River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-12-21
Then he watched the starlight and

come home to, granny don lind her
I'll never dare to leave her lynn round
promiscus. But it'll be lonesome for
her, days. I'll have to fix her in bed.
She'll think she's sleeFin. III git Il
clean piece of white stuff. lady like
her ought to have a decent bed"
Then Bangs reached out for her, and
by the starlight inspected her again,
smoOthed out her dress, and took her
curls tenderly in his finger, saying
under his breath, "Real ones. Hi
That's good one. just like Miss
Clara s.. Bangs chuckled a good
while over this discovery, then exam
ined her fingers, her boots, each arti.
Gle of dress, looked into her round resy
face, then raised it to his lips.
mo, gollyl Bangs ant no such a
spoony," and he took her down and
reverently placed her on his pillow,
his face blushing at his soft-hearted-
ness.
The next morning before his granny
was astir, he had placed Clara in a
afe place and as clean a one rs he could
find, and was off to see what the day
had in store.
How Bangs did work lie swept
crossings, ran Of errands, held horses.
Wherever penny could be turned,
Bangs turned it, never once taking
time to fight during the day, and pass.
ing his cronies with careless word OF
two. When evening came, he had
some very small change and a dirty
ten-cent note. Bangs regarded this as
mine of wealth. Going up to one of
ait " 70 IN ac1, 20 "a
and hands with great care, finally dash
ing the water over his hair and comb
ing it with his fingers,
''Purty clean thing It'll never do
to go home to her dirty"
The toilet made, Bangs went into a
little corner store and bought half
yard of cotton cloth, and tore it in two.
SCOT any spare box, missus! I'd
like to buy one
After some deliberatiOn he selected
good-sized box put in the muslin, and
went home earlier than he had been
known to do in many a month. For
tunately granny was out, gossiping. So
Bangs drew Clara from her hiding
place, first looking to see if his hands
were still clean, and spreading the cot
ton over his arm, sat down ON a stool
i'll perfect content.
"Clara, I've brought you q box to
live in, you purity thing, and I've
brought you some clean sheets too.
How could lady like you stand gran
ny's mussy waysl Now,yUu set there,
and II make your bed"
He hunted around among granny S
rags, got the cleanest, and wrapped one
piece of the cotton around them ,placed
the bed in the box.
"Now guess you Il sleep better
Granny's step being heard, he GOV.
erred UP the box and hid it under the
clothes"
Bangs's whole existence seemed de-
voted to the doll. Clara became tc
him a real being. lie used to keeT
himself neat for Clara. lie came home
early to be with Clara. He behaved
himself during the day because he
thought of Clara, for Clara was lady
Every shell, beautiful leaf, bit of col
ored glass or ribbon he found, was
treasured for Clara, until her box be-
came a perfect museum. The boys
thought Bangs was growing corfu
stupid" and called him "1oung Mems
Christian Association. But Bangs
didn't mind them a bit. He worked
harder than ever, and was happier thar
| ever.
one day his granny was carried into
the house by two policemen, She had
fallen in the street, and had strength
only To tell them where to take her
Bangs never heard her voice again il
kindness or in wrath. He watched hel
all that night, as she lay in a heavy
stupot OH the wretched bed in the cor
ner. In the morning he ran to the
Mission for Miss Clara. When they
reached the garnet together, the poor
old creature was gone. Bangs felt as
he had never felt before, while he
stood there thinking or her wretched
like and darkened death.
The next day the overseer of the
poor attended to her burial. When il
was over, Bangs stole to his old corner
of The garnet AMI lifted Clara from hel
iiiding-place.
CLARA" he whispered, granny is
dead. Where shall we go This is nc
place for "a lady like ycU. | think il
we went away, Clara, I could grow
to I've good and decent.
Come, then, and try.
Hearing the voice, he loaked up.
so teacher is that you? Clara and
me were just talkin' about goin' of
somewhere, and worlIin', and tryin' if
couldn't get to be a decenter chap
She seems t. take to it, miss and as
for me, do you know teacher, | We been
thinkin of late, as how 'taiht no way
to do to be lghtin' and kndcklh' aboutl
If Clata'd bin here q year ago, might
have helped poor granny to get along
better. She's gentle and ladysome in
her ways, Clara is"
Some persons would have thought
Bangs was Grassy, but Miss Clara knew
better.
Perhaps 1t was the kind teacher, OF
her brother who took him into his
workshop, perhaps it was the "lady-
some doll, perhaps it was the mission
school, and its lessons, or, more than
all, the Help that came when Bangs
learned to ask for it. Whatever it
was, not a happier, steadier fellow
II an Bangs can be found in the great
city to-day.
lie is almost man now, but Clara,
grown no larger, lies in her box still,
pretty and fresh as ever.
s'There's no knowing" Bangs says,
''but what some day | may have a lit
tie girl of my own, and then, if she's
good enough and smart enough and
genteel enough and Christian enough,
there's no telling but she'll find Clara
sitting under sparkling tree ON some
fine morning, wishing her merry
Christmas"
. a
Lost His Bet.
From the Milwaukee Seahotr
Yesterday afternoon a lady dragged