The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-08-13
The Boy Who Took a Boarder.

why he was standing there. | do not
know. Perhaps he was watching for the
butcher or the milkman, for he was kitcb-
en-Doy 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. "It 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 school here where
they teach people"
But have you got any money ?" asked
Thomas
''Not 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, reiectively
PLENTY. More than enough"
Il don't want to take service. because I
want to be Il painter" said Peter" But
LII tell you what Wen do. As YOU have
more than you need to eat. YOU shall take
me to board-on trust to first. and when
I'm grown-up painter I'll settle the bill"
Agreed, said Thomas, after a mo-
| mcnt's thought. Il can manage it. Come
up stairs to the garret where / sleep, and
LII bring you some dinner, by and by"
80 the two boys went up to the little
room among the chimncy-pots where
Thomas slept. 1t twas very, very small, and
all the furniture in it was an old straw bed
and two rickety chairs. But the walls
were beautifully whitewashcd.
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 extrayagant 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.
80 far, 50 good, said he ':but Thomas.
| can't be a painter without paper and pen
ellis and brushes and colors Haven't YOU
any money? p
'.No," said Thomas despairingly, "and |
don't know to get any, for [ shall receive no
wages for three years"
Then | can't be a painter. after all -
said Peter, mournfully.
"I'll tell you what" suggested Thomas.
III get some charcoal down in the kitchen.
and you can draw pictures on the walls"
SO Peter set resolutely to work, and
drew 50 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 in
to possession Of a small piece of silver 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, I presume, he derived it from the
sale of his 'perquisites."
You may be sure there was JOY in the
lItltC bOoI tlII I-llOuSt up dLiIou- tilC N4lIhl-
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 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 90 home to his boarding house, and
find his dinner all nicely tucked away un-
der the old straw bed, where landlord |
Thomas had put it, not so much to hide it |
as to keep 1t warm.
Things went on this way for about two
years None Of the servants knew that
Thomas kept boarder, or if they did
known it, they g0od-naturedly shut their
eyes. The cook used to remark sometime,
that Thomas eat a good deal for a lad Of
his size, and it was surprising he didn't
grow more
One day, the cardinal took it into his
head to alter and repair his place. 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 garret, and, as luck
would have it, stumbled right into Thomass
boarding house.
"Wby, hows this ?" cried the great car
dinal. vastly astonished at seeing the mean
little room so beautifully decorated in char
coal s.Have we an artist among us ? Who
occupies this room 2
sThe kitchen-boy, Thomas, your Emin-
ence"
"a kitchen-boy But so great genius
must not be neglected. Call the kitchen
boy, Thomas
Thomas came UP in fear and trembling