The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-07-15
PETERsON's "BOOBY."
He Proved, However, That "He
Was Good for Something"

He Proved, However, That "He
Was Good for Something"
The people of Lowerton were more
or less given to talking among them
selves about the boy. And in talking
about him they always evinced a deep
pity for the parents, because they had
born to them one who was of weak and
foolish intellect. But Notwithstanding
the fact that this boy had been denied,
for some mysterious reason, that gift
which makes every possessor of it a
king, and his parents the proud refiec-
ton that their offspring was unlike
other children in the world. Glenn Peter
son and his wife could not help loving,
and tenderly, the one who now and
henceforth was to claim unconsciously
that greater consideration at their hands
which was only his due. He was now
q boy of a dozen summers, and far
from attractive in outward appearance,
being singularly grotesque of form, and
in his movements awkward in the high
est degree. His features were more or
less distorted, his hair was of a saffron
hue, and his eyes the color of grass.
His voice was thin and nasal, and in
speaking he uttered his words in a
drawling manner. Yet, notwithstand-
ing all this comeliness and grace, there
was that element in his character which
drew toward him the favorable regard
of nearly all who knew him, and this
was bis truly a~ffectionate disposition.
Moreover, unlike most individuals born
to his lot, nothing ever appeared to
ruff1e his equanimity of temper, since,
on all occasions he was the same gentle
being. In infancy his parents gave him
the name of Tommy, and by this name
he was known in the place, though a
few disrespectful and unfeeling among
his companions had bestowed on him
the unchristian SUPPLEMENTARY"
He went to the village school, and on
all occasions conducted himself with a
decorum which ought to have put to
shame many of his school-mates. 1t is
open to grave doubt, however, if he
Eve required a knowledge of the alpha
bet, since, Notwithstanding the fact
that his teacher soughtm most assiduously
to instill into his mind an acquaintance
with at least the simplest rudiments of
the mother tongue, she failed most sig
nally in her efforts to elevate the intel
lectual condition of one who had been
far less endowed in this respect than
his fellows. And failing as a scholar,
Tommy also failed to do his part in the
games and pastimes which obtain with
most boys, and so in time it grew to
be . common saying with the unchari-
table and unsympathetic among his
comrades. that .'Booby isn't good for
anything"
Tho years went by, and Tommy was
now nearing his sixteenth year. He no
longer attended school, possibly for the
REASON that he had grown tired of the
ncvcr-cnding monotony of study which
fell TO his LOT. His mother had passed
to her grave leaving her husband to
alone watch over and care for the one
whose existence, it must be confessed,
had brought to her life the pain of
grievous disappointment. In the
foundry near his home Glenn Peterson
toiled day after day for the support
necessary to himself and the one de-
pendent upon him, while Tommy-an
idle nobody-wandered here and there
about the village as curiosity prompted
him, the sport of the small boys, and
the butt of the large ones At heart
the father was a lonely, sad man, and
the burden he was bearing rested
heavily upon him. The lightest of his
cares vas to have food and clothing
for himself and child, and had mere
labor been the one consideration of his
mind his life in the main had been an
easy one But that which, day after
day, and week after week, preyed upon
his soul only haunt him with a misery
that would not go away, was the re-
Election that he was not as other faith
ers in the world, and why-he would
query to himself over and over again
'.Why was this curse visited upon me?''
Don't take it SO hard, Clem!" said
Hank Ruben, a fellow-workman, one
day, as the latter observed his friend in
an unusual sober mood. at ain't
nothin' you're to blame for! Bear up,
bear up, old fellow! That ar boy ain't
always goin' to live!"
mot q bit of it!' exclaimed Mike
Burns, another workman. "But dom
We forg;t, before Tom peters he'll bt
after dom somethin' none of yen bt
Shame of him for! Now mind wha'
I'm atellin of vel"
VI course it was wholly impossible
for the latter individual to have Spoken
knowingly. l am led to think his re
mark proceeded entirely from a sincere
desire on his part to buoy up the hear
of the father to a belief that in his chile
there was a spark of latent intelligenc,
which n day would glow with tn
brightness of noble action.
But whether or not the speech hat
the effect intended, I am unable to say
Certainly it did not weigh in the mint
of Ruben who. in language character
~istiesof him. retorted as follows:
..Bc bowed on his doin' somethin
and a fool at that. To die will be tn
only thing he'll be respected forr'
Asigh was heard to fall from the lip
of Peterson, and here the conversation
ended. One morning, a week later
little Paddy Burns came running out O
breath into the foundry with the alarm
ing intelligence that Booty" had fallel
into the river. Instantly all the me
dropped their work and started to g
to the rescue of the unfortunate youth
.'Oh!-he's got out-he's got Out
Got cut all himself, too l reckon!"shoui
ed the lad, as he gazed toward the rive
some rods away. The men pause
short, and bent their eyes in tine diree
ton referred to. and sure enough, VIII
should be seen coming hurriedly up tn
path leading from the river but th
veritable Tommy holding his arms e,
tended as no waIked, the water drippin
from h s fnhs and garments like faif
aud tho ,.t.1r fst'sr an ebis1t at rtkl