The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-12-12
JOe's Home,
A THANKSGIVING STORY.

Joe Ashton was chore boy 10 the great
house of Harris & Brothers in a busy,
busting city. Life went hard with Joe,
but he thought himself highly fortunate
when he secured the place. There were a
few clerks, bound to be respectful and
civil to their superiors, but venting their
spite and evil natures on defenseless Joe.
He was only thirteen years old, small
of his age, rather stunted in growth, as
the poor class in cities are apt to be, but
smart bevond his years mentally.
Joe Ashton was born with good chances
In life. His father, good scholar, was a
country minister on struggling salary,
and his mother beautiful lady, educated
and refined she was also the daughter of
q rich, Influential father who disowned
her for marrying against his will. Joe's
father died when he was five years old,
and soon after he and his mother came to
the city, where Mrs. Ashton, by selling
now and then some article of household
use or clothing, and doing fine needle
work, managed to subsist till Joe was
eleven years old. They had grown poorer
and poorer, moving from one wretcbed
tenement to another, until she finally died
in garrett and was buried by the city
authorities.
There was no friend Dor relative to
care for the little boy, and no one inter-
ested himself enough to secure him a
home in the orphans asylum, hence there
was no dwelling.place for him aside from
the street.
1t was spring time, and he knew he
should not freeze. He was born with a
;ck sak h4<h - In,
besides implanted by his mothers teach.
ings, therefore he resolved to starve before
stealing.
Just how the child lived, how he pro-
cured food sufficient to satisfy the natural
cravings of the system through the six
months that followed, 'twould be hard tc
tell. At night he crept into some old
building, or large empty box in by
corner, and one day he stumbled on an
old, unused coach, where he lodged fol-
many night. There he existed, and as
winter drew on, and he secured the chance
OF chore boy, and meals and lodging il
the cheapest rate clearinghouse he reck
oned himself an extremely fortunate boy
He was rather slow and not very strong
not 80 we'll suited to lifting heavy boxe
and bales, and running incesssnt errsnds
az many another who applied, but he wa
faithful; he could be trusted not to Sigh
the smallest detail, and not to shirk whel
not watched. Therefore the great bous
of Harris & Brothers decided it was bes
for their interests to retain him. OF tn
interests of the child it never entere
their minds to inquire, and as he neve
complained, the constant brunt the it'll
boy became for the evil.ninded anon
their workmen they never knew.
But if Joe was slow in working, he wa
quick in thinking. Many knotLy que
tions of "hslves" and Quarters tn
soft pated clerks, with their perfumet
oiled hair we'll parted in the middle, coul
not for their lives solve, Joe worked on
with incredible rapidity.
Many an evening did he spend lookin
over their "credit" aud account book
Strengthening the crooked places, ths
they might be presentable to the emplo,
ers and thus he worked on year aud
half till his thirteenth birthday arrived
and with it Thanksgiving day.
The great national feast meant notbip
to him, except increased work aud sharp.
scolding. When his mother lived in thei
better days he remembered they had tn
key, big and nice, for their dinner, wit
other fiue things, and she had told him {
the beautiful times in her childhood
her fathers house this day brought; br
now it was nothing but work aud driv
for although the others many of thel
were off Tor holiday, no such thing WI
ever mentioned to him. The chore be
OF ii iris Brothers represented their il
tere'ts, MOTHS own.
The Thanksgiving of his thirteent
birthd'y WIS bright and cloudess, br
before noon driving storm of sleet an
wind and ran sat in. J)e had work
hard all the week--harder than usu
and that morning he was very tired. II