The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-05-28
HOW BENNY RAN AWAY.


and How Glad He Was to Get Back
Home.
1t was cold and rainy that morning,
;he morning that Benny ran away, and
his was how it happened:
Benny and his mother lived at DR..
3rey's, and the doctors little boy,
Charlie, and Benny were great friends,
out this particular morning there had
been a quarrel, and Benny went off to
the barn, if the truth must be told, sulk-
'ng and refusing to play with Charlie
well, not for long time, not before din
ner, at least.
But it was cold at the barn and he
soon started for the house. Now, he
had been up on the hay-mow while he
was at the barn, and so started for the
house covered with dust. 1t rained on
him, and he got his feet muddy, and alto
gether it was rather a dirty-looking
Benny that walked into the sitting
room and up to the stove. Charlie,
eurled up in a big chair with picture
book, looked up, saw him, laughed at
him, pointed his finger at him and said:
Shame! dirty thing" which made
Benny very angry.
Benny's mother was very neat, and
coming in just then and seeing how
1irty he look ID, scolded, and tried to
make him look somewhat cleaner But
Benny didn't like to have his face
washed at any time, and this morning.
ne was so very cross, and made so much
iuss and noise that the doctor, sit
ing by the window studying, after look
ng up sternly once or twice, rose, set
Benny gently outside the door saying:
There! stop there until you can come
n and be quiet" Oh! how angry Benny
was. He ran to the barn and walked
around the floor for long time How
shamefully he was used-what should
he do-how mean Charlie was to laugh
at him-and the doctor had treated
him still worse what made his mother
stay there-he wouldn't any longer
Mrs. Gray, too, she was kinder to him
than any of the rest, but she always
made him go to bed at eight o clock
he would run away, and then maybe
hey would be sorry-where should he
go-perhaps he had better 90 down
South that gentleman visiting at the
DOCTORS the other day said it was always
warm there. Benny had heard him say
to the doctor: ''To one who has never
visited the South, it is truly surprising
the difference of climate one finds start
| ing from here some night and travelling
until some time the next day. ''Well,
Benny thought he could stand it to travel
one night and part of the next day-he
would 60 at once, SO off he started. He
heard Charlie calling him as he started
but he only ran the harder. He went
across the fields most of the time, for
ne was afraid of so many people and
| teams. D.
In the afternoon he began to get
:ather hungry. But about four o. clock
ne met a little girl coming from school.
She called to him, and gave him what
Vas left in her lunch basket. She tried
to coax him home with her, but he
would not go. He found barn stand
ing in the middle of field and slept
there that night, nestled down between
some hay and straw.
1t was late when he woke up the next
morning, for he had got very tired the
lay before. II s supper had been rather
light, and he felt terribly hungry.
Where was he to get his breakfast?
Perhaps if he stopped at the next house
hey might give him something to eat;
he would try. But here he received a
terrible fright. He was scarcely inside
The gate when big boy coming out of
the house, saw him, and cried: "What
1 ar n
We don't want you! Towser, here
Fowserp Benny ran away before he
aad got half through, but he heard the
log barking and expected to be over
5aken every minute. But the boy, evil
IDENTIFY satisfied, called the dog back
and went off in the opposite direction
whistling.
Poor little Benny. He had been SO
frightened and ran so fast he thought
his heart was surely coming out of his
mouth. As soon as he dared he stopped
20 rest, down by bank and some
bushes where he was sheltered from the
wind, for it was growing colder.
1t seemed to him as though he had
not rested at all before he heard the
sound of wheels coming down the hill
| beyond. lie crept around to the other
side of the bushes. and lay peeping out.
1t was DR.. Grey. Oh dear! would he
see him-was he looking after him? He
thought he had got so far that the doc.
tor could never come, but in reality il
s1as only few miles from the doctors
house, although it seemed such dis.
lance to Benny-he wished he knew
how his mother and Charley and Mrs.
Grey We're the doctor is looking in this
direction will he see me?n Evidently
he did not. for he drove right on, and
after Willie Benny started out once
more.
He must have something to eat
About noon he saw house that ap
peared to have no one around. HI
ventured into the yard after time, and