Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-01-22
HOW BENNY RAN AWAY,

r,
and How Glad He Was to Get Back
Home.
1t was cold and rainy that morning,
the morning that Benny ran away, and
this was how it happened:
Benny and his mother lived at DR..
Grey's, and the doctors little boy,
Charlie, and Benny were great friends.
but this particular morning there had
been quarrel, and Benny went off to
the barn. if the truth must be told, sulk-
ing and refusing to play with Charlie
well, not for a long time. not before din
ner, ut 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
gethcr it was rather looking
Benny that walked into the sitting
room and up to the stove. Charlie.
curled up in a big chair with 4 picture
book, locked up, saw him, laughed at
him, ointed 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
dirty he look 81, scolded, and tried to
make him look somewha. cleaner But
Benny didn't like to have his face
washed at any time, and this morning
he was SO very crpss, and made so mach
fuss and noise that the doctor, sit
ting by the window studying, after look
ing up sternly once or twice, rose, set
Benny gently outside the door saving:
There! stop there until you can come
in and be quiet" Oh! how angry Benny
was. He ran to the barn and walked
around the floor for a 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
they would be sorry-where should he
go-perhaps he had better go down
South-that gentleman visiting at tho
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 thoAght he could stand ii to travel
one night and part of the next day-he
Il of he, II
heard Charlie calling him as he started
but he only ran the harder. He went
across the fields most of the time. for
he was afraid of 50 many people and
teams.
In the afternoon he began to get
rather hungry. But about four o clock
he met little girl coming from school.
She called to him, and gave him what
was left in her lunch basket. She tried
to coax him home with her, but he
would not 90. He found a barn stand
ing in the middle of a 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
day before. HIS 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
they might give him something to eat;
he would try. But here he received a
terrible fright, He was scarcely inside
the gate when IA big boy coming out of
the house, saw him, and cried: What
are YOU doing around here? Clear out,
We don't want you! TowSer, here
TowSer" Benny ran away before he
had got half through, but he heard the
dog barking and expected TO be over
taken every minute. But the boy, evil
IDENTITY satisfied, called the dog back
and went off in the opposite direction
whistling.
Poor little Benny. He had been -
frightened and ran So fast he thought
his heart was surely coming out of his
mouth. As soon A. he dared he stopped
to rest, down by bank and some
bushes where he was sheltered from the
wind. for it was growing colder.
1t seemed to him rs though he had
not rested at al before he heard the
sound of wheels coming down the hill
beyond. He crrpt around TO the other
side of tn bushes and lay peeping out.
1t was Or. Grey. Oh dear! would he
see him-was lie looking after him. He
thought he had got So far that the doe
tor could never come, but in reality it
was only few niles from the doctor 5
house, although it seemed such dis
tancc to Benny-he wished he knew
how his mother and Charley and Mrs.
Grey w.rc-the doctor is looking in this
direction y will he see me?" Evidently
he did not, for he drove right on, and
after while Benny started out one.
more.
He must have something 10 eat.
About noon he saw house that ap.
peared 10 have no one around. He
ventured into the yard after time, and
found A piece of bread and cold pota
to by the kitchen door.
Benny was too hungry to be very
particular. but he couldn't help think
ing of the nice bread and milk Mrs.
Grey gave him.
The snow was beginning to fly and i,
was growing so cold. Benny though,
that he must find place to sleep, early.
How cold he was. how tired he was and
how hungry he was. He wondered how
much farther he would have to 90 to
reach down south.
The barn at which he stopped that
night was old and dilapidsted. The
snow sifted through wide crevices over
the hay NOW.
DR.. Grey's horses were very gentle.
and he had often gone up in she stall
beside them and laid down. IL would
have been much warmer than on the
NOW that night, but those were strange
horses and ore of them kicked at him
that night as he passed through the
stable, SO Benny dared not attempt to
get very near,
He came down from the NOW all
covered with snow the next morning.
A pail of milk was standing on the barn
floor, where the farmer had left it for s
few minutes while he gave the cattle
some fodder
Benny stole drink. and hurried
away
He was much discouraged; he was 81
hungry. he was Just starving. he
thought; he had frozen one ear the night
before and he didn't seem to get down
South. where it was ALWAYS warm
il hsd grown colder ever since he started
from the doctors.
The result of his meditatioEs YOU viii
see when tell YOU that just one week
from the time he ran away he was seen
to walk up the gravel path leading to