Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-05-07
BOBBY HOTCHkiSS.

A Little Boy Who Punished His Father by
Running Away-His Safe Return Home.
Bobby Hotchkiss was the only son of
| Reuben Hotchkiss, the village black
smith, rough, hard-fsted man, but a
steady worker and a hearty hater Of
| notions and nonsense. Bobby was
| about fourteen years of age, and, as
his mother expressed it, "big for his
size"
Reuben Hotchkiss had decided that
Bobby should follow in his footsteps,
and be blacksmith, too. He had duly
given notice to Bobby to that effect, but
the plan did not meet with the latter 8
approval Bobby had very lively
imagination. The fact was, Bobby had
decided aversion to learning any
trade at all. Sundry books containing
adventures of sea lite had fallen in his
way, and he was determined to be a
sailor. When he made known his in
tentions to his father the response he
got was not exactly of kind to en-
courage him. Instead of providing him
with "a sailors outfit - and sending
him to sea at once, the matter-of-fact
mechanic gave his son to understand,
in very blunt English, that if he ever
mentioned the subject again we would
strap him. a very unpoetic perform
ance, indeed.
Bobby knew that his father was
very resolute man, and not at all back
ward in using the strap when he chose
to consider it necessary; SO he took care
ito say nothing more in his hearing
about going to sea. But he by no
means relinquished his purpose. On
the contrary, this purpose grew more
determined than ever. So he read his
old sea-stories over again, and the
blacksmith's life of Lord Nelson, and
he fancied himself another hero of the
Nile and Trafalgar. One day, happen
ing to be alone in the shop for awhile,
the thought that was always in his
mind spoke out aloud, and he began to
sing:
s.Ho, a saiyer's life for NEE,
On the big briny ee,
Where from keer kin be free-e-e,
On the ea-e-e-e e.e! On the sea-! -
I'don't know whether this rhyme was
original with Bobby or not, / suppose
it expressed his feelings as well as if
Barry Cornwall wrote it.
Another song greatly affected our
young hero's imagination. 1t began
Silver buckles on his knee
Bobby Shatftos gone to sea,
Was not his name Bobby-or nick
name? Might not he be supplied with
silver buckles on shipping, and have
monument at last like that of which the
boy Nelson dreamedP He thought the
poetry prophetic. The poet meant him.
Bobby sat down and wrote the fol-
lowing affecting lines with pencil on
a leaf torn from his fathers account
book:
DEAR MoTHER,-When you git these few
lines, your Bobby will be many miles from
you. Father he treats me awful for threaten
ing to run away; he'll wish he hadent some
Sy snas '1 T.
bring you shawl; shan bring pa nothing.
Tell little Sister Katie not to cry. Good1 By
He enclosed this letter in a huge yell
low envelope, and having directed it,
the post-oflice. Arrived there upper
ceived, he dropped it in the box, and
then made his way out of the village
would carry him.
The nearest seaport to Bobby's resi-
dence was distant about seven hundred
distance. He had a twenty-five cent
piece in his pocket with which to pay
his expenses. By the time he had gone
five or six miles his boyish enthusiasm
began to cool little. This was grave
matter, for without it he realized that
his runaway courage would not last.
At first he had travelled rapidly, being
very much afraid that his father would
come after him. AS night drew near,
he travelled considerably slower, and
felt very much afraid his father sDouldn't
come after him. When it was dark he
crawled under a haystack in a field,
and tried to go to sleep; but he could
not sleep. Visions of his afflicted
mother rose up before him. He mag
ined that he saw her reading his letter.
He thought he could see the look of
agony on her face, and hear her sobs
and wailings as she realized that her
only boy was gone. And then he
thought of his little sister Katie, and
her distress when she should find out
that .Brother Bobby had left her.
Deluded boy! At the very moment
when he began his sad meditations UNI
der the haystack his afflicted parents
were toasting their feet before an open
fire, and discussing the best means of
Furnishing the truant when he should re-
turn.
s'Of course he'll be comm back
when he gets tired and hungry" said
the unsentimental mother.
Hell be here inside of twenty-four
hours" said the father.
Even small Sister Katy thought the
same, and did not appear to have bit
more sentiment than the rest
AT last morning came, and our young
runaway crawled out from under the
haystack tired and disheartened. He
was disenchanted of sailors life al
ready. But at the same time he could
hardly make up his mind to go back.
His father had not been punished
enough yet, he thought. Uncertain
what to do, he approached q house not
far off to try and procure something to