The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-06-06
Billy.

some house, indeed-and the spacious
grounds were beautifully kept, but the
faces and forms which were constantly
appearing at some of its many windows
or emerging from its doorways did not
seem exactly in keeping with its state
illness. Granny Larkins, with tapping
cap-border and gay cotton handkerchief,
leaned from an open easement in the
second story and called to a boy on the
graveled walk below.
See here, sonny, if you're going
past the post-oflice just stop and ask if
there's letter for Mrs. Larkins, will
ye? Mrs. rigadier-general Larkins,
mind! I'm eXpectin' silver tea-set
as testimonial from my husbands
troop"
Yes'm," answered Billy, going
slowly down toward the great arched
gateway.
Land sakes! youngster, you needn't
take it so airnest," piped the little
hump backed woman on the steps,
"She never had no general for hus-
band, 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 looking
}
few weeks before, and that she made
the same request of every one whom
she saw going toward the road. He
knew the older children called her a
"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.
If find that ere cargo I'll bring
it aboard, ma'am, never fear"
But it was Billy's habit to take things
seriously. In fact it had been a very
serious world to him so far, and he
leaned his yellow curly head against
the fence that bright Sunday afternoon
and pondered its mysteries once more.
He had a fancy that the numerous little
houses he saw where only few people
lived together were pleasanter than
this large one, with so many crowded
into it. He dimly remembered one of
these little homes, with its daintiy-
spread table at supper-time and laugh
ing 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 a
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 a
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?" persisted puzzled Billy.
q" 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.
ell ruther s'pose he gets folks to
do it, she said. " Mebby some nice
folks II want boy-me and the gin
eral, like as not. when he comes back. :"
The prevailing lack of faith 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
] L., Ill 4 10 On,
day 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
days.
"To another work'us not so good as
this, but it's in the county where he
belongs, dye see; and it stands to rea-
son every county ought TO take care of
its own. We don't fare none too sump-
tuous, nohow, and they only kept him
here to get it rightly settled where he
belonged"
The one-legged sailor was connois-
seur in the matter of poor-houses, to
Judge from his descriptions, and his
vivid portrayal of the bad points of those
he had seen made poor Billy's blood
run cold. 1t was such fair world out
side that gate, with soft clouds floating
over the blue sky and white daisies
fringing the roadside-if only he could
find in it the nice folks Granny Larkins
had mentioned. He was half a mind to
run away and try; and he would never
come back unless he did get letter for
granny. He meant to ask for one if
he saw post-otlice.
Nobody hindered or noticed his going.
In one direction the road ran straight to
the town, in the other it wound away to
little village. For a moment the
small, bare feet paused irresolutely,
then trudged villageward He liked
being alone, he liked walking and
he was quite satisfied with his choice,
when his slow journeying brought him