Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-10-19
--7--- !.
NO BODY BUT SAM WELDON
BY AVE NIX.


! That was the answer given to the new
teachers Interrogation in regard to boy
WHO stood against tree on the outer edge
Of the play ground. Nobody but Sam Vel
do a. and pretty Dell Casey tossed back
her bright curls with scornful smile on
her lips.
Why do you speak in that way, Della p
gu cried the teacher; L don't under
ste nd
why, that's what everybody says'' an
sw cred Della ''his father makes gardens
for other people, and his mother acts so
que er. Sans good enough, I suppose, but
he 6 int nobody.
The teacher sighed, but did not repri
man his pupil for her manner of speaking,
rightly guessing that she had heard the ex-
pressIol, from older lips.
The despised Sam Weldon was boy of
perhaps thirteen years old, rather tall for
his age. and dressed somewhat shabby
He had good natured bright face, honest
blue eyes, very light hair combed back from
a high, intellectual forehead, and tender
sensitive mouth. just now he was watch
ing game of ball with look of keen boy
ish interest, and his face thus lighted was
anything but disagreeable.
By and by he became Wearied, however,
| with watching game from which he was
excluded, so turning away he entered the
school room and sought to while away the
time of intermission by little extra
study.
While he sat there pulling over a.l1notty
example, little brown-eyed Maggie Bright.
| the youngest scholar in school, came up to
him shyly, and laid tiny bunch of hite
| flowers on his desk, then laying one hand
on his arm and looking lovingly into his
face, she whispered, I like you, Sam Wei
] don, if the rest don't. 1 think you are the
| best boy in school,
! For moment the sensitive mouth quiz
cred, the big blue eyes were full of tears,
nd then giving her a genuine, enthusiastic
b, ~ hug. he answered, Il think you are the
be st little girl III the world, and I'm going
to wear these flowers in my buttonhole.'
Then they fell to talking about flowers.
Sam said he would like to get some
wild violets for his mother, and Maggie
knew just where lots of them grew,
so off they started together to gather
some.
little Maggie Bright, the child of the
widow who lived in the little white cot
tage neag the school-house, became great
friends
They laughed and chatted at recess and
at nc on-times, and when it was rainy or
nude v, Sam often times brought Maggie to
school Oh his shoulders. In the winter
season Sam sawed wood for the widow and
shovele thesnoW from her doorsteps, and
as she W as poor he always refused to take
any pay; SO it came TO pass after while
that Mrs. Bright and little Maggie were
Sans best friends.
Three We ars' went by and Sam was six
teen. He worked out among the farmers
in the Summer and in the Winter attended
the academy in a neighboring village. The
country people Iear Sans house still
sneered at him and called him a nobody
but Sam went whistling and singing on his
way. bearing them no 1ll-will, and owning
too large stock of sunshine and good ma
ture in his own heart to allow their sneers
to make him very unha ppy.
The teachers of the academy spoke very
encouragingly of his fut ure, and when at
twenty he graduated from this school they
offered him situation as teacher in one
department, at very good salary.
Sam accepted this situation, and still
boarding at home walked his two miles
every day.
The people still sneered and said among
themselves, 'sOh he's nobody but Sam
Weldon, he'll never amount to anything
if he does put on airs
And Sam worked all the harder and
smiled the brighter. Maggie Bright, now
fourteen, was one Of his best pupils, and
he took great deal Of pains to help her in
all her studies. She liked to hear him talk
in his enthusiastic way about the beauty
of mathematical problems, and when he
talked about the birds and flowers and
stars, telling the name Of each, she was
very proud of. him, for it seemed to
| me that he was the wisest man in the
world.
She studied very hard so he might not
think her fool, and his kind commenda-
lions were the pleasanJest thing of her
lonely life.
One day when Sam Weldon had finished
his years teaching he wentaway and forgot
to tell them where he was gong.
Some OF them were very angry, and the
gossips talked great deal about it, but
YOU see he was nobody but Sam Vel
don, and what could anyone expect Of
1 him