The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-03-19
Three Leaves From Boys Diary,
BY SUE GREGORY.

for I've found out something.
Six months ago we moved out
here on our farm, and then we
didn't 60 to town, only just once in
a while, on the cars. They put it
in the paper when we left, and then
once in while they put it in that
pa had been in the city-when he
called on the editor. But 1 hadn't
never been in.
In the paper, mean. So 1 was
just the surprisedest you ever saw,
to read yesterday, in little corner,
Died, June Is, in Hickory town
ship, of brain-fever, James Willis,
aged Is years" That was me! only,
of course, l hadn't died, nor moth
ing, and 1 lived in Hickory and all.
But then, it wasn't me, of course,
and still couldn't help believin' it
was, if they'd only left out the
brain-fever and the dyin'.
On, how sorry everybody was!
How they pitied pa! and how they
pitied ma! and how sorry they were
for Bess and Bob for 1osin' such
noble brother! and what a great
man l had given promise of making
and how much good they had all
calculated on me doing in the
world!
Really, I couldn't help thlnkin' it
would have been downright shame
if it had been me-everybody was
SO sorry.
1t was publicly announced in the
town schools, Fred said! and the
teachers were all so sorry, and the
scholars felt awful-especiaily the
girl that 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 iGs wrong to like felleW
as much as they did me, and never
let him know it. I'd "a treated
them lots better in life, if I'd "a
known it.
There was resolutions draWed up,
and the teachers cried and said I'd
been a good boy snd they'd all 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, 1 never
would have whispered or laughed or
traded in school once.
June 21.-There was a great long
piece in the paper this morning.
And oh, eVerybody's a-feelin' so
bad! The resolutions came out,
too. They made me feel very queer.
But we've found out. Somebody
did die, but it wasn't me. 1t was
another boy. His folks moved
here lately, and are renters.
June p, morning.-I'm going to
town to-day with Fred. He wrote
his folks postal, sayin' l was all
right, but for them not to tell, but
let my return be a surprise. 1
thought it might be too much for
everybody if 1 just went right into
them, and 1 suggested the propriety
of sending a telegram or something
to tell them to prepare to be awful
ly startled. But pa said he guessed
1t wasn't necessary.
So I'm goin' right in, just so.
Oh, | am SO anxious to see every
body Won't they all be glad? 1
feel as if it would be a dreadful
thing for everybody if was to die.
l hope, harder'n ever, that every
body'll live to rear me. mean, l
hope for everybody's sake, that Pll
iEn To I .
aftiict people so again. Everybody
liked me so well, and I'm thankful,
and want to stay with them! Pm
going to have good time now,
with so many friends 1 guess I'll
amount to a considerable.
Night.-Well, most everybody
was glad-I guess. But 1t wasn't
bit like thought it would be.
Everybody had heard about it bein'
another boy and some had been
a-sayin' they knowed all along it
wasn't so. l wasn't the kind of
youth to die early. And one boy
said l hadn't brains enough to
catch q fever in 'em. And some
that had took on about it looked
sheepish; and that ungrateful Elite
Green took it back and said she
never cried a bit. And l wouldn't
never have nothing to say to her
again, if 1 was a hundred years old.
The principal laughed and said
the presidents chair would have to
go empty, after all, and the teachers
took on some. A good many Of the
boys said "Helle~ and didn't even
shake hands. And when l saw Ed
Hunter, thought, 'Now he's COM
ing to tell me how much he always
loved me-" and looked pleasant at
him; but he turned off another way
and looked as if he thought was a
bigger sneak than ever. / almost
felt like l didn't have no right any
where.
1 suppose the folks sorrow had
kind of reconciled them to my loss,
and when 1 came back, it confused
them.
1 amt sorry I'm going home to-
morrow. I'm just another boy, af-
ter all, an can't help thinkin' if
it had been that Ed Hunter himself
that had died, there'd a been just
as big a fuss made about it, and
maybe Elite Green would have
cried too.
It's a funny world, but I've got
just as good a right here as any
body.
Happy thought! I've make a
new resolution. 1t is to be just as
good and studious and promising
as all the people seemed to think 1
had been, after that notice appear
ed. Then if anything should hap
pen, folks wouldn't have to be so
two-sided about it.-Youth's Com
panion.