The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-09-27

1nouSn our cares DeseG ue tnlCKly,
Happy moments let us prize,
Even though they vanish quickly!
HARRY, THE ERRAND BOY.
"Papa," said little Lucy Weston,
climbing upon her fathers knee, "what
pleases you 80 much to-day3 You have
been smiling to yourself all dinner
time"
"Something has pleased me to-day,
Lucy. If you aud Johnny would like
to hear the story, draw up your chairs"
GA story" said Mrs. Weston, looking
up from her sewing. "May I hear it
too :"
eff you are very good" said Mr..
Weston, smiling. "Let me see, how
old are you, Johnny7"
"Twelve, sir"
"Well, my story is about.a boy just
your age. It is nearly a yearsince I first
saw him. I was busy n afternoon last
winter, when I saw a little boy coming
into the store, whose face attracted my
attention at once. 1t was earnest and
bright F.; q strong, good face, if eve I
saw one. The boy was poorly clad, but
his clothes were clean and whole.
"May I see the boss2" he asked.
eel am the boss I answered, what
can I do for you2'
"sI want to ask the price Of first
rate sewing machine not a fancy one,
sir, but a good workerT
"'Si1ty dollars
"Well, mister said no., earnestly,
can I work it out2 I have every after
noon from half. past two till seven, and
| can run errands or do any work about
the store. You SEQ, sir, this is how it
is Father died two years ago, and
mother she wants me to stay Of school
for q year or two longer, but she has to
work awful hard to keep me there.
Father was q b%ricklayer and mother owns
the little house he almost built himself,
and that is all. She sews, sir, 80 I
thought I would see IT, could earn one.'
"'But it will take a long time,' said I.
If I give you a dollar a week, it would
take sixty weeks
"'Wil you give me that?' he said,
his eyes fairly dancing. Il can come all
day Saturday.
"Oan you : suppose we shy a dollar
and a half 7 And if you do we'll, you can
have the machine a little less than retail
price,
"You see, Lucy, I was Interested al
ready in the boy, with his honest, frank
face, and resolved, if he WAS faithful in
his duties, to help him along. So we
made an agreement, he to give me oil
his spare time out Of school, and I to
credit him each week with a dollar and
fifty cents toward the purchase Of a ma
chine.
Livery day he came, punctual to the
minute, rain or shine, and he was the
most prompt errand boy T ever en-
ployed. Little by little the dollars
rolled up on the account, until n eve
ming in the fall I was here after dinner,
Just before you and your mother came
home from the country, when the
door bell rang, and in walked Harry
Cummings, my errand boy.
"'I found this, sir, he said, when
I was sweeping out the store and he
handed me q roll of bank notes I thought
safe in my pocket.
"' Please to see il it is all right, SIR
{ it was under the counter
81 counted the notes, two hundred
dollars, and then taking out n twenty
dollar note, I said:
I should have offered a reward for
this, Harry, if you had not found it,
am glad I saved you that, sir,'
he answered. IN bid you good
"sBut you have earned the reward
I said, putting down the twenty dollars;
will you take it, Or pass it down to the
machine money!
"'Mine! all that Oh, sir, pass it
to the machine. You see, I'd have to
tell mother where 1 got that money, and
the machine is to be a surprise
81 never spent twenty dollars with so
much pleasure in my life, Lucy! This
was a great lift on the machine, and this
afternoon, when Harry came, I told him
to pick out one for his mother.
I'VE selected a frst-rate one, hand
some, too, and I promised him one of
our best teachers should go and show
his mother how to work upon it.
"When it was on the cart, ready to
20, 7 invited myself to go with Harry to
see it delivered. He asked me to write
a note telling his mother the price was
honestly earned, and I told him l would
tell her.
$50 away we went, and when we
reached the little house, the cart was
just turning the corner of the street.
Harry opened the door very softly, and
the man lifted the machine into the par
lor. Then Harry led me to a small sit
ting-room at the back Of the house
where q pale woman in a widows dress
was sitting sewing busily. She rose and
offered me q chair, and I told her I came
to see if I could obtain Harry's services
at five dollars a week. You should have
seen the boys eyes.
"sHe can go to the evening school,
1 said, sand I will see that he has some
time to read and study. l cannot spare
him now, having had his services SO
long
mother Harry said. Il told you I was
not in mischief. I was earning you q
present. Come and see.'
"And he fairly danced into the par
lor, his mother and I following.
"'It's yours he said, dancing round
the machine; all paid for, and lessons
Oh it, too. Amt it Splendid
ellis mother was as delighted as he
expected, and that is saying a good
deal.
"Oh, SIR she said to me, he's been
a good son since his father died. Every
morning, summer or winter, he's up
and makes the fire while I'm dressing,
and while T get breakfast he brings up
all the coal for the day, so I won't have
to 20 into the cellar; and every step he
can save me he does. But how he ever
made all the money to buy a machine
out of school hours, I cannot under,
stand
got a dollar and a half a week,
mother, for errands, and twenty or
thirty cents extra when there was snow
to clean off the sidewalk, or any other
Job, and MI. Weston gave me twenty
dollars
"tNo, you earned that as we'll as the
rest I said, and his mother fairly broke
down and cried when I told her about
IL. I'LL &c ,oonar