The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-06-25
Winning His Name.

Winning His Name.
A Sunday-school; a mission class,
i've boys on a broad grin; one boy
with a red, angry face.
" And what is your name. please?"
asked Miss Mildred Younge of the new
boy who came into her class in the
mission school.
"Edw began the boy, when a
chorus of "Ohs and "Ahs" and
=" Now, Spiizies," and mingling of
Cycling and punches from the other
boys in the class caused his mouth to
shut firmly as an oyster, while his
grimy fists closed tightly, and he cast
wrathful, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
look about the class.
Miss Younge, who scented war in the
air, was wise enough to leave her ques-
ton unanswered and quickly turn to
the days lesson.
AS the school was dismissed Miss
Younge laid her hand on the new boys
arm, as she asked him 10 help her ar
range some flowers in the church. A
gruff refusal was on his tongue, till he
suddenly saw the other boys wished to
go, one of them crying, "I'll go, Miss
Mildredl" But with " Next Sunday,
Joe; | have help to-day" she turned
to go, and the new boy followed. He
was soon at his ease. AS they bent
over the flowers the young lady said,
" But, do you know, don't know your
name yet?" For an instant the bov
hung his head, and the red flush came
back to his face; but after a minute Of
silence he said. " Edward Uncommon:
but l reckon you heard the boys call
me Spitzie. ,"
Yes; why did they?"
"Cause they say | get mad as easy
as Spitz dog. But you see if don't
thrash 'em for calm me that in Sun
day-schoolW
"Does the name belong to your"
" How do you mean?"
" Does it fit your"
" Ye-s'm, l guess maybe it does, for
| do fly off the handle that quick"
As long as it fits | am afraid You'll
keep it. When | was a little girl, and
had dress didn't like, l knew my
remedy was to outgrow it. | used to
measure myself every week, to see how
fast l was growing. Suppose you try
to outgrow Spitz and grow into Ed
ward"
4" | don't know how you mean"
"Outgrow getting angry, and when
Spitz doesn't fit you any longer III
trust the rest of the boys to find it out.
III not call you anything but you till
you win your name. Is it bargain?n
Fully three minutes the boy looked
at the hand held out to him, at a spot
in the carpet, at a crack in the wall,
and then laid his hand in the one held
out to him, saying, " It's bargain"
The prospects for a speedy loss of
"Spitz" and winning of " Edward -
did not look very bright to Miss Mil
dred when, an hour later, she saw on
the street the boy who so earnestly
said, " It's bargain -; for, alas, he
was fighting as fercely as boys can fight
with another urchin from her class.
Both boys looked ashamed when they
saw her, and tried to pretend they were
wrestling; but the pretence was a sorry
failure. Two squares farther on a
breathless boy caught up with the young
lady and said:
Miss, l ,Cas fghtin.' Joe made me
mad, and when l tried not to show mad
he called for some water for Spitzie'
| couldn't stand that, but pitched into
him-and-Miss, Pm afraid I'll be
you for good while. But a bargains
a bargain"
He waited for no reply, but was off
like flash.
do you think it was an easy thing for
that boy to win his name? If you do,
you never were a boy with good, strong
fists, that knew how to fight, and hot,
quick temper, that didn't know how to
cool off, More than one Sunday his
teacher said to him, so low that no one
else heard, els it nearly won?' Per-
haps the answer would be, Not yet,
I'm afraid" "Once it was, | thought
so till yesterday, but then l had bad
case of hydrophobia."
One day he said, "Miss Mildred,
didn't know it would be so hard, or I'm
not sure I'd made the bargain"
Miss Mildred smiled, and whispered:
God help you, dear boy. The boy
who wins his name will not dishonor it
afterward."
AT last he whispered: " Miss Mil
dred, I'm winning it Pm almost Ed
ward !"
Two more weeks passed, and the
time for the Christmas festival came.
Our boy without name was the last of
the class to take his place. Miss Mil
dred was busy with other things and
never noticed that on the empty seat
was placed cunningly bent-up pin.
When the boy came in hurriedly and
sat down he sprang up again, and gave
the same "Outchl" any boy would
have given. Then something strange
happened; for, though a hot flush
came to his cheeks, he only said:
" never did care to act as a PIN
cushion, and, as pins go, that one was
double-pointed."
Such look of amazement as came
over that class Miss Mildred sprang
up and took the boys hands in hers, as
she said, Edward, my dear Edward"
Then, turning to the other boys, she
said: