The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-11-21


! tcntively a. wcn-brought-up boy,
! should but Billy just kept one eye or
her, and with the other eye all the
rest of him seemed to be thinking the
! lesson out to himself.
The other boys, it must be owned
regularly forgot from Sunday tc
Sunday what Miss Hollingsworth
told them, but Billy. Billy remem
bered always; and always he applied
the lesson to his own life in such q
way as suited himself
Billy was not a well-brought-upb boy.
How could he be when be had no ia.
ther, no mother, no brother, no sister,
and depended mainly upon the exer.
tions of Billy Stapleton for his liveli'
hood. He was thirteen. and the other
boys ranged In age as high as sixteen.
When he was nine years old he had
been left an orphan with q very small
sum Of money, the income of which
barely paid his board and lodging at
the Widow Grimby'S
He had been put to board there by
the town. because Widow Grimby
needed money that the county must
otherwise supply. His fare, then, was
not sumptuous, and his coarse gar
ments were such as he had been able
to earn for himself by doing little odd
jobs before and after school during
the school year, and any time of day
in vacation. And while he worked
Billy practiced what he learned from
Miss Hollingsworth's teaching.
The Sunday school opened There
sat Billy in his piece, for Billy was
never late. His straight, bristly hair
apparently gave him no trouble, for,
according to its custom, it had ar
ranged itself and was standing cheer
fully on end all over his head; his
bright blue eyes sparleled and every
freckle on his little nose looked alert.
The other boys all sat nearer to Miss
Holiingsworth than Billy. He always
sat in the outermost chair in the row;
some way the outernost of everything
seemed to be Billy's special province.
What application will he make of
this lesson?" thought Miss Hollings-
worth She was a worry good young
lady, but sne did not understand boys,
and particularly she did not under
stand Billy. And yet all the boys
liked her, and Billy never dreamed
that he was constant puzzle to her.
That day she had hit upon . partic-
ularly happy illustration of a point in
The lesson. But 1T was not till the hour
was almost up that she began to de-
scribe to her boys tho boomerang
that wonderful curved club which re-
turns to the neighborhood Of the sem
der, and not only to his reighborhood
but sometimes upon his head.
Boys" she said, II want you to re-
member that every act of your lives 10
a boomerang. Every unkindness you
do to another, every hateful word you
speak to or of another, will come back
to injure you. 1t may be long time
coming: but it will come"
And then the lesson was done, and
Miss Hollingsworth. flushing under
the intentness of Blly's eye, turned
her face toward the superintendent.
1t was a long walk from the church
to Widow Grimby's, and Billy had
plenty of time to talk the lesson over
with himself on the way. This was
another queer trait he had-he talked
to himself. But then he had hardly
anyone else to talk with; for Widow
Grimby was unsocial and he had few
acquaintances.
III get me some Of them things"
he was saying, "Boomerangs she
called 'em. Just make 'em out Of
deeds But III make the kind that
hit soft and easy and not whack Like
an ice SNOWFALL. can do it, il what
she said is so. Stands TO reason if bad
ness comes back to whack you, good
ness must come to hit you easy"
On their way home, and their wav
led in direction opposite to Billy's,
the other boys were talking; and they
were saying that some day they were
2 going 10 travel to that far country and
see those natives throw booneranga
The next morning was frosty. And
Billy, after such a breakfast as
Widow Grimby saw fit to furnish him.
was off bstimes to Squire Hafferty's
wood lot, for he had been engaged by
the squire to wheel his sawed and
split wood to the shed
Squire Haffertv was an old-fashioned
man. rather stiff and 'rheumaticky"
in his joints. He believed in having
everything done just so; and that was
why he had hobbled down to the wood
lot. lie wanted to start Billy just
right The little round sticks were TO
be piled BY themselves. the split sticks
in another place, and the chunks" in
still another. But starting in a hurry,
for Billy had been unexpectedly
prompt he had come without his
glasses. he felt in all his pockets, for
he needed them He wanted 10 take 4
good look at Billy, who was almost .
stranger 10 him.
Here's the chance to make me one
of them boomerauEs and let il fy,"
thought Billy. as the slow old feet
turned TO rerace their steps.
Let me run, sir" he exclaimed;
I'll have EN- here in jiry."
The squire let him run. When I
get good look at him ! shouldn't be
surprised If see a likely LAD was his
grateful thought; but his tongue said
nothing beyond ceremonious Much 1
ooleeged TO YOU" on the boys return .
There's one Of EN- done aready," /
.hought Billy. little out Of breath 1
from haste. Makes ne feel good 20 4
t!ask II coming back 10 hit NE ca
,2uC ana easy some day. 4 boy can't F.
be so very Lonesome with boonerangs
J. hitting him often Most as good as /
having somebody you ike say:
Hello"
And all the time one eve was on the