The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-12-02
BLUE BELLS,
OR THE BoorBLAcK's $ STORY.
NJ. MORRELL.

One fine morning, as | was leis-
urely walking down Main street with
no particular object in view, my at
tention was attracted to little boot
black. Some one in passing had
dropped, or carelessly thrown away
a small bunch of blue bells. My at
tention was first attracted to the lit
tie fellow by his STOPPING to pick
them up, but what was my amaze
ment to see him tenderly kiss them,
and then carefully fasten them IN
the buttonhole of bis faded jacket.
NY curiosity was aroused. L mace
up my mind to quiz the boy, so
walked up to him and asked him
for a shine. l looked st the boy
carefully; be was very small and
very poorly dressed, he was pale and
thin, and the large blue eyes looked
as if they were full of unshed tears.
"Half dime" he said. when he
had put fine polish on my shoes.
| took out quarter, and SAID, as
| balanced it on my fore-tinger,
Here is ten cents for the shine and
fifteen cents for the flowers point
ing to the bells in his buttonhole.
He put his small hand over the
flowers and ga a quick gasp
"No. sir; cea't sell them; If l
was starving / wouldn't sell a blue
bell"
"And why not, my little man ?"
l inquired.
He looked at me so piteously that
I was almost sorry that | had asked
him. 1 put my hand on his head.
and said:
Excuse me for asking. You need
not tell me unless you wish to, and
YOU can keep the quarter besides. .
He looked up at me moment
and said:
Il like you, and if you care to
listen I'll tell you"
"Of course | am anxious to hear
WHY you love the blue bells.
81 will commence at the first and
tell it all to you, but first let us go
down there and sit down" pointing
to some dry goods boxes not far
from where we stood.
We went, and after seating our
selves on q small box behind some
larger ones. where we would not be
observed, he took the blue bell bou-
Quet in bis hand and began by say
ing:
at is Just year ago this month,
and it has been such long year |
thought the blue bells would never
come" and then he stopped and
put bis hands over his eyes, as if to
Shut out some horrid sight, | did
not interrupt his reverie. Presently
he took down his hand and said alb
ruptly:
"My father was drupkard. We
once owned some fine property, I've
heard mother say, but that was be-
fore | was horn, for we have always
been poor as far back as | can re-
member. Mother says that father
drank up the farm, the oxen, horses,
sheep, cows, furniture and every
thing else. We got SO poor mother
had to 90 out and wash by the day
to get food for Bess and me to eat.
We lived in a little log house.
quarter of a mile from anyone; ii
was about half a mile to town.
Mother used TO walk to town every
day except Saturday, to wash for
On Saturday she wash
ed for ourselves and ironed on Sun
day."
Sunday is the Lords day. Your
mother certainly didn't work on the
Sabbath ?"
Yes, sir; she had to. Mother
said the Lord made six days for the
saloon keeper and one for himself,
but he forgot to make a day for the
drunkard's wife. She said the sa-
loon keepers had confiscated the
Lords day. but she had hoped the
Lord would consider her circum-
stances and forgive her for working
on the Sabbath. She said if there
were no saloons she would not have
to work on Sunday. There were
Just four of us. father, mother, Baby
Bess and Willie, that's me-"
so your name is Willie, is il? but
20 on with your story"
"Well, as l said. mother was away
al day. and sometimes she would
not get home until after dark; she
was not very strong, and sometimes
she had big washings, and some |
lines we didn't have much to eat, !
because the ladies mother washed |
for didn't have the right change, or
would forget to ask their husbands |
or it. Mother always hated to ask |
or money after she had earned it,
he said it did seem as if they ought /
o know that she needed the money,
,r she would not wash for it, and it
generally happened that when one
iidn't have the change none of them
lid, so sometimes We got awful hun
nv while We were waiting for folks
o pay US.
why didn't your mother ask for
Ter money? !? it was hers after she
armed it,