Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-03-20
MnIie's Patch.

It was lonely out there in that far |
Western home, and when little Willie
came it was a great Joy t. his mother;
now she would have something living !
to talk to, while papa was out In the
distant fields and woods, for they had
taken up large track of land and their
nearest neighbor was ten miles away.
And, though they we're prospecting, 1t
was terribly lonesome. Sometimes
Willie's mother would shut her eyes
as she sat in the wintry silence, and
fancy that she heard the creaking OF
the wood sled on the hard snow of the
lane that led to her fathers farmhouse
in distant Massachusetts,. She heard
the snap of the whip, and her father
stamping the snow off his boots In the
back porch; then there would be rush
of feet and a chorus of voices from the
warm sitting room, and Ponto and
Carlo would join in the mad welcome
and then she would sit up and open
her eyes and perhaps shed few tears,
poor little woman. But that was be-
fore Willie came with the warm spring
sunshine. Willie was a little COM
J forter. He chuckled, and sucked his
| fat fists, and twirled his feet, in their
odd little wooden boots, vigorously by
Christmas; and was quite ready for the
.trunkful of dainty dresses and aprons
that grandma sent at that season. And
when spring came again he could tod
die along by the chairs or fence, and
shout defiance at the chickens and the
cat.
| So he grew and grew, as the fairy
tales say, and he was as good as gold.
Papa used to tell him about all the
other little children-this was when
he had got to be three years old-who
lived in various parts of the world (;
for at first this baby thought that
there was only one boy in the world,
and that boy was himself.
He was quite lively fellow. He
would run out to the barn to meet his
father and ride, perhaps, to one OF the
near fields on one Of the horses backs
but he generally stayed with his
mother. She used to work in her gar
den a good deal, planting seeds, after
the ground had been made ready for
her. And Willie loved to do just as
she did.
Mamma" he said one day, Il want
to plant some torn for the poor little
boys in the big city, SOS they can have
'nough to eat, too"
~Well ask papa, Willie darling, to
give you a sunny place for a corn
patch" said his mother.
When papa came home to dinner he
dug a patch few yards square in 9
!. sunny part, and fenced it with stones
and here Willie planted some seed
|. corn. and watered and tended it till II
: was twice as tall as he was himself
But. alas! when it was full in the ear
little Willie said one day to his mother
Mamma, my throat all sore. Tam
swallow"
, She did all she could for him, Will.
his father rode off for the doctor. ane
. all night the three watched and worked
8 over him; but in the morning, whel
: the red sun rose into the amber sky
3 and the soft breeze tossed the tasseli
: of the corn back and forth, little Willie
= lay white and still.
{ They buried the poor baby in cor
' ner of the garden, for there was NJ
graveyard near; and then they though
8 how they could do what he asked
8 aSend my torn to the poor little boys
a papa" 1t was almost his last thought
s How could they do it?
Q At last his father thought of plan
a He measured the corn and put tn
s money for it-it was very httle-int'
o Willie's little money-box; and then h
t took the corn, carefully dried it TO
: seed, and put it away, labeled
q sWillie's corn" The next season b
o planted it, put the price of its produc
., away also, and planted that for see
l. next season; and SO he did each year
|. until @Willie's Patch" as the called il
was q field of a hundred and eight
acres, the produce of which supporte
r a home for poor little boys In one
is our crowded cities. And the home wa
Al called aWillie's Patch, too.-Edtth ~
Il