Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-10-12
Tae Mystery About Sam.

mother said he sometimes nearly drove
her wild. Sam seemed to have every
| thing to enjoy himself with. He had the
| loyeliest little Shetland pony and beau
tiful st. Bernard dog, and the prettiest,
| cleanest little stable built on purpose for
| them: and he had a cote of costly pig
/ cons, with breasts and heads and neckS
| of soft colOrs that made you think OF
rainbows and white clouds and blue June
| sky To be sure, he didn't have Il bicycle,
| for nobody had bicycles then. But he
had a little printing press and he had
| drums and a Chinese dragOn-kite, and he
had corner in the library full of story
| books.
/ ] do not know what Sam would have
| wanted that he did not have, except
company-that is to say. all the children
he wanted and all the dogs. His mother
/ didn't like children as visitors very well.
and his Aunt Sarah did not like them at
| all. His Aunt Sarah lived at his house,
and dogs-common dogs-both she and
his mother absolutely refused to have
| around.
The summer he was s Sam almost lived
/ at the washerWOmanS several blocks
| away on back street. She had eight
! children. They were good enough emil
| dren even Aunt Sarah said. except OF
/ course. in their grammar. Their house
was small and it was always filled with
washing steam. and the back yard was
. always filled with clothes drying, but yet
| there was room for glorious paytlmes'
| So Sam only came home that Summer,
| all through vacation, for his meals ana
10 sleep, and when he did come he was
| brown with dirt from head to foot; his
! trousers were ragged, his shoes were
| filled with sand and often his stockings
were muddy.
Nobody would dream. Aunt Sarah fire.
guently said. that this boy. 50 ragged
and tousled could be Il Dingleby.
| bn W1ShprWnn1n
moved out of the neighborhoOd, and when
| school was out Sam was very lonesome
for n while and openly discontinued and
| fretted a great deal. But all at once
there was a change. Aunt Sarah and his
mother both noticed it. Whenever Sam
was asked TO do an errand he did so very
I seTiingly-he seemed really thankful to
| he asked. 1t is true that sometimes he
was rather late in returning from his En-
rands but his mother said the weather
was so warm you could not expect boy
| to go any faster.
Sam was at home nearly all the time,
! except when he did errands, but he was
not around under foot as usual, which
made il very agreeable. He might be up
| in his pleasant room, or in the library, or
taking Il ride on his pony for Il few
blocks, or out petting Milton his hig dog,
or busy in the garnet with his printing.
| Nobody ever seemed to think just where
| he was. only you had pleasant sense OF
| his never being III the way.
There was another thing queer about
| Sam that Summer, and that was his eat
| ing. He ate less and less, and soon ne
shoulder blades right through his ging
ham waists, and they had to keep put
| ting smaller belts to his trousers. His
mother one day actually dropped tears
on the little slim new belts. when she
| was working the buttonholes, TO think
1 Hot L. L IL
at the same time that he was growing
such good, patient, sweet tempered lit
| tie boy.
Aunt Sarah said she would simply
make him eat! There was no use in a
boy being tinicky. SO his father put Il
big juicy piece of steak on his plate next
morning. and said sternly: Sam, now
You eat that steak. You've been notional
about your meals long enough"
sam gaZed down at the steak but did
| not touch it. He seemed to choke, and
| then he choked again, and then the next
out, Il can't, father, l haven't any right
to- Then he got up and left the table.
'Wel!' said Aunt Sarah. when she
could find breath to speak. Il must say
it is Il good thing you have only one
child, John Dingleby. | believe that boy
has been reading novels and got roman
tie
"0h. no. he never reads novels" said
Sans mother still trembling. why. he's
only 9-he likes his little Hawthorne
Wonder Book better than anything.
know he must be ILL.," And she was
obliged TO leave the table, too, for she
could not keep back her tears
After a while, WieJ ,eakfaSt was ov-
err. Sam came into the house whistling as
il he were The happeSt boy in the world.
He brought in some wood for Janet. the
| cook and he mended the canarys cage.
Ia soft IL ift a sum ~
corner to draw pictures. for he had taken
it into his head to illustrate his Wonder
Book.
Her mother was sitting near him with
her sewing thinking what dear good
| boy he was. when she heard James voice,
very loud. in the kitchen. She went out
to see what the matter was. and there
Aunt Sarah was, and she was saying to
Janet You amaze me: Where is that
| boy? He'll know what it means I'll be
bound! Dogs-elevenr
When Janet saw Mrs ningleby she
hurst forth anew ELEVEN dogs. ma'am,
in the loft of the pony's barn; yes there
| is! and the scrubbiest. outlandiSheSt
dogs-burnt and scalded and broken
legged and bhnd-everyone of EN- a
sick dog. some crippled, some with band
ages. aud some such ugly things. And.
ma'am. they're all with the incest rows
Of beds in boxes. and clean tin pans 20
eat from. and they're all contented like
they was in heaven a-wagging their
| tails
Now Janet had gone up to the stable
| loft 10 see if she could find the stamp
| that stamped the elegant floral design ON
her ielly-glass covers. She remembered
| having heard Sam tell the waSherwom-
| ans boy once that the stamp machine
| looked like a mad little ''water-dog' and
wonld be good to have in an animal
| show; and as she could not find it in the
| closet. She thought Sam might have Dor
rowed H. She went to look aud there it
vos on a beam of the loft, a. wicked
| looking as ever. But she had forgotten
4 bring ii down after all--with the sur