St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-10-28
THE BROKEN BOTTLE.

81 wonder if there is a pair of shoes
in it ?"
Little Tim sat on the ground close
beside very ugly, dark cOlOred stone
jug He eyed it sharply, but finding
it quite impossible to- see through its
sides, pulled out the cork and peered
anxiOusly in.
''Can't see nothin', but it's so dark
in there / couldn't see if there was
anything. I've "a great mind to break
the hateful old thing"
He sat for awhile thinking how bad
ly he wanted Il pair of shoes to wear to
the Sunday school picnic. His mother
had promised to wash aud mend his
clothes, so that he might go looking
very neat indeed, but the old shoes
were past mending, and how could he
go barefoot Then he began counting
the chances of his father being very
angry when he should find his bottle
broken. He did not like the idea of
getting a whipping for it, as was very
likely, but how could he resist the
temptation of making sure about those
shoesP The more he thought of them,
the more he couldn't. He sprang up
and hunted around until lie found il
good sized brick-bat, which he flung
with such vigorous hand and correct
aim that the next moment the old bot
tie lay in pieces before his eyes. How
eagerly he bent over them in the hope
of finding not only what he was long
ing for, but perhaps, other treasures.
But his poor heart sank as he turned
over the fragments with trembling fin
gers. Nothing could be found among
the broken bits wet on the inside with
bad smelling liquid.
Tim sat down again aud sObbed as
he had never sObbed before SO hard
that he did not hear step beside him
until a voice said:
"Well what is all this ?"
He sprang up in great alarm. 1t was
his father, who always slept late in the
morning and was very seldom awake
so early as this.
"Who broke my bottle 2" he asked.
al did," said Tim, catching his
breath half in terror and half between
the sObs.
"Why did you 2" Tim looked up.
The voice did not sound quite so ter
rible as he had expected. The truth
was his father had been touched ut the
sight of the forlOrn figure, so very
small and so sOrrowful, which had
bent over the broken bottle.
''Why," he said, 81 was lookin' for
pair OF new shoes. | want II pair of
shoes awful bad to wear to the picnic.
All the other little chaps wear shoes"
''HOw came yOu to think you'd find
shoes in the bottleP"
''Why, mamma said so. asked her
for some new shoes, and she said they
had gone into that black bottle, and
that lots of other things had gone into
it, tOO-cOats and hats, and bread and
meat and things-and ] thought if |
broke it I'd find them all, and there
amt thing in it-and mamma never
said what wasn't SO before and L
thought 'twOuld he sO-sure."
And Tim, hardly able to sob out the
words, feeling how keenly his trust in
his mothers word had added to his
disappointment, sat down again and
cried harder than ever.
His father seated himself on II box
in the disorderly yard and remained
quieA for so long IL time that Tim at
last looked timidly up.
''Tm real sorry | broke your bottle,
father. I'll never do it again"
"No, / guess you WON'T" he said,
laying hand OH the rough little head
as he went away, leaving Tim over
come with establishment that his faith
er had not been angry with HIM.
Two days later, on the very evening
before the picnic, he handed Tim IA
parcel, telling him to open it.
''New shoes new shoes !" he shout
ed. ooh, father, did you get Il new
bottle, and were they in it 2"
''NO, my boy, there isn't going to be
II new bottle. Your mother was right
all the time-the things all went into
the bottle, but, you see, getting them
out is no easy matter, so Pm going to
keep them out after this"