The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-01-04
'otal. 4,0I2.126 4,290. 1877 s.. 926 10, lSs
A Practical Boy.

"Tommy." observed a Nelson street
mother to her son, youth of thirteen
years, "you must cut some wood for
the front room stove. Nh. Crawford
comes tonight"
Mr.. Crawford is young man who
is "keeping company with Fanny,
Tommy's sister. The time was a
Wednesday evening. Tommy had
been skating since school, and was
now anXiously awaiting his supper.
The announcement came upon him
with disagreeable force.
"Is that old rooster comm around
here tonight % he impetuously in
quired.
Thomas cried his mother in a
voice of horror.
Thomas having eased his mind some
what of the burden, proceeded to the
woodpile without further remark.
He was not in good humOr as he
looked around for the ak, and articles
foreign to the search were moved with
graceless haste.
"This is a reg'lar dogs life," he
moodily calculated. "First it's Sun
day night, an then it is Wednesday
night, an then it's Friday night, an
every little while an extra night
thrown in. / don't see what's the use
of girl about the house. If I've got
to cut wood every time that feller
comes, I'll know the reason why. l
l won't be put on like this. 1 amt
goin' to be made pack mule of, by
George, for all the Crawfords and
Fannys on earth. It's all nice enough
for them to be in there toasting their
shins, an actin sickish, but | notice
that have got to do all the work.
It's played out, by Jinks; l amt that
kind of hairpin. I'd just like to have
somebody tell me-" he added, looking
around for the person in question,
chow much of the candy an oranges
an other stuff that Fanny gets that /
get. Not one whiff, by gracious! not
one single solitary ,phf. An here l
chop wood for her an him night after
night, an if it wasn't for me they d
shake all the teeth outen their. heads.
Oh, they are asweet-scented pair, they
are" ..E. ..... ..
Closing his remarks with this
gloomy observation on his sister and
her company, he worked away at the
wood until the amount necessary was
prepared. About seven O'Clock Mr.
Crawford's knock sounded at the door
Fanny's mother was to have let him
in, but Tommy volunteered his ser
vice. He escorted the young gentle
man into the front room, and theI
backing himself against the door, HI
pointed to the stove which was throw
ing out most welcome heat, an(
sternly inquired: .a.... ....
| "Is that what you'd call goot
fire? ?'' .....ea. ~ o.. ..... .-.-...
/ Eyes, indeed" said Mr.. Crawford
rubbing his hands gratefully.
"Ah" observed Tommy, in a tom
of relief, although his face scarcely re
laxed the severity of its expression
"You couldn't very well get along il
here without fire, could you"
Hardly" E
81 Is'pose not. Now who do yo'
s'pose made that tire?" s-a.a I'll
Why-I-I suppose-why don
, know" said Mr.. Crawford, apparentl
embarrassed by the question.
"No? Well, 1 can tell you. ] mad
that fire. I cut the wood for it. l Gu
: the wood and make every fire you hay
: here. I've been doing it all the Will
: you've come here, and you and Fa
have set by it, and toasted yourselves
and ate candy, and sucked oranges
You an Fan have had all the comfol
of it, an I've done all the work, el
cry bit of it. An not one smell c
them candies an oranges hazel ha
mot a living SMELL" The unhapp
boy knit his eyebrows, and instinct
J. lively clenched his hands. Scarcely les
disturbed appeared Fanny's youn
/; man. He glanced uneasily from th
fireman to the stove. But he made n
reply. He waited apprehensively fo
: what was to follow.