News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-06
LITTLE CARROTSON'S HOLIDAY.


bachelor and not very fond of children,
so that his married sister, who lived in
the country, made q mistake when she
wrote to beg that he would provide a
day and an evenings amusement for
little Carrotson, who was returning to
Westminster School after his Christmas
holidays. The boy was due at his
tutors house in Deans Yard on a We'd
nesday; but Mr.. Cutbill's sister sug-
gested that if he came up to London on
the Tuesday her brother might make
him spend an agreeable day and tale
him to see a pani omime afterward.
Little Carrotson was not related in any
way to Mr.. Cutbill's sister, but he was
the son of friend of hers, and was said
to be an Intelligent boy, well worth
knowing.
Mr.. Cutbill consented to entertain
the youth. and little Carrotson accord.
ingly arrived at the lawyers private
residence in Cover street one January
morning, toward half past nine. It was
raining hard, and Mr.. Cutbill thought
it would never do to take the boy cut
of doors in such weather. He would be
getting wet feet, catch cold, and SO
'orth besides, the lawyer was abso- |
utely obliged to go to his Office for
two or three hours SO, as soon as Car
rotson had been installed opposite
cup of coffee and sausage, MIR. CutbiIl
said to him, in tone that meant to be
paternal:
"Look here, James can I trust you
to be good boy while I am out 1
shall be back for luncheon, and then
I'll take you to see the wax-works, and
in the evening wen go to Drury Lane.
So, as you're going TO have two treats
to-day, hope you Il keep out of mis-
chief"
"Oh, certainly, if You wish it." said
little Carrotson, eying the lawyer with
some surprise.
''If you'll mind not to leave this
room, and not TO play with the fire, I'll
see if have any picture books"
"Don't trouble yourself, sir" an
swered the boy, on whose chubby face
there was slight flush of offended dig
nifty. "There's friend of mine who
lives in the neighborhood, and 1
thought of going to hunt him up"
ga friend? Is he boy, like your
sef ?"
"Well, he's fourteen"
II was so long since Mr.. Cutbill had |
been boy that he had forgotten all the
habits of the species and The manner of |
addressing them. In the red-headed,
olue-eyed, merry faced lad before him
lie saw only mere child who wanted to
go and splash about in the rain, per-
laps to make mud pies and to be 1un
,ver by cabs.
"No, must positively forbid that"
le said. "You are under my charge |
%, day, and must do as I tell you.
Think what your mamma would say if
sou were brought home on stretcher."
Then, suddenly, a happy thought oc-
,urred to Mr.. Cutb1l. Why should he
lot set the boy to do little useful
york by way of making the time pass
lie had read somewhere that boys enjoy
/ half-holiday better than a whole one
20 he darted out of the room and re-
turned with his washing-book. "Look
lere, James; I'll see how you can do
ums. Just go through this book, add
Up all the weekly accounts of the past
quarter, and then divide the total of the
lumber of weeks so as to get at the
verage of my weekly expenditure. If
ou do all that correctly by the time I
eturn, and without making any blots,
II give you half crown to spend at
chool."
Having said this, Mr.. Cutbill retired,
linking he had hit upon an ingenious
evIce for keeping his charge out of
nischief. Little Carrotson's face was a
,icture.
Public school boys have strong ex-
,ressions for describing such men as
dr. Cutbill they call them "howling
nobs."
The egregious "cheek" of forbidding
Jarrotson "to play with the fire. and
he utter villainy of compelling him to
10 sums in house where he had come
s guest in holiday time, could only be
Matched by the impudent offer of half
rown to one who had no less than four
overeigns in his pocket. The whole !
hing was indeed so "rich," that after
brief spell of speechless indignation,
'arrotson laughed. He took up the (
awyer's '' beastly" washing book, and ]
ot through the work set him in half an
our, after which he added some sup {
Elementary averages of his own. He I
how many shirts Mr.. Cutbill
7ould wear in the course of lifetime. {
he lived to the age of seventy, I
nd how much he would disburse in /
citing his socks washed during the
anne period, and so forth, but these 1
only amused him for an /
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