The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-02-05
SEEKING HIS FORTUNE.
A Story for BOYS

a ooy sat whistling on fence He
was lad of II years, and worked at al
sorts OF odd chores ON the river farm
which sent most of its produce down te
the city ON the barges " hich one Sees on
the hudson River, headed bv little
steam tugs, and which are com.
| monty called sstows.'' This how
Tom Van Wyek, was a noo,
boy, and worked hard he did not mucb
care for the beautiful hills which en-.
compassed the winding, cleaning river,
nor the fair and fertile fields beyond
but he had an adventurous and darino
spirit, which just now was working ,un
IN the manner Of yeast when it is pnsh-
ing its way through the mass of nm.
baked bread All sorts of bubbles. were
bothering his brain, and foremost was
the wish to leave his country home, and
go to the great city of which he had
heard so much, but about which he
knew little. Aunt Maria, he was sure.
would never say eyes, to his project.
She looked upon the city as a great den
OF thieves, and she did not want Tom to
60 there; but he was tired of being a
farm hand, and thought it would be fine
to stand behind counter, to wear kid
gloves on a Sunday, to be able to buy
good broadcloth and shining boots-in-
deed, with one bound to be merchant
prince whose grandeur should be the
town talk. -
He had not very clear ideas as to how
all this was to be attained, but he knew
he could work hard; he had read how
many poor boy had struggled up to
fame, and he meant to try, ANYHOW.
Aad now, as he. sat on the fence
whlstling, he w;.s considering plan of
action. There was no use in being too
tender-hearted. Hesweuld have to osleave
Aunt Maria without asking permission.
True, the little red house BY the hill was
a snug little home, and his aunt toiled
hard to. make it so; but would he not
come home to- herewith silks and dia-
mOnds which should so outshine her
best alpaca that it would only do for
common usep Often down at the dock
he had talked with the men on the boats,
but he knew none of them other than as
Jack and Bill. His proposed plan was
to leave some night quietly, get on a
barge, go to the city, and secure work !;
then write home to Aunt Maria, and
make his peace with her. Perhaps if
Aunt Maria had known all ?. these
thoughts, she might have been less
harsh when Tom scolded about farm
work, and called it drudgery; but she
had a scornful way of shifting at him
and his ideas, which made Tom more
and more close and reserved. On
this very day, when the momentous
project was ripening, she had said
he was lazy, that "a rolling stone gath
cred nc, moss,'' 2that the Il boy, was
father to the man." and that if all he
could do was to whistle and whittle, he
had better go over to Squire Green S
and help them shuck their corn. ,,t5 5lr..
"Shuck corn! In a weeks or a
months time he'd show her what he
could do"
1t was clear October night, calm and
beautiful, and Tom rose softly, tied his
best suit up in bundle with couple of
shirts, took off his shoes-he had not
undressed- Slipped down stairs, un-
fastened the deor, which, however, was
only latched, and crept out into the
moonlight He paused to count thefew
silver pieces in his little well-worn purse,
took one long look at the red house,
and especially at the window where
little James yellow head was often
est to be seen-for Aunt Ma
ria was mother as well as
aunt to these two motherless children
and away he went. If he had any
qualms of conscience, they We're soon
forgotten in the excitement of the mo-
ment. The walk was not a long one to
the riverside, and he had madefa right
guess as to the time the night boat
would land. One by one sleepy head
appeared from the sheds as the beat
neared the wharf, but despite the moon
light, no one noticed him particularly as
he slipped stealthiiy on board, and to
his great relief the truck was soon ship
ped, the gangplank drawn up, and the
steamboat making its white furrow
through the sparkling water. He was
too wide awake now TO think of sleeping,
and after paying his fare, sat down to
watch the progress of the boat. By-and-
bythe moon sank, and it was dark the
chilly dawn soon came, and then long
rows, of sparkling lights appeared l. the
tall spires Of the town; the masts Of the
shipping; the Hitting ferry-boats, each
with its green on scarlet blaze of lam
tern; rows. of house tops; docks ;
wharves; fiag-staffs; sheds. This, then,
was the great city of his hopes. ! {. u .
Now there was a stirring and calling
rush of men to the work Of unloading.
heaving Of ropes, winding of cables,
shouts, curses, the rattling of carts on
the piers, the tinkIe Of bells onsthe cars,
the roar of escaping steam, the scream
of whistles, and the foul smells of gar
bage and bilge-water. He watched the
men at their work, he saw the passen-
gers come out, with sleepy eyes and sod
den faces, and taken their departure.
He too must go-but where's? He wan
dered off the pier. I'M maze. Where
should he go? what should be do in al
this crowd OF strange facesP He was
hungry, and stopped at an apple stand
where woman in huge cap and plaid
shawl sold him an apple and nlolasses
cake. He asked her if she knew where
he could get work. ~ : as&bss
sShure an I,don't. tits hard enough
to find it for my boy Jim, lettin' alone
strangers = s2 sSs8 &@