St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-07-18
NOBODY.

boy gone to now! Here it is almost
time for him to be back to the store and
he is fooling around somewhere. May.
be somebody knows why | said he might
come here, am sure don't. He don't
begin to pay for his food. l wish he was
gone" and after another prolonged
"Billie," the poor woman turned and
went into the house, little one story
building with hen yard back of it.
She was not such very cross person,
but she had five children of her own, a
husband out of work half the time, one
more mouth meant great deal.
Billy in the meantime was down at the
end of the street digging his well worn
boots into thedirt, and talking with an
other boy, both apparently killing time,
but Billy was watching for something,
and in few minutes he caught hold of
the other boy and shouted, as though he
was miles away" There they come amt
that sight for poor folks, just you look
Tim"
"Well for goodness sake won't you
leave go my arm. What on earth ails
you," exclaimed Tim as he rubbed the
much injured arm and gazed at Billy as
he pulled off his ragged cap and bowed to
some one passing in a carriage and
heard hearty voice saying How do
you do Willie ?"
Billy's face was transformed for a min
ute, then he turned and said, "Well, if
you amt chump Tim Blake, you're
greene sure enough. That was that big
doctor Henry and his little girl. She
wears the cutest red things all over her
and stands up back of the doctor peek
in over his shoulder like a bird of,
bird of, well don't care, bird Of some
thing any way. Sometimes the doctors
wife is along and she knows how to
treat folks. While the doctor speaks civil
like, he don't yell out Hallow Bill; but
says How do you do Willie; as though l
had as good right to the earth as he"
and Billy marched up the street, so
swelling with Importance that he did
not notice big stone, but stubbed his
toe and fell fiat.
"Well," he exclaimed ash he picked him
self up, II don't know as l care about
quite as much of the earth at once, but
oh, how do wish ! could be a doctor
some day. But then, l belong to no.
body and nobody belongs to me. II l
should die, nobody would cry, think
nobody would care" He had heard
this sung somewhere and it "staid put"
as he said, and kept ringing in his head.
Now as he sat down to his cold dinner,
something kept choking him and made
it hard to swallow. Mrs Barr had not
thought it necessary to keep any thing
warm. lust let him take what he can
get" she said to her daughter Jane. If
he will stand hanging on the street
corners until we are all through, he
can't expect the fat of the land. I'll
teach him lesson. What he will do il
he loses the place at the store don't
know. He can't stay here"
Come away Ann, hurry off with that
chicken food. They ought to have been
fed long ago, and you Jack Barr, clear
out to school with you. Oh land
wish there want so many under foot"
which the poor woman did not mean,
but she was tired and discouraged and
everything was blue.
But Billy's dinner was not tempting.
The soiled table-cloth, the plate with a
few pieces of salt pork floating around
in the grease, the cold potatoes, a slice
of bread with burnt crust, cracked
glass half full of water, wasn't likely to
create an appetite. He might have
heard the conversation between Mrs.
Barr and the children, but he was think
ing as he looked at this table, of one he
saw few nights before. Way up town
at one of the large houses, through the
parted drapery, he saw the dining table,
all so white with glistening silver, fruit,
and so many good things, and as he
looked he saw coming between the por-
there's from another room, the daintest
little child holding his dolly in his hand.
THAT little Teller belonged to somebody"
he thought. Mighty cute little chap he
was. Hope won't never belong to no.
body like me-" Aud Billy surprised him
self, by wiping two big tears from his
cheeks.
Just then then there was big cack-
ling and flying around out in the hen
yard and he looked from the window in
time to see Jack throw stone that hit
one hen and caused it to fall. Billy was
up and out doors stopping only to give
Jack shaking saying; "You little
wretch, what are you doing, be off with
you"
The much shaken Jack whimpered
"twan't nothin' but hen, you needn't
have shook me so. I'll tell ma and you'll
ketch it,"
But Billy was down on the ground
picked the hen up carefully and finding its
leg broken, tore his ragged handkerchief
into strips, got some splinters of wood
and performed neat little surgical
operation. Then making comfortable
place for it in the old shed he left it, say
ing as he looked at the town clock, 81
don't care if l am late. But he rushed
OFT up the street stopping only to bow
to the doctor who was coming out of a
house near by. On he ran, for he had
not forgotten the sharp tones of the
fioor,walker the day he was FIVE minutes
late, because he stopped to pick out a
stone from a horseshoe. "You be late
again young man and out you go. No
tagging behind time, while l am in the
store" and the foor.walker went off
full of his own importance.
MHhn4nin L. ~ 10