Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-11
of the now nearly empty pot of half-and-
half, "No he thought not. "

he most notable of the brood. None of
Lhe rest rose above mediocrity, except IL
were the baby, who had developed an as
tonishing talent for swallowing small ar
ticles of hardware without apparent in
Everything goes to its mouth, " the
mother said, lovingly, and not without
certain measure of pride, seeing that
there was strong reason to believe that
the child had swallowed threepenny-blt
incautionsly left within its reach on the
table Thrcepenny-bits were not to be
thus lightly disposed Of in the Dibbins
and it was only after looking
high and low that this conclusion was ar
rived at
If Sprouts had been at home. it would
not have happened. Nothing did happen
wrong with his ken At the moment of
the suspected catastrophe Sprouts was
"cleanin' his boots. They were not
really his own, being the possession of n
middle-aged gentleman who lodged in
Remington Lane. But Sprouts always
called them "my boots" having in them
that measure of possession involved i'll
daily presenting them with n new polish.
This was only one of numerous en-
gngements he held. concurrently with the
necessity, vigorously imposed upon him
by law, of going to school twice day.
The first thing in the morning Sprouts
"lit his fires" that is to say, he went to
the house where the middle-nged gentle
man lodged, and lit the fires. After this
he came home, had his breakfast, and
went off to school, where he was due at
nine o'clock. When he came out at noon
he went to clean his boots, then home to
dinner, school again in the afternoon,
and i'll the evening was open to engage
ments ON odd jobs by the neighbors.
But his great day was Saturday, and it
was in connection with the labor of this
day that he earned the sobriquet by which
he was popularity known. Being free
from school on Saturday, Sprouts was
able to devote his colossal energies to the
furtherance Of green grocery business
at the Butts This necessitated his ris-
ing at four o'clock in the morning, and
accompanying the van to Covcnt Garden.
At first, Sproutss duties were limited to
remaining on the van whilst n more ma
ture greengrocer went in search of pur.
chases. He had to be on the lookout
first, to prevent incursions of thieves,
and secondly, to answer the hail of por-
tiers bringing to the van purchases made
in different parts of the market.
1t was this that brought home tc
Sprouts the urgent necessity of having
"a back in.
"If you don't get back in" Sprouts
explained to his marvelling mother and
the assembled family, "they cant find
you. and then they have to carry the
sacks all round the other carts.
Sprouts never went to bed on Friday
night without this grave necessity weigh.
ing upon his mind. If they were last al
market, the other carts would get back
i'll, and Smithson would be at n disadvan-
tage. A start at 4 would secure the de,
sired position, and often Sprouts, waking
Mt 3 and dressing by the light of the
little lamp he had placed by his bed over.
night, went off to rouse his master and
help to get the horse in.
1t will be well understood that with all
these engagements Sprouts was a youth
of substance. His income, indeed, was
stupendous. He had shilling week
for lighting the fire eighteen pence {
week was his fee for cleaning the boots o.
the middle-aged gentleman, brushing his
whilst his Saturdays work brought hin
!
much. But then, MS Sprouts remarks
with glistening eyes, he has four meals il
the day, and endeavors to do his duty il
respect of them, as indeed he does in al
else that comes in his way.
Sprouts was eleven years of age, ant
small for his years. He had n singularly
bright pair of eyes, and one of the mos
knowing smiles ever carried by human
being. Sometimes, if you CHANGED Il
walk on Saturday in the neighborhoot
of Newington Butts, you might have YOU
attention attracted by a large basket com
ing down the street Then you would be
come conscious of smile, following
which enc you would come upon mouth
and afterward would quite clearly max,
out behind the basket very small boy
hitched on one side for the more conve
nient carrying on his hip of the LOADED
basket This would be Sprouts goinl
out con an errand," life glowing to hin
with the recollection of II successful "bacl
in" achieved in the morning.
Sprouts got home late on Saturda,
night, and if much pressed would admi
to being little tired But he was NJ
and off at in the morning to do his fire.
and clean his boots, which he was accus
toned to accomplish in time to com,
home, dress himself in his best, ant
either take charge of the household or e
to church, as it might happen to be hi
turn with his mother.
On particular Sunday morning, earl,
in this current year. Sprouts could hard
ly clean the middle-aged gentleman
boots by reason of the strong excitemen
that swayed him. The next day wa
Monday, and on that momentous nigh
the wrongs of long years were to b.
atoned. His father was to appear on tn
stage, not by the chance of evil having
befallen some one else, but in his owl
proper character solemnly assigned t.
him. On going to market the previou
morning, Sprouts had beheld, with swell
ing breast, bill attached to the door o
the Theatre Royal, Wellington street. Ii
the long list of names appeared TIL
line:
SURGEON ....... NgHOr DiJini
Sprouts's smile on this occasion wa
really dangerous to look at.
"You'll split up some day, Sprouts, m
lad, old Smithson said, himself not dis
pleased to be, however. remotely, con
HtCttu VIII pchtltuiau Whobt pIOlce
sional name appeared in type 80 big tina
even he could read it.
On this same day Sprouts had don
what had never happened to him before
Being sent out to Mrs. Chelsea's with tw
pounds of potatoes, and having in tn
same basket three cauliowers for Mrs
Nelson, he left the caulihowers at til
Chelseas' and the potatoes at the Nelson's
Also on Sunday he had put backing o
the kid tops of the middle-aged gentle
mans boots, though well knowing tina
such an irregularity, if detected, woul
drive the middle-aged gentleman mad.
~.
He wanted to get done early now, &
that he might get home and form one {
jury of taste to decide knotty poin
1t was not without some feeling of dii