The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-11-10

house, and pnttcd little girl on TIN,
head, and slid:or her t. keep Il
.ifuprgrlip an wiontho funeral
came III pa and tlrcc other old dul
fcrS that are pas cliun.. they acted
rs bearers. / bad tried acuuplc oI
ministers tOuCt then 80 along and
say grace, but guess they couldn't
see any money or glory in it, tol
they turned me away with asott an.
swer, and | had about closed Il con
tract with a sort ofamateur preach
err that goes around to country
school-houses preaching for his
board, bat pa kicked on that, and
said we should have the best there
was, and sent word to our minister
that he had got use torhim, and he
was or deck, and did mis- duty Just
as well as though a millionaire was
dead. Well, | rode with the little
girl as assistant mourner, and
tried to keep her from crying, but
when we passed the house OF correc-
ton, where her father Is working
out a sentence for being drunk and
disordcrly, she broke down, snd |
told her | would be her father and
mother, and grandmother, and the
whole family, and she put her hand
on mine and said how good | Wa.
and that broke me up, and hadto
heller. ! don't want to be called
good. If people will keep on con
sidcrng me bad, and let NE do
what good | want to on the sly, it
is all right. But when she pat
that little hand on mine, and it was
so clean and plumb, something
went all over me, like when you
step on a carpet tack, or hit your
funny bone against Il gas bracket,
and | felt rs though would stay
by that girl till she got biz enough
to wear long dresses. Everything
passed off splendid, and,asa paupcr
funeral passed us on the road, the
driver smoking a clay pipe, and
the coffin jumping around, ! could
not help noticing the difference,
and | was proud that | pawned my
bicycle and got up funeral thatno
person need be ashamed Of, and
when arranged with washwoman
to take the girl home with herand
be her mother till | could make diff
arrangements, | felt what a
great responsibility rests on a fam
boy, and when | dismissed the
hearse and carriages, and went
and pa took mein his arms
and said he wouldn't take a million
dollars for me, and that this days
experience has shown Inn that |
was worth my weight in gold, and
that he had stopped at the pawn
shop and got my watch and bicycle,
| never felt SO happy in my life.
Say, don't You think there is a heap
OF solid comfort in doing something
kind OF unexpected, to make other
people happy, or didn't you eve
it =
''Ofcourss there's" said the gro
Gerry man, as he passed the boy Il
glass OF cider. Il remember once
| gave a poor woman Il mackcral,
and the look Of gratitude she gave
me. as she asked me to trust her
for a half a peck Of potatoes, kept
me awake two nights just thinking
how much happiness Il man a
through one rusty m&ckcral.
But she never came back t opay for
the potatoes. | suppose you will
be marrying that apple peddler,
won't you!"
well, hadn't thought ofthat,'
said the boy, as he looked red in
the face, ''but if it would make
her feel half as contented as it did
for me to fix her up tor the funeral
and go along with her, | would
marry her quicker than scat, when
we get big enough. But must go
and pay the undertaken. lie stuck
me for two dollars extra on the dri-
vers wearing Il black suit, but |
guess | can stand it, and the boy
went ont whistling. As he passed
out the door without taking amy
the grocery man said toa man
who was shaving off some plug too
.acco to smoke, That boy is going
70 turn out all right, f he docar l.
have any pull back