The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-07-30
THE BOY VINO TOOK A BoARoER.

ONCE upou tluc, iouS uCAOAC any Va
you children were born-about $50 years
ago, in fact-a little boy stood, one morn.
ing, at the door Of palace in Florence,
and looked about him.
Why he was standing there l 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 Florence. 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
want to be painter. I've come to Flor
ence to learn how. They say there's n
school here where they teach people"
but have you got any money!" asked
Thomas
mot penny"
"Then you can't be 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.
"Do you get enough to eat." asked
the other boy, reflectively.
Plenty More than enough"
II don't want to take service, be-
cause 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. II can manage it..
Come upstairs 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 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 q fine mutton pie
which the cook had carelessly thrown
out. The Cardinals household was con
Quoted upon very extravagant princi-
Piles.
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,
Thomas, can't be painter without
paper and pencils and brushes and col.
ors. Haven't you any money!"
mo-" 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.
"Ill tell you what" suggested Thomas.
"I'll get some charcoal down in the
kitchen, and you can draw pictures on
the wall"
So Potter set resolutely to work and
drew SO many figures of men and women
and birds and trees and beasts and how.
ers that before long the walls were all
covered with pictures.
At last, one happy day, Thomas came
into possession Of small piece Of silver
money. Upon my word, oon't know
where he got it But he was much too
honest boy to take money that did moi
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 have
pencils and paper and india-rubber and
few other things that artists need. Their
he changed his way Of life little. He
went out early every morning and wan,
dered about Florence, and drew every
thing 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 - it happened
Then, when it became too dark to worh
any longer, Peter would 90 home to hil
boarding house, and find his dinner all
nicely tucked away under the old straw
bed where Landlord Thomas had put
it, notieo much to hide it as to keep II
warm.
Things went ON in this way for abou
two years. None Of the servants knew
that Thomas kept boardcr, or If they
did know it they good-naturcdly shu
their eyes. The cook used to rsmarl
sometimes that Thomas ate good dea
for lad Of his size, and It was surprii
ing he didn't grow moro.
/ CnA dav the Cardinal tO0k H into hi