Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-10-12
TWO HOME COMINGS.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BY Annie Hamilton Donnell.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
r T was one of Scarecrow's 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 III
the dreariest tenement in the very,
very dreariest alley in great city,
and when the errands fail-well, is II
any wonder boy gets downhearted
Scarecrow was downhearted. The
invalid in the other attic across the DIT
of a 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 Scarecrow whistled it seemed
TO make it easier for her to draw the
needle through the stiff white cloth
with her thin. weak fingers.
"Poor little fellow, he's a-dreadin'
havin' her come home. No wonder he
amt whistlin'!" the invalid unused.
Was that what Scarecrow was
dreading? Or was it something elsel
There were so many things to dread
He crept downstairs again and out
through the noisome alleyway to
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 Eel
Teller? Kin l run? gimme q try
On'y q flyer to go a mile-dats de bar
gain price"
"Eh, ELI, what's that?'
The looming figure half halted ano
looked down absently into the anxious
face. Then it went on. ScarecroW
ran along beside it.
"Gotter Grand mister-sayT
"Oh, you want a job, eh? That's it.
Eyes, sir-wot'n yer bet I does! d.
doctor has prescribed dose er vittle
fer ME stummick. Oh, say, mister
mister, Gimme job"'
The figure slackened its pace again
"But / haven't any job-well, well
let's see. Come with me. l suppos
you might run OH ahead with the Iii
tie chaps green's"
At a florists up the street he beugh
load of trailing green vines an
cheap bright flowers and put ther
in the boys hands.
"Take them TO Chandler street-on
hundred and seven Here's quarter
Now run. the sooner you get Their
the better"
Scarecrow gazed through a scree
of vines at the silver lying on hi
grimy little palm. 1t took on enol
nous proportions and twinkled glor
Ously, wealthy.
Il amt got no change-I runs 'er
fer fiver" he muttered.
The man towering above hill
laughed goOd-naturedly.
"Well. run this one fer a quarter
It's worth tit isn't any common Ell
randi he said And his face as b
strobe away was radiant with sue
den joyful remembrance. No, no, TIL
was no common GRAND! This wa
an errand out of a hundred-a thOl
sand!
The man smiled joyOusly. In anotl
er minute Scarecrow felt his hand o
his shoulder again, and another 81
yer quarter dropped through the vine
into the small brown hand.
cts worth it. Off with YOU" III
man laughed.
1t did not occur to him to distru
the tattered little messenger. He VIZ
not in distrustful mood.
At Chandler street, 107, the ligh
were all lighted. 1t seemed to be
regular illumination. ScarecrOw coul
see through the unshaded windows
big, bright room, that seemed full an
running over with eager-faced lit
boys. Tall boys-shOrt boys-curl
boys-straight boys--and one lit
Killed boy who danced wildly abou
One, two, three-ScarecrOw countt
boys. There were six of them. Ar
what was this they were doing? III
little street boy stood watching the
outside.
N-c-l-C-O-lh-c, ut SpSllCu oloNiy
himself, as one by one the big gree
paper letters were tackled up over IL
-, mantel in the big, bright room. III
word, complete, meant nothing de-
mite to Scarecrow He puzzled oy'
it curiously. Then he knocked lou
~ at the door beside the window.
troop of boys answered the knock Wi
headlong rush.
''Oh, oh! it's the fOwers.-Daddy
sent 'em A boys brought 'em"'
1.-THE flowers have Gomez
IAN the smile-aXel!'
They're red an pink an yellow
an they smell-my"'
''Goody, goody-hooray"
In an instant little ScarecrOw's arr
We're empty, and the rush back to t
bright-lghted room had begun. Scar
crow plucked the sleeve of the re
boy boldly and whispered:
Say, wOt's de game" he ask
eagerly. "Wots dem letters in de
spell outf"