter. You
had much better take service in the
kitchen with me, here in the palace.
death, at least" said the sage Thomas.
'DO you get enough to eat ~ asked
the other boy. refiectively.
"Plenty. More than enough"
81 don't want TO take service. be-
cause | want to be a 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 a grOwn-up
painter, I'll settle the bill.n
Agreed" said Thomas, after mo-
ment's thought. 81 can manage it.
Come up stairs to the garret where
sleep, and I'll bring you some dinner,
by and by"
So the two boys went up to the little
room among the chimney-pots 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 white
washed.
The food was good and plentiful, for
when Thomas went down into the
kitchen and fOraged among the broken
meats, he found the half of fine NUT
ton pie, which the cook had carelessly
thrown out. The cardinals household
was conducted upon very extravagant
principles.
That did not trouble Peter, however,
and he enjoyed the mutton-pie hugely,
and told Thomas that he felt as If he
could fly to the moon.
$50 far, so good,r said he; "but,
Thomas, | can't be painter without
paper and pencils and brushes and col
Ors. Havn't you any money I"
Mo- said Thomas, despairingly,
"and don't know how to get any, for
l shall receive no wages for three
years"
"Then | can't be painter, after ALL"
said Peter, mOurnfully.
III tell you what" suggested ThOm-
as. I'll get some charcoal down in
the kitchen, and you can draw pictures
on the wall"
SO Peter set resolutely to work, and
drew so many figures of men and wo-
men and birds and trees and beasts and
flowers, that before long the walls were
all covered with pictures.
AT last, one happy day, Thomas came
into possession of a small piece OF sli-
yer money. Upon my word / don't
know where he got it. But he was
much too honest boy to take money
that did not belong to him, and so, |
presume, he derived it from the sale of
his ''perQuisites."
You may be sure there was joy in the
little boarding house up among the
chimney-pOts, for now Peter could
have pencils and paper and 1ndia-rub-
Der, and few other things that artists
need. Then he changed his way OF life
a little. He went out early every morn
ing and wandered about Florence, and
drew everything he could find to draw,
whether the 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 it 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 years. None of the servants knew
that Thomas kept bOarder, or if they
did know it, they gOOdnaturedly shut
their eyes. The cook used to remark
sometimes, that Thomas ate good deal
for a 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. He
went all over the house in company
with an architect, ,and pOked into places
that he had never in all his life thought
of before. At last, he reached the gar
ret, and, as luck would have it, stum-
bled right into ThOmas's boarding
hOuse.
"Why, how's this ?" cried the great
cardinal, vastly astOnished at seeing
the mean little room SO beautifully
decorated in charcoal. Have we an
artist among us? Who occupies this
room :"
"The kitchen-boy. Thomas,your En-
inence."
"a kitchen-boy! But so great a
genius must not be neglected. Call the
ktchen-bOy, Thomas"
Thomas came up in fear and trem-
bling. He had never been in the
mighty cardinals presence before, He
looked at the charcoal drawings on the
wall, then into the prelate's face, and
his heart sank within him.
HOnlsts, you dIt Ho louStI ~ hleeh-
en-bOy," said the cardinal, kindly.
Poor Thomas thought he was dis
missed from service-and then what
would become of Peteri
"DOn't send me awayr' he cried, i'm
plOringly. falling on his knees. 81 have
nowhere to go, and Peter will starve-
and he wants to be a painter so
muchm
"Who is Peter r. asked the cardinal
"He is a boy from Cortona, who
boards with me, and he drew those
pictures on the wall, and he will die il
he cannot be painter"
"Where is he nOwg' demanded the
cardinal.
"He is out, wandering about the
streets to find something to draw. Ite
goes ont every day and comes beck at
night"
"When he returns tonight, Thomas,
bring him to me-" said the cardinal
"Such genius as that should not be
allowed to live in garrett"
But, strange to say, that night PeteI
did not come back to his boarding
house. One week, two weeks went by
and still nothing was heard of him
At tho end of that time the cardinal