The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-11

ing improbable tales-Ought to be able
to appreciate the sad case cf Jimmy
Wh9rtleberry of Winchester, Mass
Jimmy looked and acted and felt ike
other boys with one exception he had
to be wound up like a clock every DAY.
Just at the back of his neck there was
a little keyhOie, and he was wound up
with a silver key that fitted into it.
It's no use for you to ask me TO eX-
plain why. or how. or anything else.
Some things have to be taken on trust.
If you don't believe this story the first
thing I'll hear is that you have I be-
heved the others, ana then what would
become of my confidence in myself?
Jimmy had a very remarkable moth
er. She was always thinking OF jim
my's comfort and Jimmy's pleasure,
and she was so kind to him that he
actually loved her.
Now. a great many mothers have to
do good deal for their boys. They
have to remember where the cap was
thrown when the boy came home from
his play. they have to know where
he left his skates and what became of
his top, but I never knew of any other
mother who had to remember to vino
her son up every morning before
breakfast. You see, the keyhOle being
in the back Of his neck, Jimmy couldn't
reach it himself. But his mother was
only too glad to keep the boy going,
for he was such a CHEEKY little lad.
Up to mischief and dreadfully naughty
sometimes. but well worth winding up,
for all that.
It was the funniest performance, his
winding up. I was there on visit
once and saw Mrs. WhOTtleberry wind
him She put the pretty silver key into
/ his neck and began to turn it, and the
I veins VF-ffh q
sweet crinkling noise that sounded like
music boxes miles and miles away
Jimmy always liked to be wound up.
1t was like taking a tonic He wound
run and jump and sing gally and act
/ for all the world as if he had been
charged with electricity
Not half the boys in Winchester who
played with Jimmy knew that he had
I to be wound up, for he was just as nat
ural as any boy. and could climb and
skate and wrestle with the best Of
them.
one day the boys got up a foot race.
1 In this they were aided and abetted by
I old Mr.. Dixon. They were to walk
} from Winchester to Arlington Center
and back again for a silver medal that
I Mr.. Dixon had promised to the winner.
/ Old Mr.. Dixon is a silver-haired gentle
man whom all the boys like because
/ he is still good deal of boy himself
j in spite of his 20 years.
L think that Jimmy viii win If he
/ doesn't run down.. said Mr.. Whortle-
/ berry.
Run down. indeed, said Mr.. Dixon,
hOtly Jimmy won't run down when
/ he knows il is a walking match. He'll
win fair. you may depend upon it,"
| From which it viii be seen that Jimmy
was a favorite with the old man.
! The race was TO be run on a Satur-
4 day. It so happened that the night
/ before Mrs. Whortleberry was taken
/ III with an attack Of grip, and in the
I morning she was too sick to rise.
She told the maid to wind Jimmy,
but the maid was a rather feather
/ Drained creature and forgot all about
it. and as for Jimmy, he was so full Of
the race that he never noticed that he
had not been wound OF course, Just
as it is with clocks. so he could run
/ several hours overtime, so he was able
to go down to breakfast and then run
in ard kiss his mother goodbye and
tell her that he was sorry that she was
too sick to come and see the start.
Just as he was leaving the room she