The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1900-10-17
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TWO HOME COMINGS.
by Annie Hamilton Donncii.

u II was one of Scarecrows poorest
days. They were all poor. There
were seldom many errands to do,
and never, never enough to eat.
When boy is only ten and lives all
by himself in the dreariest attic in
the drcariest tenement In the very,
very dreariest alley in a great city,
and when the crrands fail-well, is 1t
any wonder boy gets downhearted?
Scarccrow was downhearted. The
invalid in the other attic across the bit
of hallway had not heard him whis-
tie for three days. She could hardly
have imagined beforehand how she
would miss the shrill, CHEEKY sound.
When Scarrcrow whistlcd IL seemed
to make ii easier for her to draw the
needle through the stif' white cloth
with her thin, weak fingers.
Poor little fellow, he's a-dreadin'
| havin' her come home. No wonder he
amt whlstlin'r the invalid mused.
Was that what Scarccrow was
| drcading? Or was IL something else?
There were so many things to dread.
| He crcpt downstairs again and out
through the noisomc allcyway TO a
corner on one Of the busy streets.
There he waited on listlessly. 1t was
almost night when his good luck came.
"Errand mister? Gotter errand fer
feller? Kin l run? gimme n try!
On'y n fiver to so n mile-dat's de bar
gain price"
"Ih, eh, what's that"
The looming figure half halted and
looked down absently into the anxious
face. Then it went on. Scarecrow
ran along beside it.
"Gotter errand. mister-say"
"Oh, you want job, eh? That's It,"
eyes, sir-wot'll yer bet I does! De
doctor has prescribed dose er vittles
fer me stummick. oh, say, mister
mister! Gimme Il job!'
The figure slackened its pace again
But l haven't any job-well, we'll
let's see. Come with me. / suppose
you might run on ahead with the lit
tie chaps green's
At n florists up the street he bought
a load Of trailing green vines and
cheap bright flowers and put them
in the boys hands.
"Take them to Chandler street-one
hundred and seven. Here's quarter.
Now run! the sooner you get there
the better"
Scarecrow gazed through n screen
of vines at the silver lying on his
grimy little palm. 1t took on enor-
nous proportions and twlnkled glori-
ously, wealthlly.
81 amt got no change-I runs 'em
fer fiver," he muttered.
The man towering above him
laughed good-naturedly.
"Well, run this one fer quarter.
It's worth tit isn't any common er-
rand" he said. And his face as he
strobe away was radiant with n sud
den joyful remembrance. No, no, this
was no common errandl This was
an errand out of a hundred-a thou
sand!
The man smiled joyously. In anoth-
er minute Scarecrow felt his hand on
his shoulder again, and another sill.
yer quarter dropped through the vines
into the small brown hand.
''It's worth 1t. Off with your The
man laughed.
1t did not occur to him to distrust
the tattered little messenger. He was
not in a dlstrustful mood.
At Chandler street, 107, the lights
were all lighted. 1t seemed to be O
regular illumination. Scarecrow could
see through the unshaded windows 9
big bright room, that seemed full and
running over with eager-faced littl,
boys. Tall boys-short boys-curly
boys-straight boys-and one littl,
killed boy who danced wildly about
One, two, three-Scarecrow counted
boys. There We're six of them! Ant
what was this they We're doing? Tn,
little street boy stood watching then
, outside.
"W-e-lc-o-m-e," he spelled slowly t.
, himself, as one by one the big greer
paper letters were tackled up over til,
mantel in the big, bright room. Th,
word. complete, meant nothing def
2 mite to Scarecrow. He puzzled owe
[ 1t curiously. Then he knocked loud
, ly at the door beside the window. 4
troop of boys answered the knock witt
n headlong rush.
"Oh. oh! it's the howers!-Daddy'
sent 'em! A boys brought 'em!
"The flowers have GOMEZ"
!, "An' the smlle-axel"
"They're red an pink an yellow
: an they smell-my."
t "Goody. goody-hoorayr'
!, In an instant little Scarecrows arm
= We're empty, and the rush back to tn
= bright-lighted room had begun. Scare
crow plucked the sleeve of the rea
i boy boldly and whispered:
I Say. wot's de game?" he aske
e eagerly. .Wots dem letters in der
spell out"