Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-23

tyntlonS TO his 1Guher tne response lie
got was not exactly of kind to en-.
courage him. Instead of providing HIN
wi h "a sailors outfit" and sending
him to sea- at once, the matter-ot-fncI
mechanic gave his son to understand
in very blunt English, that il he ever
mentioned the subject again we wOul
"strap him." very unpoetic perform,
ancc, indeed.
Bobby knew that his father was {
very resoluie man, and not at all back
ward in using the strap when he chose
to consideri it necessary; so he took care
TO say nothing more in his hearing
about gong to sea. But he by no
means relinquished his purpoc, Ga
the contrary, this purpose grew more
determined than ever. So he read hi
old sea-stories over again, and tn
black,mith's life of Lord Nelson, and
lie fancied himself another hero of the
Nile and Trafalgar. One day, happen
ing to te alone in the shop for awhile
the thought that was always in hi,
mind spoke out aloud, and he began to
sing:
"Ho sailyer's life for NEE
On the big briny sea ee,
Where from keor kin be fire. eee,
On the sea e-e &c! On the sea! "
don't know whether this rhyme was
original with Bobby or not, l suppose
it expressed his feelings as well a. ii
Barry Cornwall wrote it
Another song greatly affected our
young hero's imagination. 1t began
Silver buckles on his knee"
Bobby Shatfto's gone to sea-
Was not his name Bobby-or nick
nameP Night not he be supplied with
silver buckles on shipping, and have 4
monument at last like that of which the
boy Nelson dreamed? He thought the
poetry prophetic. The poet meant HIN.
Bobby sat down and wrote the fol-
lowing affecting lines with pencil on
leaf torn from his fathers account
book:
"DEAR MofHER,-When you git these few
lines, your Bobby will be many miles from
you. Father he treats me awful for thrcatc /.
ing to run away; he II wish he hadGnt some
day. | am going to sea; l am go ng to the
West Indee Hands. When come home, Nv |
bring you shawl; sha'n't bring pa nothing
Tell little Sister Katie not to cry. Good by!
"BOBBY."
He enclosed this letter in huge vel
low envelope, and having directed it,
he stole out by roundabout way t
the post-olfice. Arrived there unper
ceived, he dropped it in the boz, and
then made his way out of the village
across lots, as fast as his short legs
would carry him.
The nearest seaport to Bobby's resi-
dence was distant about seven hundred
miles. Bobby proposed to walk thi,
distance. He had a twenty-five cen
piece in his pocket with which to pay
his expenses. By the time he had gone
five or six miles his boyish enthus Il II
began to cool little. This was grave
matter, for without it he realized thai
his runaway courage would not last
At first he had travelled rapidly, bainl
very much afraid that his father woull
come after him. AS night drew near
he travelled considerably slower, and
felt very much afraid his father U0H d.
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 imag
lined that he saw her reading his letter
He thought he could see the look o.
agony on her face, and hear her sob.
and wailings as she realized that hel
only boy was gone. And then h,
thought of his little sister Katie, and
her distress when she should find oul
that Brother Bobby" had left her.
Dcluded boy! At the very moment
when he began his sad meditatons un
der the haystack his afflicted" parent.
We're toasting their feet before an oper
Fire, and discussing the best means o
punish ng the truant when he should re
turn.
"Of course he'll be comm back
when he gets tired and hungry said
the unSent mental mother
Hell be here inside of twentv-four
hours" said the father.
Even small Sister Katy thought the
same, and did not appear to have bit
more sent'men 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 10 90 back.
His father had not been punished
enough yet, he thought Uncertain
what to do, he approached n house not
far off to try and procure something to
eat.
"Pd like to get a loaf of bread" he
said to big, red-faced woman, who
came to the door in answer to his
knock.
You would, hey?" said the lady. 81
guess there's many a person in the
same fix. Breads scarce now, an
trimps plenty. I've nothin' to give
away to n stout chap like YOU
| didn't want you to gtUe it TO me, "
sa Il Bobby; I'D pay for it."
You would, would you?n said the
woman, 'S'posin' you show me your
money before | climb down cellar"
Bobby put his hands into his pockets,
md then he discovered that his money
WAS gone; he must have lost it when he
trawlni under the haystack. He tried
TO explain this to the woman.
"A likely story that is!'' said she;
you never had no money. Be off,
low, right away. Coz
Ioboy walked away detected. He
went back 10 the haystack and hunted
for his money. but he coull not find it.
lien his courage forsook him. He sat
down in the road, very disconsolate,
feeling like Caius Marius amid the ruins
OF Carthage. Suddenly he heard the
sound of wheels, and looking up, he
beheld his father and mother and sister
Katy riding towards him in the old
family buggy Oyerjoyed, he sprang to
his feet. He expected his mother and