The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-08-08
SOMEBODY 70 BLAME.
. MARY DwINELL cHELLIs.

| IT,"
AS Mr.. Gray said this, he raised the
| PROSTATE form of boy who could moi
have been more than ten years old, and
pushing back the tangled hair from O
sunburned brow, repeated the words
before spoken.
"Why, sir, that fellow came 10 oul
school, and had first-rate lessons ex.
CLAIMED lad who had been attracted
from the main street to the Mario W
alley where Mr.. Gray had discovered
the Intoxicated boy.
"He behaved well, too, and the
teacher liked him, but the boys laughed
at him because he wore such old
clothes. Pm real sorry for him
What are you going to do with him
sir" l1W II efl1H
flake him homo, IL I can find where
his home Isl" was replied. e. ~
81 know, sir, pretty near. 1t is al
awful poor place. saw where it was
when the boys were after him."
"Were you one of the boysT
"No, SIR" was the half-indignant re-
ply to this question; al never do sucl
things
"Did you speak to him at ALP"
al can't remember as did. l wish
| had. lie wouldn't have felt 30 lone.
some and discouraged, would hep
"No, he wouldn't; and perhaps il
you had talked with him then he
wouldn't be where he is now"
"Why, sir, do you think | am the
somebody to blamcr asked Herbert
Means earnestly.
81 don't know that You arc. | was
only thinking that kind word from q
schoolmate better oil than he was
might have helped him. Wouldn't IL
have helped you if You had been in his
placer"
81 guess it would, sir, and I'm
ashamed that didn't take up on his
side. He's good deal better scholar
than | am. His mOther'll be awful
sorry. What can | do to help him
nowT
"Nothing at present. l shall take
him TO the pump sbeforc carry him
home; then yOu can go with me.
The application of cold water par
TALLY restored the unconciOus boy
After several attempts he succeeded in
standing upon his feet, and later was
able, with assistance, to reach the hum
bic tenement where his mother waited
for him.
"What is itT' cried hungry-look.
ing woman, exclaiming in the next
breath: Drunk my boy drunk! my
Willie drunk Heaven pity me, and
let Inc die! o, Willie! how. could you
when you knew I was starvingr
Herbert Means stayed to hear no
more, but hurrying away, returned
quickly with loaf of bread, which Mrs
Dinsmoro seized, and breaking a piece
fl ON it began to eat.
"We hadn't so much as q crust y
she said at length. al didn't eat d
mOuthful yesterday, nor Willie either,
l couldn't get work lately nor he
couldn't. He's good scholar, and
he thought maybe if he went to school
he'd have better chance to get place
but the scholars laughed at his old
clothes and that discouraged him, Sc
he was ashamed to go ont of the house
But this morning we we're both of us
SO hungry he said he'd earn something
to eat somewhere. I'd rather he'd died
than be as he is now"
"Don't mother; Pn-tell-you," said
Willie with great effort to rise from b!
nainSi"D oo"ch vi "hiSH Hc was rcst-
ing.
81 think he will explain tho matter
to YOU" remarked Mr.. Gray. ~ am
quite sure somebody is more to blame
than your boy" And with this com.
fort lie LETT the poor mother.
Before night Willie was able to tell
her how 1t ha9. all happened. While
working in dirty cellar, the proprie.
etor of which had promised him twenty
cents on the completion of his task, he
had tainted from sheer exhaustion, and
when too weak to expostiilation, was
forced to drink the liquor which had
rendered him uneonsairus,
"The man must have thrown me
out" he said sadly. 81 remember fal-
ling hard. and then didn't know any
more till felt the cold water on my
face. You see was ashamed to go 10
any good place."
"Somebody to blame"
These words haunted Herbert Means
through all tho hours of school, and
that evening he went to visit Willie
Dinsmore. determined, if possible, to
make amends for past neglect. Mr..
Gray had forestalled him in many of
his plans, yet there remained ample
opportunity for the kindness he was
glad TO bestow, and which did not fail
of lis purpose.
There arc thousands and thousands
of boys in our land who are often drunk
and for whose drunkenness somebody
is 10 blame. Let us mako sure that
this somebody is not you or IL
Youths Temperance Banner.
f. .