Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-06-19
TEDDIE'S "SNAP."
The Happy Results of Small
Boys Whistling.

"Now doan't be whishtling," said
Mrs. McDougall, as she brought her
Aat-iron down with bang on the table.
Then she turned the article she was
ironing over with much energy, to re-
new her smoothing tactics on its other
side. Mrs. McDougall's smoothing tao
tics were all accomplished with the
fat-iron, her powers of speech not be-
ing of the smoothing order; they were
not even frightening.
''You poor craytherl If it warn't for
the twist in yer leg yez moight sell pa
pers, or do somethin or other fur to
help. But yez can kape quiet, and
leastwise not be piping naidless loike
burrud."
Teddie was sitting in the sunshine,
which got round to the back room
whore his mother helped the family by
washing solled linen, In private, at this
time In the forenoon He liked TO get
in chair and see the sunshine light up
the backyard, and steal in and illumi-
nate his mothers washtub. The
cheerful influence of the sunshine on
the cool fall day had made Teddie for
getful of domestic shadows, and in the
lightness of his heart he had begun to
whistle.
He liked whistling; It was Teddie's
safety-valve. And he must have in
herited this accomplishment from the
late Mr.. McDougall who was build
er's assistant; he assisted the builder
by carrying brick 10 the places where
they were to be used. Mrs. McDougall,
the relict of this worthy handler of
brick, had no taste for music. 1t more
than affected her negatively, It irri-
tated her! and when an organ grinder
struck up In the street, that good crea.
ture ironed with indignant vigor, which
was her way Of expressing her feeling
Of distaste. And when Teddie, poor
boyl forgot himself and whistled from
sheer stress of feeling, 1t vexed her
more than anything, because 1t was
borne In upon her that Teddie was not
only lame and useless, but apparently
was light-hearted under 1t, and thought
less of her sensitive soul.
He was o smsll-faced, large-eyed
little boy with somewhat of weakened
look as if he were underfed. He used
wooden crutch on the side where his
leg swung three or four inches from
the ground, and hoped along like a
contented sparrow. He was not talka-
tive. 1t was only when Mary came
home from the milliner's shop that
Teddie really showed any conversations
al powers. Mary told him such anus
ing things about the shop and the shop.
pers, the grand ladies who rode up in
carriages and thought nothing of or
dering q forty dollar bonnet. Teddie
had his opinion of ladies who could do
that, and it must be confessed that it
was very elevated one bordering on
admiration.
BE had got used to his mothers re.
minding him Of his incapacity. Chp-
dren will get used to sort Of misfit in
the matter of parents. But II was a
little hard on him not to be allowed to
whistle when he felt like it. He felt
like it now. He had so few pleasures.
He sat very quietly after his mother
had chided him into silence, watching
the sunlight in the yard and the blacl,
cat who had lain down in It warming
her thin sides Then he slipped down
from the chair, fitted his implanted
crutch under his arm, and hoped out,
He would go up and see George.
George was a young man who made
violins, sold violins and played on a
violin in the orchestra Of theater in
the evening. Naturally George did not
object to Teddie's whistle, because
there was real music in it. 1t was the
one thing the little fellow could dc
well. But there was no money in it
He could whistle his little contracted
lungs out and it brought in nothing.
George was great comfort to Ted
die. When the young whistler wa:
overwhelmed. so to speak, by a serst
Of mother he used TO click, click, click
pp the stairs TO the sunny room where