Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-01-21

er being awful rich and grand ever
since was in my crib. Then mother.
She is straight descendant of the
Devereaux of Hammerstead. They had
earls and barons and dukes and things
all back to William. They cau him
William the Conqueror, but call him
old Bill. / hate him! And mothers
folks were linked in, somehow. with
the old Squire Leith' family. Oh. j
guess / shan't forget the names, I've
heard 'em nine thousand seven hundred
and forty times So if you can make
| out who l am, / can't, for l am SO
| many boys in one that 1 feel just like
| plum-pudding. The raisins are the
Endicotts and the currants are the
Devereaux. and the citron the Leiths,
| and the spice the dukes and things,
and the -four the rest of 'em, and they
are all rolled into me. And I'm the
| last of the whole lot, and I'm lone
some.''
think l should have laughed till
burst my buttons if ! had not perceived
| that he was very much in earnest 1
just said simply. in a sympathetic tone,
resuming the vocabulary of my boy
hood: That is tough"
Isn't it?" said he. Now I'll tell
you the rest of it Seeing that all our
people were so rich and grand. some
| time ago, you know-say a few hun
dred years-father's a clerk in n store
! now and mother dress-makes-she has
| to-we are not very well off haven't
been common enough to go to school
with the other boys. I've had to have
lessons with a Miss Madison. She is
| an old maid, and she teaches few
| girls, and me, because we are very tony
children
He snuggled up to me little more
confidentially. Il was the only boy in
that school Wouldn't you be lone
some? And both mother and father
have just worked their heads off to
dress me up so could go to that girl
baby school You can see, sir. your
self, if IN not a straight descendant of
the Devereaux! just look at this
| He pulled the front of his Jacket
open, and within l could see a delicate
/ silk shirt, on which was embroidered
an elaborate monogram There" he
| exclaimed, do you suppose any decent
boy would play with such a fool rugged
fellow as that? If l stripped off my
| jacket I'd get laughed at till I'd never
| play again. This mean old shirt has
| kept me out of more fun than little.
And that's the way with every single
| thing. 1 can't battle. for fear the heir
of some old stuffy ancestor that's been
| just like John Browns body, molder-
| ing in the ground for years, will get
drowned with Tommy Striker in the
same duck-hole. And l can't row and
/ = Sh hacos,Sa oI bo hov will to>
| And our folks amt rich enough to have
me ride in a carriage and really go with
other heirs to old grand and rich peo-
| pie, 80 I'm just cut out of every bit of
fun in this world, and the boys laugh
at me and the girls pity me, and am
miserable-so lonesome 1 don't know
what to do
But you had been standing this
sort Of thing good while-what made
you start up and run away?"
Little Lord Fauntleroy," he an
swered, with perfect scorn.
''What?" l calculated, in amaze
ment
Yes, little Lord Fauntleroy and my
curls. Here they sre!" and he pulled
roll of paper ont of his trousers pocket.
from which he drew dozen or fifteen
beautiful long brown curls They were
evidently cut off with pair of dull
scissors
81 cut 'em off the night l ran away"
he went on, half triumphantly, half
ruefully. Thing of curls on boy over
thirteen
But you were small for your age"
said !, soothingly.
Yes, that was some comfort. But
I'll tell you. Mother never would let
me cut 'eu off. teased and leased as
soon as was ten, to go to the barber
and be shingled like other boys, but
she never would. / had birthday
about two weeks ago, and mother
bought me present She don't often
| have time to read books. but this one
| was about an earl's grandson, called
Little Lord Fauntleroy, and as soon as
she looked at the pictures she wanted
| to read it Then what must she do but
| get me up suit just like this! She is
dress-maker, you know, and she
can make almost anything she likes,
| She did't try II on to me, for / guess
| she knew i wouldn't like it, but last
Sunday she made me put it on and took
me to church / believe l never was
so mad. cried l hate to cry, but l
was SO mai Couldn't belpit- looked
| exactly like the earrs grandson, and
! suppose mother was proud; but look
here, sir / expect 10 be an ancestor my
! self one of these days, and / don't want
| to be 4 duke ancestor or an earl ances-
| tor, / want to be an American ances-
| tor and make my own money and be
| like other men, I'm an American boy,
and amt going to wear velvet suits and
long curls.''
His oratory was punctuated with
tears and fiushes of anger. and his
| rough cropped head bobbed with vehe-
mence. / confess / sympathize with
him with all my heart
go on said l. tell the rest"
in church it wasn't quite so bad. but
| in Sunday-school all the whole school
laughed. The boys in my class were
| just tickled to death They knew they
| had it on me good, and Monday they
could call me anything they pleased.
But l was bound they shouldn't All
tine afternoon / sat and thought it over.
and l determined TO run away and
earn my own living, and cut off my
curls and never go back till l could
show 'em l could get rich and grand
myself. just being my own self and no
body's grest-great-grand son at all"
WAS that Last Sunday" said l.
| Yes. and I've walked and walked.
rode in the cars great ways, until
| thought had gone far enough /
wore nv old clothes and | cut of my