The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-09-01
The Boys Boarder.

hundred and nifty years ago. IN Iact,-a
little boy stood, one morning, at the door
of a 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 and
mighty cardinal. He was twelve years old,
and his name was Thomas.
Suddenly he felt tap on his shoulder,
which made him turn around, and he said
with great astonishment:
"What Is that you Peter? What has
brought you to FlorenceP 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 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 penny"
"Thon you can't be painter. You
had much better take service in the kitch-
en- with me, here in the palace. You will
be sure of not starving to death, at least,
said the sage Thomas.
"Do you get enough to eats" asked the
other boy, reilectively.
"Plenty. More than enough"
81 don't want to take service, because
want to be painter said Peter. "But
I'll tell you what Wen do. AS you have
more than you need to eat, you shall take
me to board-on trust at first, and when
Pm grown-up painter, I'll settle the
bill"
Agreed" said Thomas, after mo-
ment's thought. Il can manage it.
Come up stairs TO the garret where l
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 whitOwashed.
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 mutton 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, /" said he "but Thom-
as, can't be painter without paper and
pencils and brushes and cOlors. Haven't
you any money!"
No." said Thomas, despairingly, "and
don't know how to get any, for shall
receive no wages for three years"
"Then can't be painter, after all,
said Peter, mournfully.
"I'll tell you what" suggested Thomas.
"I'll get some charcoal down in the kitch-
zen, and you can draw pictures on the
WALL"
SO Peter set resolutely to work, and
drew so many figures Of men and women
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 silver
money, Upon my word, don't know
where he got it. But be was much too
honest boy to take money that did not
belong to him, and so, presume, he de,
rived it from the sale Of his perquisites."
You may be sure there was joy in the
little boarding-house, up among the Chin
ney-pots, for now Peter could have pencils
and paper and India-rubber, and few other
things that artists need. Then he changed
his way Of life little, He went out early
every morning and wandered about Flor
ence, and drew everything that he could
find to draw, whether the pictures in the
churches, or the fronts of the old palaces,
or the statutes 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 longer, Peter would 60 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 II as to keep 1t 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 good-naturedly shut
their eyes. Tho cook used to remark