The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-03
Tries and the Peck Book.

Thesboys all called him Triss, and that's
the long and short of it.
And goodness knows Triss knew what
the short of it-or OF everything, in fact
was. Ee was short of clothes, food,
covering, a good home, friends. Dear
me, don't know of n solitary thing that
this poor Triss had in abundance, unless
it was an appetite-if that may be men
toned here.
o the appetite, the longing for good
things to eat, that Triss had 1t may
have been owing to the fact that he never
had enough TO eat, and so the longing
was constant.
Triss knew the worth of money in
deed he did. He hadn't been kicked
from one street to another, from one
house to another, for the sake of being
kicked. O no.
He was sharp shrewd, and had an eye
to business. When he could get any
thing to do, and held five cents in his little
brown fist-well, there was no limit to
his importance. The mayor was rather
an insignificant mortal, in the sight of
Triss, at such time ; and that reminds
me that Triss was going to be mayor
some day. He had never wondered how
be mayor or tin peddler. Either was n
position Triss ervied.
Now, as this is true story, / may as
well tell Won at once that Triss, like most
vagrants-I ask his pardon for calling
him that to-day was no cookbook boy.
o no. He had never prayed, Lead us
not into temptation" Why, he had
never heard of the prayer.
You might as well have asked him to
repeat the Ten Commandments. And
never having heard them, who could ex-
pect him to do otherwise than to begin
at the very top and break them clean
through, as far as he could
Waiting for my story2 Here it is.
Triss was ont on business. Some one
might want him to run errands. 1t was
a cold morning, very cold, and his feet,
without shoes. were red and swollen,
and the hat he wore was very extraor-
binary one.
| think il was the hat that first attract
ed the attention of young lady passing
along rapidly and then it may have
been the poor red little feet, or sooner,
the sweet brown eyes that watched her.
The lady halted, and Triss looked
scared to death, and tried to think if he
had ever stolen anything from her, and
then as quickly decided he had never
seen her tace before.
care you cold, dear child2"
80 no." said Triss.
"But your feet look frozen"
Triss kept saying to himself, "Dear
child" He said it quite loud so the
lady heard it. She smiled, noting the
,,IoosaI Look IN, bic faoa
"Don't b'long to anybody" said Triss,
at last.
"Don't YOU, dear?"
"Ihere," said Triss "there it is
again.
"There is what2"
"That DEAR" and Triss' face shone
with an odd light.
"Did no one ever call you that p
Laudv, no! Iain't got anybody"
What are you doing out such morn
ing as this p
" Bissens, miss"
80 business What can you dol"
80 moss anythin'."
"Can you clean sidewalks 2"
"Jolly, can't 1, thought"
Come around to =, and l will
give you something to do.
Pay, mlssl
"Pay! Certainly"
"Mebby in cold wittels," unused Triss,
with sigh.
The girl heard both.
Will you Gomez"
guess-yes."
The lady passed on.
Triss had a way of talking very loud
when he talked to himself, and when she
turned, Triss muttered, "Goin' to the
poss office, seeing her letters and pack
ages.
"Hallo :" Triss sprang ahead and
picked something from the ground.
"Laudy pocket-book. Amt it swell
IN? Russy leather. o laudy two,
three-whew. bills -
Triss clapped the pocket-bo shut,
put it in his pocket, and stood still,
looking after the lady. He knew to
whom it belonged, for ne saw it in her
muf.
81 wish," said Triss, mournfully
"that it wasn't her'n, cause I'd like
some oysters and slammin' hunk OF
that gingercake in Stork's winder. I'll
go and hunt up her house."
In the meantime the young lady
reached the postoffice. Laying down hel
parcels, she discovered for the first time
that she was minus purse.
The sympathetic clerk was all sympa
thy, and stamped the letters and papers
on trust but that didn't mend matters
ut all.
Where was the purse9
Eight dollars" she said, in answer
TO the clerks question of the amount i
contained, and her face said as plainly
rs words might, go dear, i can't afforC
to lose il.
"That funny boy with the queer hat,
she thought to herself, passing from TIN
Office. "Could he have it / had i
then.