The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-11-12
THE BOY THAT DIDN'T DIE.
What He Found Out and How 1t Affected
Hlm-IIis Good Resolution.

hhnt lie round Out ana How IL Anected
Hlm-IIis Good Resolution.
June 20.-Ill have lot to write,
now. More than / ever had before, for
I've found out something.
Six months ago we moved out here
on our farm, and then we didn't go tc
town, only just once in a while, on the
cars They put it in the paper when
we left, and once in a while they put II
in that pa had been in the city-when
he called on the editor But hadn't
never been in.
In the paper, mean. So was just
the surpriscdest you ever saw, to read
yesterday, in little corner: "Died,
June Is, in Hickory Township, of brain
fever, James Willis, aged thirteen
years" That was me! only, of course,
hadn't died, nor nothing, and l lived
in Hickory and all. BUT then, it iCdsnt
me, Of course, and still ! couldn't help
bellevin' it was, if they'd only left out
the brain-fever and the dyin'.
Everybody else thought it was me,
tool mean everybody in town-and
Cousin Fred came right out to see about
it.
Oh, how sorry everybody was! How
they pltied pa! and how they pitied ma!
and how sorry they were for Bess and
Bob for losin' such noble brother! and
what great man had given promise
of making! and how much good they
had all calculated on my doing In the
world! --.. ....
Really, / couldn't help thinkin' 1t
would have been a downright shame il
it had been me-everybody was so sorry.
1t was publicly announced in TIE town
schools, Fred said! and the teachers
were all so sorry, and the scholars just
felt dwfHL-especialiy the girl that had
sat in front of me, and the two girls
back Of me, all who had borrowed my
knife and things most of the time.
] think it's wrong to like q fellow as
much as they did me, and never let him
know it. I'd "a treated them lots bet
ter in life, If I'd "a known it,
There were resolutions drawed up,
and the teachers cried and said I'd been
n good boy and they'd always been so
proud OF me, and had so hoped I'd live
to bless the world. 1t seems that l was
the principal hope Of that institution. II
I'd "a knowed they had such hopes OF
me, / never would "a whispered or
laughed or traded in school, once.
June 2I.-There was a great long
piece in the paper this morning. And
oh, everybody's a-feelin' so badl The
resolutions came out, too. They made
me feel very queer. But we've found
out. Somebody did die, but II wasn't
me. 1t was Just another boy. His folks
moved here lately, and are renters.
June %, Morning. I'm going to town
to-day with Fred. He wrote his folks
postal, sayin' was all right, but for
them not TO tell, but let my return be
surprise. thought it might be too
much for everybody II just went. right
in to them, and I suggested the
propriety Of sending telegram or
something, TO tell them to prepare to be
awfully startled. But pa said he guess
ed It wasn't necessary.
So I'm goln' right in, Just SO, Oh, ]
am so anxious to see everybody! Won't
they all be gladp / feel as II IL would
Ibe dreadful thing for everybody i'll
s0as to die. hope, harder'n ever, that
everybody'll live TO rear me. mean,
/ hope for everybody's sake, that I'll
live 10 grow up. l never want to afflict
people so again. Everybody liked me
80 well, and I'm so thankful, and want
to stay with theml I'm going to have
good time now, with so many friends.
I guess I'll amount TO considerable
; Night. " Well, most everybody was
glad-I guess. But 1t wasn't q bit like
I thought It would be. Everybody had
heard about Il bein' another boy, and
some had been a-sayin' they knowed all
along Il wasn't SO. ] wasn't the kind
ofyouth to die early. And one boy
said hadn't brains enough to catch q
fever In 'cm. And some that had took
on about It looked sheepish; and that
ungrateful Ettie Green took IL back,
and said she never cried q bit. And !
wouldn't never have nothing 10 say TO
her again, II ! was hundred years old.
The Principal laughed, and said the
Presidents chair wouldn't have to 20
empty, after all, and the teachers took
on some. A good many Of the boys
said, '.Hallol'' and didn't even shake
hands. And when I.saw Ed Hunter,I ]
thought: ..Now he's coming 70 ten me