Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-03-02

| Little Abe hurried home JUST as fast
as his feet would carry him. Perhaps
| if he had worn soft wool stockings and
! tinely-fitting boots, like yours, he could
| have run faster But instead of stock
ings he wore deerskin leggings, and.
pulled over these. were clumsy moccasins
of bearskin, which his mother had made
for him.
Such funny little figure as he was,
trudging along across the rough fields.
His suit was of warm gray homespun.
Y u Is eodtlrshaped Cap had -9nee beeRl =. y
she back of Il coon. The coon's tail flew
out behind little Abe's head. as he went
along. like funny, furry tassel. But
If YOU could have looked into the hon
est. twlnkling blue eyes of this little lad
of long ago you would have liked him
at once.
In one hand little Abe held something
very precious. 1t wasn't a purse of gold,
nor bag of jewels. 1t was only book.
but little Abe thought more of that book
in his hand than he would of gold or
precious stones.
To know just what that book meant to
inns little lad, you would need to be very
fond of reading. You would need too. to
know how it would seem to live far away
from all schools, to have no books of your
own. and to see no books anywhere ex-
cept two or three very old ones of your
mothers, which she had read to you,
over and over, until you knew many of
their pages by heart.
80 when a neighbor had told little Abe
that he could take this book home and
keep 1t until he had read every page, do
you wonder that his eyes shone like
stars! y real. printed book-a book that
told about real little boys and girls and
the big world, Little Abe's heart beat
fast; 1t seemed almost too good to be
true.
Little Abe's home was built on hill
side. 1t was not much like yours. 1t
was not built of stone nor brick-not
even of nice. smooth lumber but of rough
logs. When little Abe lay in his small
bed, close to the roof, he could look
through chnkS between the logs, and see
the great white stars twinkling down MT
him. Sometimes the big yellow moon
smiled at him as she sailed through the
dark night sky. And, sometimes. too.
Saucy ralndropS spattered down upon the
little face on the coarse pillow.
That night. after little Abe had crept
up the steps to the loft, he put his pre-
cious book i'll a small crevice between the
logs. When the first gray light came in
in the morning. he woke and read until
his father called him to get up This he
did, night after night, until the book was
nearly finished. Little Abe worked hard.
and never minute had he all day long
to peep between the covers of his beloved
book.
One night he slipped the book away as
usual and fell asleep to dream of its won
dcrful story. He woke very early. but
there were no golden sunbeams to peep
through the chinkS and play across his
pillow this morning. The loft was dark
and cold Little Abe could hear the wind
whistling out of doors. He reached ont
his hand for the book, and-what do you
think: Tie put il into Il pile of some
thing lying. white and cold. on the bed.
His little bed was covered with an out
side blanket of snow.
He shivered and sat mp, reaching again
for the book. He pulled it out Then the
poor httle fellow almost cried. For that
precious book was wet from cover 10 coy
er, and its crisp leaves were crumpled
and soaked from the heavy fall of snow
Poor little Abe, He sat up in his cold
little bed. and brushed off the snow as
best he could. lie tried hard to keep
back the tears. But there was n big
lump in his throat and big ache in his
heart. What would the kind ncighbor
say?
As soon as he could. little Abe set off
across the snowy fields 10 the house OF
the neighbor. Ii was more than mile
away, but he ;ludScd along. not thinking
Of the wind nor the cold, bur only OF the
borrowed book. Whc.t he found the
neighb0r. he held ont the poor spoiled
book, and. looking straight up into the
mans face with clear. honest eyes he
told his sad little story.
SWELL. my boy" said the man. smiling
down into the sober little face. so my
book is spoiled. win You work for me 10
pay me for i;:'
Il will do anything for you, SIX said
the little fellow eagerly.
well. then, ] will ask You to rull fod-
der corn for me for three days" said the
man.
Little Abe looked up into the kind face.