St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-09-06
MISCELLANY.
BILLY.
ChicdQo Interior.

faces and forms which were constantly
appearing at some of it's many win
dows, or emerging from its dOOrways
did not seem exactly in keeping will
it's stateliness. Granny Larkins, will
Tapping cap-border and gay cottOr
handkerchief, leaned from an opeI
easement in the second story, an(
called to boy on the gravelled wall
below.
"See here, sonny, if you're goin' pas
the post office, just stop and ask i
there's letter for Mrs. Larkins, will ye
Mrs. Brigadier- General Larkins, mind
Pm expectin' a silver tea set as a testi
monial from my husbands troops"
"Yes'm," answered Billy, going slow
! ~ down toward the great arched gate
way.
Land sakes yOungster, you needn't
take it so airnest," piped the little
humpbacked woman on the steps. "She
never had no general for husband
and he never had no troops, and they
never had no tea-set. She's always
lookin' for letter."
Billy knew that she had been look
ing for one ever since he came to the
place, a few weeks before, and that she
whom she saw going toward the road.
He knew the older children called her
"little out" whatever that might
mean, and that they paid no attention
to her, and that the one-legged sailor
always laughed as he answered:
off find that ERE cargo, Pll bring
it aboard, ma'am, never fear"
But it was Billy's habit to take
oarinuS1v Tn, foo II ho6 haop
a very serious world to him so far,
and he leaned his yellow curly head
against the fence, that bright Sunday
afternoon, and pondered it's mysteries
once more. He had a fancy that the
numerous little houses he saw, where
only a few people lived together, were
many crowded into it. He dimly re-
with it's daintily spread table at sup
per time and laughing face that had
bent over his at the window while they
waited for somebody else to come. He
had later and more distinct memory of
that same face, white as the pillow on
which it rested, and of being lifted up
to kiss it, while tremulous voice
whispered, "God will care for you, my
darling" Since then he had been in
many places, only to stop until he
could be taken somewhere else. He
looked up at the black letters on the
white arch over the gateway, and
spelled them out as he had often done
before, "C-o-u-n-t-y Poor Farm"
He asked Granny Larkins, one day,
what that meant.
"Why it means that we're poor
house folks and the county takes care
of US. They won't take care of me
long after get word from the gineral,"
said Granny, nOdding her head in
way that set her cap border flying.
"But my mother said God would
take care of me-" urged Billy, with an
idea that he should like Gods care
much better than this.
"Why, SO He does child. You're an
orphin, and He cares for the orphin."
''But when 2" persisted puzzled Bill
ly. "Seems as if I'd been sent to so
many places to get the right ones to
take care of me. When will He do
it ?"
The form of the question bewildered
Granny her slender stock of coherent
ideas was nearly exhausted.
"I-I ruther s'pose He gets folks to
do it," she said. "Mebby some nice
folks Ill want boy-me and the giner-
ee p as hSf if ack re Of fafth IN the
general had so far affected Billy as to
prevent his building any hope on the
latter statement, but her suggestion
of the other "nice folks" haunted him.
He did wish he could find them, and he |
was all the more anxious this Sunday
because of bit of conversation that
he had overheard. The old sailor had |
told the humpback woman that he,
Billy, was to be sent away in few
lays.
"TO another wOrk'us not nigh SO
good as this, but it's in the country |
where he belongs, dye see; and it
stands to reason every county ought
20 take care of it's own. We don't fare
none too sumptuous, nOhow, and they |
,nly kept him here to get it rightly
settled where he belonged"
The One-legged sailor was a cOnnOis-
'eur in the matter of poor houses to
Judge from his descriptions, and his
vivid portrayal of the bad points of
hose he had seen made poor Billy's
blood run cold. 1t was such fair
world outside that gate, with soft
clouds floating over the blue sky, and
white daisies fringing the roadside-if
,nly he could find in it the nice folks
Granny Larkins mentioned. He was
lalf mind to run away and try and
le would never come back unless he
lid get letter for Granny. He meant
o ask for one if he saw post office.
Nobody hindered or noticed his go
ng. In one direction the road ran
traight to the town, in the other it
wound away to little village. For a
noment the small bare feet paused ir-
then trudged villageward.
lie liked being alone, he liked walking,
nd he was quite satisfied with his
hoice, when his slow journeying
rOught him at last to a grove where he
ould rest and gather the wildf1owers
nat grew at his feet. After time he
7as startled from his enjoyment by the
Ound of approaching voices, with a
hidden fear of being sent back to the
srm, he hid behind growth of bush {
3. That grove seemed a favorite rest 4,
lg place, for two women who, on
leir way home from an afternoon /
leeting, stopped in the pleasant shad- &
W and sat down on a messy log SO |
ear to Billy that he could hear them I
Xix. He cared nothing for that, how !
YER, and was just impatiently wishing
ley would go on, when one sentence t
ttracted him. t
ayes, he never forgets to pray for t
lie poor and for the orphan-such a
'eling prayer, too! always like t
eacOn Cole" {
"Please, ma'am, where does he livef' 1
uastioned an aapar VOICE hehind them I
"Oh-h ~
The two women started to their feet t
alarm but there was nothing very
l..