Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-06-15
FEATHERsTONE's HERO.

ABOUT the Tune 1t happened, Little
Tins had been at Featlerstone School a
year, I think though IImay be mistaken
II have so much to remember since I
began to grow old. There are all the
boys who were at Ftatherstone in nv
day, the looks of the blessed old school
itself, with the many windowed build
ings, the weather stained belfry, where
the gulls made. nests the neat, trim play,
grounds, and the whole broad ocean surg
ing along Cumberland Beach, only a
mile away-all this I must never forget.
For what would be the good fortune Of
being a boy If one could not have his
school fellows to remember; the home
they: had in common, and the glorious old
days when he ard they woke up on the.
bright, sunshiry mornings, without a
thing to do in the world besides coming
a lesson or two9 Then there is the mas
though lttook us some time to find
out just what noble generous man he
was; and the masters kind, motherly
wife, who card for us boys when we
were sick and who brought Billy
Wilson, through q desperate struggle
with the typhoid fever, when every body
said he would die. Who Of us will ever
forget the quiet, sleepy afternoons we
passed in that large. still school-room,
studying bur illustrated histories and
Biographies; listening to the old clock
beating away, as.if itwere the pulse of
tue place, and looking out wistfully
through the deep windows at the sails
heaving in sight now and then on the
glimmering ocean2 Or, will any of us
forget the days when it stormed, and the
sea threw it's spray away up to our win
dows, and at night rumbled over the
beach like guns, keeping us awake for
hours? And finally, whenever, we look
at the sea, are there any of us who will
not recall Little Tims2
What an odd looking little chap he
was. to be sure, when he first came to the
school! The boys laughed at his name
Littlefeld Tins; and called him
s:Gran 'ther" because he appeared so old
fashioned. Then somebody began to
nickname him Little Tins, and we all
took it up. He was not so very small in
stature, however; only slim and poor
His face was freckled, his hair red, and
he had large hands, that looked as though
he had been used to very hard work. One
of the boys said that the master had
brought him from poor farm; but we
never found out whether that was really
the truth. All we knew about him was
that he had no parents and was kept
about the school to- do the chores. When
the biggest boy shook him, one day; be-
cause be. refused to fag, he sat down and
cried; said he wished he was dead. He
never had any friends, and we might xii
him, if we wanted TO; he didn't care, he
said. Some of the boys only laughed Al
that and told him he hadn't any pluck
Afterwards he kept away from us all a:
much as he could, and studied his lesson:
alone.
But the day came. at last, however
when we found out what brave hear
Little Tins had; and then, of course, W.
wonder that it had taken us so long t
discover the fact. 1t was some time il
the spr1ng-a dark, cold, rainy day, whe1
the sea had been made wild by the higl
1 wind. The most Of us had remained in
doors all the afternoon; and, when even
ing came, we gathered around the ope1
fire at the end Of our long dormitory AM
took turns in telling the sea stories W
4 had read. Oh! TO. hear Billy Wilso
telling, about his fathers cruise to BON
bay, while you were watching the grea
heap of fire cracking and darting u
bright flames, and listening to the storr
beating the windows and the surf thur
dering against the shore, was worth
], great deal, I can tell YOU And what
noise the wind and waves did make ths
j night! It was, assmuch as anyone coul
} do tocatch a wink of sleep; andI reco
}, lect how / lay awake ever SO long, fame,
I ing that I could hear voices out door or,
ing and calling to US. / suppose / mu
? have been dreaming an hour or w
: though, beforeI really did hear any thin.
because ! sprang up startled and Co
e fused when that loud boom and rumb
broke above the noise of the storm.
| What was that, Ludgate?' whispere
) little Tom Duffeld, frightened; and thu
$ in a moment everybody in the dor1nitol
5 was sitting up in bed, wanting to kno
$ what had happened. George Jennin,
i crcpt out to the end window and pullt
= up the curtain, just as anoth ma,
e usjump, and we caught a glimpse Of
: flash in the distance, bursting the dar
!, ness apart.
cts a. ship on the reef, fellows!" call
/ out three orfour at once.
: There was general scramble for Q
r clothes, and then we crowded about t
!, window and waited for another fas