St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-01-26

The other boys. 1t must be owned,
regularly forgot from Sunday to
Sunday what Miss Hollingsworth
told them, but Billy. Billy remem-
bered always; and always he applied
the lesson to his own life in such a
way as suited himself.
Billy was not = well-brought-up boy.
How could he be when he had no IA
Their, 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 - sixteen.
When he was nine years old he had
been left an orphan with very small
sum OF money, the income Of which
barely paid his board and lodging at
the Widow Grimby'e
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 IS 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. Aud while he worked
Billy practiced what he learned from
Miss Hollingsworth's teaching.
The Sunday school opened. There
sat Billy In his place. for Billy was
never late. His straight, bristly hair
apparently gave him no trouble, for,
according to it, custom, 1t had AZ.
ranged itself and was standing cheer
fully on end all over his head; his
bright blue eyes sparkled and every
freckle on his little nose looked alert.
The other boys all sat nearer to Miss
Hollingsworth than Billy. He always
sat In the outermost chair in the row;
some way the outermost of everything
seemed to be Blly's special province.
"What application will he make Of
this lesson7" thought Miss Hollings-
worth. She was . very good young
lady. but she did not understand boys,
and particularly she did not under
stand Billy. And yet al the boys
liked her, and Billy never dreamed
that he was a constant puzzle to her.
That day she had hit upon . partic-
ularly happy illustration Of = point in
the lesson. But it was not till the hour
was almost up that she began to de-
scribe to her boys the boomerang
that wonderful curved club which re-
turns to the neighborhood of the SEN
der. and not only to his neighborhood
but sometimes upon his head.
"Boys," she said. Il want you to re-
member that every act of your lives Is
. boomerang. Every unkindness you
do to another. every hateful word you
speak to or of another, will come back
to injure you. It may be long time
coming; but 1t will come"
And then tho lesson was done. and
Miss HollinRsworth. flushing under
the intentness OF Billy's eye, turned
her face toward the superintendent.
1t was . 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.
I'll get me some of them things, :"
he was saying, "Boomerangs she
called 'em. Just make 'em out Of
deeds. But Ill make the kind that
hit soft and easy and not whack like
an ice SNOWFALL. can do 1t. II 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 way
led in a direction opposite to Billy's,
the other boys were talking; and they
were saying that some day they were
going to travel to that far country and
see those natives throw boomeranga
The next morning was frosty. And
Billy, after such q breakfast rs
Widow Grimby saw At to furnish him,
was OF betimes to Squire Hafferty's
wood lot, for he had been engaged by
the squire to wheel his saved and
split wood to the shed.
Squire Hafferty was an old-fsshioned
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 He wanted to start Billy just
right. The little round sticks were to
be piled by themselves, tho split sticks
In another place, and the chunks" in
still another. But starting In q 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 to take q
good look at Billy, who was almost q
stranger to him.
Here's the chance to make me one
of them boomerangs and let it fly"
thought Billy. as the slow old feet
turned to retrace their steps.
Let me run. SIR" he exclaimed;
"T'll have 'em here in jiRy."
The squire let him run. "When
get good look at him shouldn't be
surprised II see likely lad" was his
grateful thought: but his tongue said
nothing beyond ceremonious Much
obleeged to you." on the boys return.
There's one Of 'em done a'ready."
thought Billy. little out Of breath
from haste Makes me feel good to
think it's coming back to hit me CO.
chug and easy some day. A boy can't
be so very lonesome with boomerangs
a-hitting him often. Most - good -
having somebody you like say:
Hello"
And all the time one eye was on the
squire, and the other eve and all the
~ of the boy seemed Lost in thought.
That's queer boy" said the old
nan ~ hinssH, observing him sharply