Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-02-21
FOR THE CHILDREN
Little Tom-Boy.
BY CLARA G. DOLLIvER.

| .M&H OU would hardly believe how
S&Rs little she is; so round and
SSMg small, that people, when they
| SSr pass her, turn around to look
once more, and smile a little; they know
by the very look in her roughish eyes
that she is the greatest omp in the city,
and she knows it too, and doesn't care.
Somebody, her. fond mamma, l sup
pose, being no judge of character, has
named her Dora; such a sweet. mild
name being plainly thrown away on
| our little TOm-boy, her big brother has
shortened it TO Dick; she likes it, she
says. and 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 commenced
| the very day she was six, for her moth
| er declared she couldn't stand it, all
day any longer; since she has been
at school, she has climbed over the
| school-house fence twice, quarreled and
made up with every boy in the class,
quarreled with. every girl, and only
made up with two, killed chicken in
| the next yard with Il stone, and commit
! ted multitude of smaller Offenses, too
numerous to mention. 5ss.z ~
| Pm afraid the teacher likes her, and
is 10th to punish her: she used to put
her on the boys side, but Dick looked
ont through her fingers, (she pretended
to be crying) and laughed with her
neighbors; showing her preference SO
plainly that the teacher determined to
punish her some other way after that. i
One day, when Dick had been very
naughty, she took out her long rattan,
and called her up to the desk; fully in
tending, however, to forgive her on the
first application.
But Dick made no professions; out
went her little plump hand as bravely
as could be; not hesitating a moment.
Dick said the teacher, (even the
teacher called her Dick,) Il don't want
to whip you.'
Dick looked the teacher straight in
the eye, and never said a word. ,.
DO you want me to whip you, Dick?'
she said, after waiting a moment.
Il The little girl shook her head; she
had been very brave, and still held her
hand straight out, but the teachers eyes
looked SO kind, she began to melt; she
her eye. ,.7 AIS -..-.l-z,.-
Tell me you will be good,' said the
teacher, putting down the rattan, 'and
I'll forgive You this time.'
sI'll try to be dOod,' said Dick; she
said it in very low voice, for she
knew that that tear had slipped out of
tha corner of her eye, and was creeping
down her. soft cheek; and she didn't
want the boys to know that she was
crying.
i very well,' said the teacher; and
somehow, whether it was the shining
tear creeping down the soft cheek, or
the round little hand held out so brave
ly, or some other reason do not know
of, the teacher never took out her rat
tan, and said, Come heren to naughty
Dick again.
One afternoon she played truant. 1t
was a shocking thing for little girl to
do, even if she was little Tom-boy,
and she heartily repented of it, and was
determined from that day. never, never
to do it again. ei ~t 4
She had just been to her lunch, and
was lettering back to school, thinking
all the time how hot the school-house
would be that day, and how much nicer
it would be to stay out of school. and
play Robbers and Police with Joe
Lewis and the washer-woman's boy,
Z Tim.
Yet she never thought of playing tru-H
ant, but Just walked slow, and chased a
hen, and peeped through the bars of
Mrs. Hewett's fence, and wondered if
there was birds nest in the top of the
tall tree. By-and-by she saw Joe
Lewis, he w as standing in the middle of
the street, kicking the dust with his
copper-toed shoes. sS aia
sHi, Dick!' he called out.
Hi = replied the little Tom-boy.
You're latep said Joe. s
Il ain't!' she said, with little tremor
of horror in her voice; to be late' was
a prime offense in her teachers eyes.
you are, though y replied Joe; Son
!, but amt a-going in, to get a lickin
Pm a going to play hockey; but you
daresn't! you're too much of a gal.'
ooh, coward' said Dick scornfully,
'to stay in the middle of the street,!
Il amt so much of coward as you
ares said he, sfor darest play hockey,
and you daresn't.'
tPohn said foolish Dick, Il amt
afraid a-.
just then they saw lot of men and
boys running down cross street,
about block away.
Where all zem boys going?' deman-
ded Dick. t. ,s.a'-..... ..,,.. =
i Joe, deeming peace to be firmly estab-
lished, now came up on to the sidewalk;
Joe was eight, and had a very frowsy
head. 'i'll tell You what think, Dick
he answered, Il think they're going to a
fire and let us go too! I've never been
to fire all my life
Nor t. said Dick.
So they took hold of hands, and
started off down the street at such pace
that big boy, sitting down in the shade
of a fence at the corner of the street, the
street, said, 'Phew race-horser When
they got to the corner of the street, the
men and boys were a long way ahead
but they were not to be daunted, and
kept ON in hot pursuit; away they went,
keeping hold of hands, SO as to run fas-
ter, up one street, down another, and
across third, lodging under the heads
of the horses, and running into such
dangers as would have made their
mothers hearts turn sick with terror
if they could have seen them.
And after all, the crowd melted away,
and they couldn't tell where the fire
was. or IL there had been any; and they
were so warm, that they had to sit down
| on two or three shop-door sills to rest
and, to their surprise, found that the
shop-keepers didn't like it, and told
them to go away, or they would put a
head on them,'
What street is this, Joe p asked Dick;
she began to suspect that she was long
i. way from her quiet home,
Il don't know replied Joe, sI'll ask
this man,
He did ask him, but the man walked
, on without answering; then he asked
another, and then another, and then an
other, but nobody paid any attention to
him, and poor little Joe, though he was
boy, and eight years old, and so very
brave about playing hockey began to
cry. ..
i sDon'tv said Dick, who felt not the
least fear, 'I'll ask somebody, myself
She walked up to a very tall, very
grand lady, and looking up with her
bright, brave eyes, she said, 'Would you
please be so Kind as to tell me what
street this is?'
i The lady and smiled; somehow the
) very grand look went out of her face, as
She bent her head and looked down into
the little Tom-boy's face,
"rhis is CearRey street. DEAR she
said, 'are you here all alone?'
sOh no, marm. Joe is here too;
we've both runned away and played
hockey
The lady looked astonished, as well
she might, at this frank confession, and
hegan TO ask Dick her name, aud where
She lived finally she took out her purse,
and gave her two street-car tickets.