Hutchinson gazette., 1900-08-02


doctors house and made Jimmie's NE
extremely miserable once In whlle
when she wanted more errnndS done
than he had any time TO do, came ont
and monned because he had got on his
new clothes before he had cmptied the
ashes in the pnrlor stove aud said she
hoped II wouldn't rain, but II looked
very much ms II 1t would,
The whole town made u kind OF q
general holiday Of commcncrmenlnnd
everybody that Jimmie passed was eN'
cited md eager,
Jimmie began to feel rather gay
himself rs he rounded the corner and
fel In with three Of his classmates,
walking arm IN arm and giving the
class yell ut the tops Of their lungs,
Closed carriages were not plentiful
in TrpevilIc and the majority OF the
graduates walked 10 school, MS they
had always done before,
Jimmie Joined the other boys and
yelled, too, feeling quite happy, until
he saw nn nrmful OF flowers going up
the steps Of the Town Hall, and his
three comrades were pOunccd upon
by different members Of their inml'
lies
Then he went into the hall alone and
wnlkcd silently to his place lie wos
rather nstonishcd when some one came
up and whispered to him TINT Mr.
Faralon was outside in his wheeled
chair and would Jimmie plense come
and carry him in?
He was very much nstonlshcd to see
Mrs. Belden, with the poodle sitting
up straight and stiff on her broad lNp
and to notice the three little Misses
Pym. all In row up by the wall, but
he didn't think much about them,
They had nothing to do with him. The
exercises went ON and ON,
! Pretty Bessie PnySon gave her poem,
and went OIL The stage with her hrms
so full of roses that she could scarcely
hold them all Billie Jones, fremont
Evans, Ted Denton one by one they
came and went, lo0dcd with iowcrs,
smiling down at their fathers, until
the pain in Jimmic's throat grew al-
most too sharp to bear, There wns
only the Latin GRAFTON, 4 song, and the
vnlcdictory left now and, ms Jimmie
heard his name, flames Henry GILL;
gan" he rose and stepped to the front
of the platform, his eyes set straight
on the black clock ut the end OF the
wall, his nerves Steeled to bear the
lack of applause be knew would greet
him for who cared enough to start
the clnppng?
But suddenly his mouth twltchcd
his eyes fell, and his nerves jumped
after all, for the applause began with
n sturdy pair of hands at the back o
the hall md swept on and on from
bench to bench, till II was on the plat
form, and his classmates and the kerry
teachers were clapplng as they hat
never clNpped before
And then his eyes fell to Iihe people
there before him. hut Jimmie saw no
, one group Of smiling faces, but many
Every face there was looking up u
him, and there was DR., Elton, after all
away back by the door clnpping will
, his hands and pounding with both fee
TIL he seemed in imminent danger o
, falling down, while the three Missc
, Pym spntted their little gloves ill cN
cry finger cracked, Mrs, Beldcn smilct
, at him through her glasses, and urge
the poodle To bark his loudest; it'll
Mrs. Perkins clappcd Baby May
hands together, noddmg at him hcl
| self, and down in front poor Mr. fara
/, ton laughed ns he had not laughed 70
I, years before, and cIapped his th
!. hands as though he were n boy again
d. And then,though Jimmic's eyes file,
0 up with tears, his heart was YER
/ light aud the PAIN in his throat wa
q pleasant for him to bear For he rt
Q allied all at once that they were ever
4 one his friends; that they were al
i glad TO see him, and were wishin
4 him good luck, and giving him n we
:. come warmer than any one else ha
o been given, just because they knew Ii
!, was alone in the world and they wcr
), sorry for him, and wanted 10 sho
d him he was not lricndess after all.
;. In that moment Jimmie was hUppe
than he had ever been in all his lil
{ before. and when The noise began I
% die down he threw back his head an
It began to speak, lie had a fine voic
@ and he had never spoken so well. Til
e rich Lntin words rolled ont like musi
IS and every one sab and listened as II
10 tcntly as though they understood
y all.
And then as the end came and Jir
r, mic, with a graceful bow that almo
S, startled those who thought of the aw
r ward boy they knew, started to lea'
e the stage. just as the applause brol
" out again, he saw something that mac
IF him gulp little once more, For thc'
h stood two ushers and their arms we
rs full of flowers.
% A prim sweet bunch Of monthly ro
ID es. with three little cards attached
early sweet peas that he knew can
i, from no yard but Mrs Perkins; violc
8. with Mrs. Grey's welI.known mournir
ID card attached; great rretentIol
Or bunch of tall, white lilies. with ynrt
ID OF pure white ribbon; bunch ofra
oil nations, Mr.. Faraton's favorite ilowe
II and really a bouquet Of white ros
ri from MIR. Elton; even great mass
" daisies from the old cross housekeepe
10 and To crown II all a basket OF viii
n, roses from his class. ts
nj As Jimmie gathered them into h
le arms he turned again md looked o
ut over the seq of smiling faces. He d