News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-07-15
THE PR0DIGAL son.
A True Story for Boys.
BY HAROLD w. RAYMOND,

| es, SAID Ernest, thoughtfully strok-
| ing his big mustache, 'I have been a
l Prodigal Son. 1 know the whole story.
1t wasn't bit funny. If you doubt my
words, just try it for yourself; but pray
don't blame me if you find that it hurts
worse than ruler on a wet hand.
sit is only fair to say that l was Just
an everyday bad boy, of a very common
New York kind. You wouldn't have to
go far, my dear to find plenty of fellows
who were worse, and plenty more who
were better, than |. So, you see, was
not so bad as bad could be; oh, dear,
no! Indeed, | had kind heart, am
sure; and just adored my little mother.
| had heaps and heaps of good inten-
tlons; and when mamma cried and beg
ged me not to be so wild and mischiev-
Gus, why, bless me, l would cry halt
the night with the realest kind of re-
morse, and promise-oh, so earnestly
that | would turn over q new leaf and
keep 1t turned over. l never knew a
boy who could do more hard and bitter
repenting in the course of a single night.
But then daylight would come, and l
would forget, and-well, you know the
rest, if you are not boy of the Sunday
school variety.
''My father what shall l say about
him2 l really suppose he ought to have
been gadded himself, if people got what
they deserved. But he had a lot of
money to take care of, and he was aw-
fully busy getting a lot more-rm sure
| don't know why, for he had more than
we could ever spend. So it was only
once in while that he could stop long
enough to weep over his harum- scarum
son. When he did stop, he used to
say that there was enough original sin
in my little body to keep mischief-mill
running day and night. Then he would
rawhide me till the welts on my back
were criss-crossed like the shading on
one of Mr.. Thomas Nast's big cartoons,
| though ! did not have much time to
think of pictures then. assure you.
He always ended the performance with
| a lecture, in which l was informed that
| was wilder and wickedcr than whole
| tribe of Western Indians, with squaws,
papooses, Big Medicine Men, and dogs
thrown in. l never thought much of
this joke, but it always seemed to cheer
him up immensely. He would then go
back to making money, and spoil me,
of spending money and unlimited liberty
to do as please. Great humbugs, these
rich and generous fathers, aren't they?
"Well, with such start, l don't
| think it was strange that in the middle
| of my Freshman year at college | was
suddenly sent home to stay. Somebody
| had been playing pranks. was pounced
upon. Lying not being one of my ac-
compishments, | admitted having a
hand in the mischief. | wouldn't peach
on my companions, so / was made a
scapegoat. My father said his heart
was broken. | had disgraced the fam
lily. The only thing he could do with
me, he thought, was to send me travel
ing. Perhaps l might pick up some
common sense in foreign lands. The
next | knew ! was on board the Ameri-
can packet ship Liberty, in the midst
of tumbling waves, and bound for Aus.
trala. There was letter of credit in
my pocket, and new pain in nv heart
one, my dear, that hope you may
never experience.
Ibid | cry Now please don't ask
impertincnt questions. Was | home
sick and miserable amid the wild waste
of waters? All, my dear boy, you do
not know how big and lonesome
and awful the great sea makes this
world feel. You never realize its size
until you have been going for days and
days. and days and days, and find the
same circle of water about you, with no
apparent end in front. You feel that
distance back to your beloved home can
,, never be measured. At the same time
your memory becomes very active, and
events of a year ago are brought wildly
before you. You can feel mammals last
kiss like bcnediction upon your brow !;
YOU can feel her soft, warm hands about
you, just as when she held you close
and begged you, while big tears fell on
your hair, to be a good boy, and come
back very, very soon Oh! oh! on how
good you would be if you could
only have those dear arms about you
nowl But all the money in the world
could nor take you back now.
$50 the big ship erept on, and Oh, and