The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-04-08
Little Tom Boy.

| gu NOulu lldloly US1lo'S INV
little she.i 3; so round and small
that people when they pass her
turn to look once more, and smile
little; they know by the very
look in her roguish eyes that she i:
the the greatest rompt in the city
and she knows it too, and doesn''
care.
Somebody, her fond mamma,
suppose, being no judge OF charac
ter. had named her Dora; such
a sweet, mild name being, plainly
thrown away OH our little Tom
boy, her big brother shortened il
to Dick; she likes it, she says, ano
feels like kicking anybody who
calls her Dora or Sis. Of course
only a Tom-boy would feel like
kicking.
She goes to school; she com.
menced the very day she was six
for hermother declared she couldn't
.'stand il" all day any longer; since
she has been at school she has
climbed ovcr the school-house
fence twice, quarrcled and made up
with every boy in the class, quar-.
relied with every girl and only made
up with two, killed chicken in
the next yard with a stone, and
committed multitude of smaller
offences, too numerous to mention
I'm afraid the teacher likes her
and is 10th to punish her; she used
to put her on the boys side; but
Dick looked out through her fin.
gers (she pretended to be crying,
and laughed with her neighbor,s
showing her preference so plainly
that the teacher determined to pun.
ish her some other way after that
g One day, when Dick had been
very naughty, she took out her long
rattan, and called her up to the
desk, fully intending to forgive hel
on the first application.
But Dick made no professions
out with her little plump hand as
bravcly as could be; not hesitating
u moment.
"Dick," said the teacher, (cver
the teacher called her Dlck,) 81
don't want to whip YOU"
Dick looked the teacher straight
in the eye, and ne:er said a word
"Do you want me to whip, you
Dick ?" she said, after waiting
moment.
The little girl shook her head
she had been very brave, and still
held her hand straight out, but tn
teachers eyes looked so kind sh'
began to melt; she even felt a tea
away in the corner of her eye.
"Tell me you will be good,
said the teacher, putting down tn
rattan, "and I'll forgive you thl
time"
"I'll try to be dood," said Dick
she said it in a very low voice, 70
she knew that the tear had Slipped
out of the corner Of her eye, AM
was creeping down her soft cheek
and she didn't want the boys t.
know that she was crying.
every WE'LL" said the teacher
and somehow, whether it was til
shining tear creeping down tn
soft cheek, or the round little han
held out SO bravely, or some othc
reason do not know of, the teach
cr never took out her rattan, an
said, "Come here" to naught,
Dick again.
One afternoon she played truant
1t was a shocking thing for a !itt!
girl to do, even if she was a llttl
Tom-boy, and she heartily repent
ed of it, and was determined fror
that day, never, never to do
again.
She lad been to her lunch, on
was lettering back to school, think
ing all the time how hot the schoe
house would be that day, and hoy
much nicer it would be to sta
r out Of school, and play 'Robbel
, and Police" with Joe Lewis and tn
t washer-woman's boy Tim.
| Yet she never thought of pla,
ing truant, but just walked SLOW
and chased a hen, and pccpe
through the bars of Mrs. Hewctt
fnnce and won1orc1 if there was