Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-11-28
THE BOY.
By MARY HARrwrLL.

cumuli were heaped over the
j wood tops, but the middle SIX,
was blue and clear. Though
was. doing on a saloon step
this day OF beauty got ever
although my wavering sight. Per
aps sat there an hour, perhaps
Il a9e, in which the blinks l got
. the recurring days.
~ suddenly occurred to me that
y'suoh a long continuance OF fine
weather ought to be enjoyed
more actively. But the world
whirls. as everybody knows. ]
fnumbled number Of jokes on
nature as l staggered abroad.
After . tiresome journey I came
upon an alley and group Of
boys travelling through game OF
marbles on their knees, like peni
tents stumpling to Jerusalem
And In their midst was Billy.
Billy was . noble-looking boy. l
paused and tried to get in posi-
ton to look at him. 1 felt a
maudlin pride in Billy. He had
Nora's blue eyes. blessed Nora |
'>SAs was gone where she couldn't
be- cursed any more; poor little
broken hearted thing
As Billy photographed himself
in my eyes, his bright hair blowl-
ing, his lusty fingers gouging a
pit for the center marble, the
contrast between what he and /
were born to be and what we
we're, struck me like a bullet.
l had tried to reform. Oh, yes.
And every failsre was q link 10
my chain. / was utterly given
over to the snakes and the faries.
Now here was Bill, walking in
my vagrsnt steps; vicious Arab
under beautiful Caucasian
guise.
"Say, Bill" begged one Of
the tribe, casting q covetous eye
on bis industrious jaws, "let me
chaw your wax awhilePp
Bill, with graceful generosity
and contempt Of gain, tossed It
over, saying:
"There; you can take ii and
keep it; I don't want no more. +"
While I stood in drunken dolor
against the fence, the group
whirled up suddenly into a mael-
strom. The center toward which
they were all sucked was q stead
fast rock with churning fists and
. yellow top.
"Bilil" / shouted in fury,
"come here, you young scoun.
drep'
Hearing my voice over the broil,
be dashed through the boys, and
came. crying. bloody and ruffisd.
"Whst are you fighting about?"
! asked, standing in tremulous
judgment over him.
Il can't tell you, father" he
answered braveiy.
What Even the boy despised
and dared mel lifted my hand /,
and felt that / could kill him.
"Take that, then-and that,
you little wretch. I'll show you to
be a bully and turn against your
own father"
my muscular hand brought q
frightful blood gush out OF his
bruised face. / thought he should
teel that his father was q solid
..lnan in one respect, il the rest oi
mK body was a mass of moist
wrefShedness.
Then boy, the boy. ! groan
when I f1Qmember it.
"Ob. d6A2't father" he begged
yrInging hiS little, dirty hands
'.oh, iathsr, please don't strike
me and I'll tell Npu all about it.
The boys said you Nas a drunken \
old bloat. And I'll fight ary body
that calls you that. father; | wiz
it you kill me for it,
l sat prone down on the
ground. That was the hardest
blow | ever had.
"Get up. father said Billy,
casting a bloody and warlike
glance behind him, "and I'll help
you along"
| took hold Of him. but weak
pess not born Of rum kept me at
bis cracked, stubby. little feet.
There was no one in the world
who cared whether / rose or went
down but him; He cared. Ipui
my arms around the boy and cried
against him. No more drunken
glazing repentance for me. Every
tear was hard as q pearl with re-
solution. The good Christ ap-
peared that instant in his love
Snd long suffering. through ths
boy, as plainly as he appeared te
dying Sir Launfal through th.
leper. When on earth, He wa,
always going about picking ~