The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-11-16

| dollar for two. Of course, don't do
this way every day in the year, But
mothers glad to have me, once In q
while. Here! waiter!'' And Bert gave
his princely order as if it were no very
great thing for a liberal young fellow
! like him, after all.
"Where is your mother? Why don't
YOU dine with herr" the little man
asked.
Bert's face grew sober in moment.
"That's the question Why don't | Z
I'll tell you why l don't. I've got the
best mother in the world! What Tn
trying to do is to make home for her,
so we can live together, and eat our
Thanksgiving dinners together, some
time. Some boys want one thing, some
another-there's one goes in for good
times, another's In such a hurry to get
rich he don't care much how he does it
but what I want most of anything is to
be with my mother and my two sisters
again, and / amt ashamed to say so.
Bert's eyes grew very tender, and he
went on while his companion across
the table watched him with very gen
tie, searching look.
st haven't been with her now for two
years-hardly at all since father died.
When his business was settled up-he
kept little hosiery store on Hanover
street-it was found he hadn't left us
anything. We had lived pretty well,
up to that time, and / and my two sisters
had been to school; but then mother had
to do something, and her friends got her
places to go out nursing-and she's a
nurse now. Everybody likes her, and
she has enough to do. We couldn't be
with her, of course. She got us boarded
at good place, but I saw how hard it
was going TO be for her to support us,
so I said, I'm boy; I can do some,
thing for myself; you just pay their
board and keep 'em to school, and I'll
go to work, and maybe help you little,
besides taking care of myself. +"
"What could you do9 2" said the little
old man.
"That's it; l was only 'leven years
old and what coUld I2 What should
have liked would have been some nice
place, where / could do light work, and
stand q chance of learning a good bust
ness. But beggars mustn't be choosers.
I couldn't find such place and /
wasn't going to be loafng about the
streets, SO I went to selling newspapers.
I've sold newspapers ever since, and /
shall be IL years old next month.
"You like it?" said the old man.
s'I like to get my own living" re-
piled Bert, proudly. "But what want
is, to learn some trade, or regular bust
ness, and settle down, and make home
for But there's no use talking about
that. Make the best of things-that's
nv motto. Don't this soup smell good
And don't it taste good, too9 They
haven't put so much chicken in yours as
they have in mine. II you don't mind
my having tasted it, we'll change"
The old man declined this liberal
offer took Bert's advice to help him
self freely to the bread, which " didn't
cost anything" and ate his soup with
prodigious relish, as it seemed to Bert,
who grew more and more hospitable
and patronizing as the repast proceeded.
Come, now, won't you have some
thing between the soup and the pie ?
Don't be afraid-I'l pay for it.
Thanksgiving don't come but once a
year. You won't. A cup of tea, then,
to go with your pie9"
81 think I will have cup of tea-you
are so kind, !" said the man.
"All right! Here, waiter Two
pieces of your latest and biggest squash
pie and cup of tea-strong for this
gentleman. a
"I've told you about myself, added
Bert; "suppose yo@ tell me some
thinga"
"About MYSELF"
"Yes. I think that would go pretty
we'll with the pie.
But the man shook his head. 81
could 90 back and tell about my plans
and hopes when was lad of your age;
but it would DO too much Like your own
story over again. Life isn't what we
think it will be, when we are young.
You'll find that out soon enough. am
all alone in the world now and I am
81 years old"
6Have some cheese with your pie,
won't you2 1T must be SO lonely, al
your age! What do you do for q
Iiving?"
81 have little place in Devonshire
street. My name is Croker. You'll
ind me up two flights OF stairs, bach
room at the right. Come and see me,
and I'll tell you all about my business,
and perhaps help you to such place as
you want, for know several business
men. Now don't fail. !"
And Mr.. Croker wrote his address,
with a little stub of a pencil, on corner
of the newspaper which had led to then
acquaintance, tore it off carefully, and
gave it to Bert.
@Thereupon thelatter took card from
his pocket-nota very clean one, must
say Il am speaking Of the card, though
the remark will apply equally well tc
| the pocket, and handed 1t across the
table to his new friend.
50 Herbert Ham ptoa, Dealer in Meas
papers," the old man read, with his
sharp gray eyes, which glowed up fun
! ,,iIxy OF Ror+ scanning fo GOV Ton y