Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-09-18
EARTH'S LONE CHILDREN,
IS We Want a Graye-bOard for Ma. -


A boy, not over II years old, whose
pinched face betrayed hunger, and
whose clothing could scarcely be called
by the name, dropped into a carpenter
shop On Grand River avenue the other
day, and after much hesitation ex-
planned to the foreman: 1et .a..a
awe want to get grave board for
ma. She died last winter, and the
graves are SO thick that we can't hardly
find hers no more. We went up last
Sunday, and we came awful near not
finding it. We thought . we'd git a
grave-board, so VIC wouldn't lose the
grave When we thought we'd lost it.
Jack he cried, and Bud she cried, and
my -trembled so [ could hardly
r. Where is your father?' asked the
carpenter. g.. a.s ssa,H y4
ooh, he's home, but he never goes
up there with us, and we sEan't tell
him about the board / guess he
hated ma, for he wasn't home when
she died, and he wouldn't buy no coffin
nor nothing. Sometimes, when We
are sittin' on the doorstep talking
about her, and Jack and Bud are cryin' !,
and Pm rememberin' how she kissed
us all afore she died, he says we'd bet
ter quit that, or We'll get what's bad for
US. But we sleep up stairs, and we
talk and cry in the dark all we want to.
How much will the board be ?"
The carpenter selected something fit
for the purpose, and asked: .s...s:.-
"Who will put it up at the grave?t'
OIL fob If VT
piled the boy, "and [ guess the grave
yard man will help US put it up .t.4.-
You want the name painted on,
don't your" E 9.- gaD z..5. Il
i. eyes, sir, we want the board white,
and then we want you to paint on that
she was our ma, and that she was
forty-one years old, and that she died
the I'd Of November, and that she's
gone to heaven, and that she was one
of the best mothers ever was, and that
we are going to be good all our lives
and go up where she IS when we die.
| How much will it cost, sir %
How much have you got" '#a
"WeH," said the boy, as he brought
out little calico bag and emptied its
contents on the bench, "Bud draWed
the baby for the woman next door
and earned twenty cents; Jack he
weeded in the garden and earned forty
cents, and he found five more in the
road; | run of errands and made kites
and fixed boys cart and helped carry
some apples into store, and [ earned
sixty-fve cents. All that makes a
hundred and thirty cents, sir, and pa
don't know we've got It, cause we
kept it hid in the ground under a
| stone"
The carpenter meant to be liberal,
but he said: ~ .-...-a
CA grave-board will cost at least
three dollars" 80 '-." .rt.
The lad looked from his little store of
metals to the carpenter and back,
realized how many weary weeks had
passed since the first penny was earned
and saved, and suddenly walled out:
"Then we can't never, never buy
one, and mas grave will get lost"
But he left the shop with tears of
gladness in his eyes, and when he re-
turned yesterday little Bud and Jack
were with him, and they had cart.
There was not only head-board, but
one for the foot Of the grave as we'll,
and painter and carpenter had done
their work with full hearts, and done it
well.
Amt it awful nice-nicer than rich
folks haye!' whispered the children, as