The evening world., 1889-11-28
COMMODORE TODDY
BY Augusta Raymond Kiddor.

He wasn't bigger than a mint of cider. bnt
bright AZ the brightest kind Of a biand-new
button.
Everybody called him TEDDY. so one day
l asked him IL Il at wa his name.
Nome. my real names Charlie Algcri on
st. John Clinton, " he answered. tumbling the
first two names into something like Chursgcr-
non. between q decided lisp and the b Y words.
Then why do they call YOU Teddy -
oh, EN- | nv a baly 'ey givcd mo gin an
sugar an water cause | howled all or time. cause
l wanted my mother: she dlodan, an'e wantel
mt 10 stop crying, en- l ttDppcd. When |
howlcd again 'ey piyed me moro gin an water
az sugar. They said / us how.ing for my teddy.
Sometimes iey call mo Tod I'm eight now"
Sc you are eight years old You are n big
nan, "'aid ]. trying to get ali arm about him to
cuddle him. for | had a little boy just about his
age. Where your papa 2"
81 never had none. He us drowuded before
l was borned; that why my mother went and
died.
1 tiled to kiss him, but Teddy wasn't senti.
mental and wriggled away Will DO You want
to nee my muscle? I'm fearful strong. | got
more mut Gle EN- any teller. l guess fl 20 an
dig clans"
OF he ran-a very little boy, tanned to almost
a copper color, barefoot and happy.
felt very tender towards Teddy and asked
Mrs. Bell, the sweot-faccd landlady OF the Bay
View House, where we were stopping for the
Summer, about the child.
All she knew was that lie was a Mrs. Clinton's
Grcat-grandchild and that the old lady was very
feeble; he was in charge of the servant, who left
him pretty much to his own devices; but"
said Mrs. ! ell, i'll conclusion, hes q very good
little boy"
Often, when / went out with the children, we
would meet Teddy playing on tho shore. Some
times l have seen him sailing along on a plank.
tculling with the Stave of n baIrel. He would
sail on or in anything that could float and
seemed not to have the faintest fear Of the
water.
Sometimes when We went Town to the long
dock where our little boat, THE j. A. CLAY.
he would 20 with IN for u row; he knew all
about the river, and was wild TO manage the
boat. When there was not too much current l
would let him take the oars-in that WHY he got
considerable practice.
One day the little man. in n burst of conf
dence. told me he intended to dig clans and
save money to buy Il boat.
Then you'll be Commodore Teddy, " cried l.
He vas delighted with the title. and asked me
always to call him by it.
What will you name your boat? ?"
"Oh, I'll call her Dora, after my mother"
said the child. ia name her after my father,
too, oney his name uG Charles Jernon st. John
! Clinton, just er same as me. an such n big name
nd capsiZe 4 little boat, so I'll just call it The
. Dora"
Dora will be q very sweet name for your
boat, u said.
IF l wanted ter wait till I'm twenty-one an
get my property l could buy q boat bigger II
the Minnie Cornell. but l wouldn't wait. l
won't be round here'en Pm twcnty-one."
Dear little To-day. could you zee into the fu-
ture with your great blue eyes?
A few nights after there was n commotion at
the bay View" Mrs. Bell explained that the
two colored girls who waited at table had gone
out early In the evening and had not come
home. She was afraid some one in the neigh
borhood induced them by offers of higher wages
to leave her service. II didn't think they
would leave in this manner" said the anxious
housekeeper. 1t is SO hard to get good helpP
They may have got lost on these country
road4.' l suggested by way of comfort.
A little later in the evening Mrs. Cl;nton's SER
want came over and asked If any one knew where
Teddy was, saying the last she had seen Of him
he was going towards the shore with Rose and
Nancy, the two missing girls. Why they should
have taken the boy no one could surmise. II
any OF us could have SUI pected where that brave
little soul was and in what peril, the rest need
not have been silence.
Bright aud early next morning a messenger
went up to Mrs. Clinton's house to ask at what
hour To-day had returned. He had not been
home all night ard his grandmother was too i'll
to be told Of his absence. Mr.. Bell. too. was
much troubled-her girls had not returned.
About 10 O'Clock Harry, Mrs. Bells nephew.
called me TO the side porch and told me he was
very much alarmed about Teddy Clinton.
Harry went On to explain that he had driven
over to the next village on an erraud for his
aunt and OH his way back he had met Rose and
Nancy. He told them to Jump into the wagon
and asked them il they knew anything about
Teddy. At the question they both began to
cry and scream. Amt that chile got home
yit % Between their crying and wailing he
made out that on the previous afternoon, when
Mrs. Bell had given them a holiday, they deter
mined to go oil the river. Neither OF the girls
had ever been in 4 small boat and knew abso-
lutely nothing about the management of ore.
so they took Teddy along to row. "Those
great women took that baby!"
well. welll' interrupted J., they took
Teddy and kept him away all night? That was
very thoughtleDs of them. Where is he now ?"
oh" replied Harry, with tears in his eyes,