Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-10-25
The Prodigal Son.


me if you find that 1t hurts worse than
ruler on a wet hand.
1t is only fair to say that was
just an everyday bad boy, of very
common New York kind. You would
not have to 60 far, my dear, to find
plenty of fellows who were worse,
and plenty more who were better than
l. So, you see, was not as 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 intentions !;
and when mamma cried and begged
me not to be so wild and mischiev-
Gus, why, bless me, | would cry half
the night with the realest kind of re-
morse, and promise-oh, so earnest
ly-that | would turn over new
leaf and keep it turned over. | new
er knew a boy who could do more
hard and bitter repenting in single
night. But when daylight would
come, and [ would forget, and-well,
you know the rest, if you are not
boy of the Sunday-school variety.
My father-what shall say about
him? 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 awfully busy getting lot
more-I am sure don't know why,
for he bad 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 soy
that there was enough original sin in
my little body to keep a 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 l did not have
much time to think of pictures, then,
l assure you. He always ended the
performance with lecture, in which
/ was informed that was wilder and
,hol f,.l Of
ern 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
60 back to making money, and spoil
me, just as he had done before, with
plenty of spending money and unlim-
tied liberty to do as I please Great
humbugs, these rich and generous
fathers, aren't they?
Well, with such start, don't
think it was strange that IN the mid
die of my Freshman year at college |
was suddenly sent home to stay.
Somebody had been playing pranks.
was pounced upon. Lying not be-
ing one of my accomplishments adj
mtted having a hand in the mischief.
| wouldn't peach on my companions,
so | was made scapegoat. My fa-
ther said his heart was broken. |
had disgraced the family. The only
thing he could do with me, he tho't,
was to send me travelling. Perhaps
might pick up some common sense
in foreign lands. The next l knew
| was on board the American packet
ship Liberty in the midst of tum-
bling waves, and bound for Austria
liza. There was letter of credit in
my pocket, and new pain in my
heart-one, my dear, that l hope you
may never experience.
Did cry? Now please don't ask
impertinent questions. Was | home
sick and miserable amid the wild
waste of waters? All, my dear boy,
you do not know how big and lone
some 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
r measured. AT the same time your
r memory becomes very active, and
events of year ago are brought viv-
idly before you. You can feel a
mothers last kiss like benediction
, upon your brow, you can feel her
: soft, warm hands about you, just as
t 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! oh how
good you would be if you could only
9 have those dear arms about you now
! But all the money in the world could
e not take you back now.
So the big ship crept on and on,
and on, across the summer sea, until
half of this huge world lay between
D me and my home.
t was hundred days older-and
felt hundred years-when the Lib
d erty' reached Melbourne. You don't
: know much about Melbourne, do you
Nor about Australia? Oh, yes; Eve
: no doubt you know just where the
! big red blot is on the map, and car
v tell what the book says about the big
island. But you have very foggy
. idea of it in spite of that, I'll wager
= my hat. You can not imagine what
a great country it is, with mountains
and valleys and plains with rivers