The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-12-06
John b. Coughs BOyhOOd.
Sarah X. Bolton in Wide A wake,

Lib 1ll0 uau Oocu d pcCul1dlIy :DlGCCI
one. Born in very humble bone at
Sandgate, on the English coast, cleaning
with his mother and sister after the
reapers, that they might have ssbread to
eat, or cleaning knives Or shoes in the
gentleman's house where his father was
a servant. there. was little TO make a
boys life bright. When he was IL, a
family offered to bring him to America
if his parents would pay $50 for his pas
sage. 1t was difficult to earn this; but
bis mother thought, after the manner Of
mothers, ''Perhaps in the new world,
our John will be somebody" So, with
tears, she packed his scanty clothing,
putin 8 in little Bible, and pinning
these lines on shirt:
Forget me not when death shall close
These eyeiids in their last repose;
And when the murmming brstz,s wave
The grass upon your mothers grave, =,
O then, whate'er thy age or lot
Msy be, my child, forget me not
y-..s4<. ~. =: K: JANE GoUGH.
Then, again and again sh e pressed her
only boy to her heart, and stole out be-
hind the garden wall, that unobserved,
she might cast a last look If the stage
which carried him to London. 49,.
The voyage. was q long one of nearly
two months. The little lad s:of-
ten cried in his cabin, and he wrote
back, II wish mother could wash me to-
night showing what 4 tender mother
boy he was. When New York narbor
was entered d, and he was eager to see
his adopted country, he was sent below
to black boots and shoes for the family.
His school days were now over. After
two years Of hard work in the country,
he sold his knife to buy a postage stamp,
permission to go to New York
given, and, in the middle of the winter,
our English lad of ID reached the great
city, With no home, no friends, and only
fifty cents lin, his pocket: Hundreds
passedby as he stood 2on the dock.
holding little trunk in his hands,
but nobody spoke to hins Butsat last,
by dints Of ernestness, sh he found place
to enter Is Grand boy and learn book
binding, ssreceiVing 1926 a&Week, and
paying 500 for his board. How his
emplovefBupposed: he could live on ST
month, for clothes and washing, has
neverappearedr > q s.. '.sf - Il rs
=, The fftst might he was placed BY his,
boarding mistress in an attic, with an
Irishman who was deathly iii. The ser-
ond night the man died, and the hor-
ror stricken young boy stayed alone
with the dead till morning. -
Nearly two painful years more went
by. Finally. though he earned but So
week, he semitic England for his moth
er and sister. When they arrived, two
rooms were rented: the girl found work
in straw bonnet. factory, and, poor
though they ware = they We're very hap
py. john was now -16, devoted to his
mother, and still noble, unselfsh, per-
servering boy.
AT the end of three months, through
dullness ofbusin ess:: BOTH children5lost
their places: apd nov began theAtrugs
giles which the poer know so we'll IN our
large cities. They left. their two decent
rooms, and moved into a garrett. Winter
food. John walked miles out into the
country, and dragged home old sticks
which lay by the roadside, He paWned
his coat,sst that the mother, who had now
become i'll, might have some mutton
broth. 5,tseTS' 's9ls<'4.1s'a 80 = >, -
One day he left her in tears, and went
sobbing down the street. ss,-5 *
~ What is the natter" said stranger.
IS Pm hungry ana SO is my mother.D,;s. q.
well, ( can't do much, but III help
you a little and he gave John a. sci1ree-
cent loaf of bread. ssas. 81 - gee.
When the boy reached home, the
good woman put the Bible on the rickety
pine table, read from It, and. then all
sknelt and thanked God. for the precious
loaf. ssl.:F: sfFs: y.
In the spring he obtained employment
at s.. 4 week, but poverty and priva-
ton had fallen too heavily, rested too
long upon the mother. One day, while
preparing Johns simple supper Of rice
aud milk, she fell dead. All night long
the desolate boy held her cold hand IN
his; then, in that Christian city, she was
putin g pine box and, without shroud
OF prayers, carried in q cart, her two
children walking behind it, was buried
in the Potter's field. .s 100
For three days afterward, John and
his sister never tasted food q Probably
the world said Poor things!n' but it is
certain that obody offered to hep
them. ssszsE.5 s