Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-10-19

corn.
And Ragamuir isn't 50 very forlorn
With song-brd in his breast.
St Nicholas.
The Regeneration of "Mum" Sharpley
After the funeral the good people found
a serious problem presented TO them The
object of the problem did not look so
very serious. however, as he glanced with
those snappy black eyes from face To
face One or two of the good folks failed
to find any heart-tuggingS because of the
boys lack of feeling concerning the death
of his parent and last relative. True, he
had been n shiftless parent, and paid less
attention TO Toms coming and going than
to the old dog who had learned shift
less ways from his master, now dead
and buried. The boy could still feel the
weight OF the heavy hard that smote
him many Il time in drunken rage, and
the sound of the voice whose curses he'd
often been hurled AT limit rng in his
ears yet. But a.! of these things are now
over and done away with. There will
be no more Of the blows; no more of the
brutal curses; and, though tie man was
his father. he had no tears to shed when
they covered the dead face away out of
sight. SO, he is not so serious problem
=
with him.
Elder Pratt said he would gladly take
IOm--0nly he had son of the same age,
and between the two they'd tear things
up on the farm. Jones, the postmaster
/ If he didn't know what tough chap
Tom waS-alWayS i'll mischief, he would
take him. The parson felt it n duty he
owed mankind and his calling, to take
the little orphan in, do for him and lead
him into good ways, only his wife was
nervous and couldr't stand any more
noise, for he had six healthy ones about
the. parsonage now. The SncctherS sis
tiers, good and devout church sisters as
they were, wiped n tear or two away and
went to their great. big white house.
where the sound of childrenS footsteps
had vanished from the wide halls years
and years ago.
No one wanted Tom. He didn't seem
to care very much as he stood there, dig
ging first one heel in the sod and then
the other. 1t didn't seem to bother him
to be left an orphan at 10, 10 be so great
for mischief. SO tough that no one would
l.gpen kindly door and take him in. shell
ter him, feed him. clothe him and look
after his few boyish wants. II didn't
matter to Tom whether the sun sh0nc or
not; ii it was cloudy he could fish in thr
milldam there in the eddy where none
so well as he knew how to lure the perch
to mis- hook: If the sun ShOne he could lay
en- his back in the grass, watch the
clouds sail over the valley. keep m eye
on the frisky dragon flies or follow the
flights of the bees when they came. heav-
lily laden, tumbing home from the clover
fields.
Mum" SharpIey. who was standing
apart from the rest. was busily engaged
'rying to solve the serious problem
,'ross grained man rs he was. he saw
that something must he done for the
A nd NJ Of
with much heart, 81 his neighbors said.
."Skntiint,' they used To call him behind
his back But in his way he felt thai
Tom WAS in danger not to mention how
clever Il cowboy he could make OF the
youngster, how much Of a farm drudge
he could fashion him into. He was a
man Of so few words that people had
long ago given him the name Of Mum,
and it had clung to him for years. though
no one had ever called him so 10 his face
and for reasons. He was the richest man
III the locality and held many ii mortgage
in his close grasp. He stepped forward.
laid his hand upon the boys shoulder
and said:
"Ill take him and make a man
He stopped very suddenly when he
looked down and found thar Il pair of
Snappy black eyes were Upturncd f. his
face. He saw mirth. anger, resentment,
hut never trace of fear in the depths
of those eyes. He saw n pair Of eyes
hat seemed TO read every thought u hj>
brain. Then Tom shifted away from
Nuns" hand, and the boy said:
but You can't have me,
My. but yon are pepper box. ! can
make man Of YOU No one else can
do for you as well rs J. No one else
has place for you. have. You can
go home with me
And work all the time and never 90
fishing. You can't have me. Nobody
can have me. Nobody wants me hut
yon | don't want yen, Mum Sharp
Hush"
'Skinhnt and mscr YOU all call him
when he hain't around. You darSn't
now. II don't want anyone to have
me. II and the Snappy-cycd fc-
low turned and dartcd away like
frightened squirrel and soon passed out
If sight behind the fringe of bushes
skirting the woods beyond the church.
Humph Skintlint eli. Mum
sharply, ell! Good lot Of neighbors I've
got. This is my pay for lending you
money--nearly everyone here. All
afraid to tell me 10 my face what you
say behind my back. ch, The hoy is
the whitest and best Of the lot. She
his mother, was a good woman; he. his
father, wasn't worth shucks The boy
IS brave chap to storm at me to my
face He didn't 20 behind my back to
tell me what he thought Of me-what
you all think. Well. | guess III leave
you to solve the thing without my help"
And as he turned his back and trudged
away many eyes followed that stoop-
sh0nldered figure. He held the rcins Of
power over many man there: he could
pinch them, turn them out of house and
home. and make them as helpless as the
little orphan. Tom, whom nobody want
CT. And II is very likely he will do 50.
Tor H..