The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-31

The Boy from Zeeny was sitting in
the alley window Of the hay loft of
the doctors stable, and the cross-eyed
boy had paused below. and. with his
noward-looking eyes upturned, stood
waiting the effect of this intelligence.
What do l care fer the boys in this
! town. said The Boy from Zeeny.
( The boys in this town" repeated the
| croSs-eyed boy. with a slow, prophetic
town says cause you come from Zeeny
and BACKED Bill Kinzey's eye. at you
think you're gOin' to run things round
here, And you'll find out you amt
! the bosst O. this town." and the cross
/ eyed boy shook his head again with
dire foreboding.
"Looky here. Cocky." said The Boy
[ from Zeeny, trying to focus a direct
gaze on the boys delusive eyes, wy
don't you talk straight out from the
shoulder? / reckon the boys in this
town. as you call 'em. didn't send you
round here to tell me wat they was
goin' to do. But eff you want to take
it up fer 'em, and got any sand to back
you. jest say it, and I'll come down
there and knock them durn twisted
eyes o. yourn straight ag'ini''
Yes you Will" muttered the cross
eyed boy, with dubious articulation.
glancing uneasily up the alley.
"What?" growled The Boy from
Zeeny, thrusting one dangling leg far
Their out the window, supporting his
weight by the palms of his hands, and
poised as though about TO spring-''w at
| i'd you say2''
Didn't say nothin'," said the cross
! eyed boy, feebiy; and then, as a sud-
den and most bewildering smile lit up
his defective eyes, he exclaimed: "Oh,
/ tell you what les do Les me and
] IN Oh ~. IL >
don't let none o. the other boys be in
il! 1 kin turn a handspring like you.
and purt nigh walk on my hands; and
you kin p'form on the slack-rope-and
spraddle out like the inja rubber man
and hold a pitchfork on yer chin
and stand up on a horse 'ithout a-hoId-
n'-and-and-Oh! ever thingi" And
as the cross-eyed boy breathlessly con-
Guided this list of strong attractions,
he had The Boy from Zeeny SO thor
oughly inoculated with the enterprise
that he warmly closed with the propo-
sition, and the preparations and the
practice for the show were at once in
augurated.
Three hours later. an extremely
cross-eyed boy, with the freckIes on
his face thrown into vivid relief by an
intense pallor. rushed pantingIy into
the doctors office with the fatefuI in
telligence that The Boy from Zeeny
n.
And this time. rs it seemed. the han
less boy had surpassed the seriousness
OF all former fractures, this last being
! or compound nature. and very pain
full in the setting. and tedious in recov-
cry; the recovery, too. being anything
but perfect, since it left the movement
OF the elbow somewhat restricted, and
threw the little fellows arm In an IN
natural position. with the palm of the
hand turned forward as he walked. But
for all that, the use of il was to all
appearances. but little impaired.
Doubtless IT was through such inter
ludes from rough service as these ac-
cidents afforded that The Bow from
, Zeeny had acquired the meager educa
: ton he possessed. The doctors wife
who had from the first been kind "a
him. grew to like him very much
Through her gentle and considerate in
terest he was stimulated to study by the
occasional present of a simple vol
ume Oftentimes the good woman
would devote an hour to his instruction
in the mysteries of the books orthog-
. raphy and rhetoric
/, Nor was The Boy from Zeeny a dull
; pupil; neither was he an ungratefu
: one He was quick TO learn. and neve,
> prouder than when a mastered lessor
gained for him the appreciation of hrs
patient instructor
The history of The Boy from Zeenv
/ such as had been gathered by the doc
tor and his wife, was corroboratfve in
outline with the brief hint of il A,
= communicated to the curious listener.
at the rear window of the doctors of
fee on the memorable day of the boy.
J first appearance in the town. He wa.
1 without family. save harsh, unfeel
4 ing father. who. from, every evi
4 I dence. must have neglected and abuse,
: the child most shamefuIIy, the cireun1
o. stantial proof of this fact being evi
: denced in the Buys frank acknowledg
J ment that be had repeatedly ''rul
, away from him. and his still firm re
y solve to keep his name a secret, les
? he might thereby be traced to his pres
o ent security and fall once more int,
e the hands of his unnatural parent
|. Certain il was that the interest O
= all who knew his story was in heart
= sympathy with the lad. and when on
= morning IL was rumored that The Boz
Y from Zeeny had uysteriously disap
e peared. and the rumor rapidly devel
q oDed into an uncuestiona bic fact Their
: was a universal sense of regret in tn
little town. which in turn resolved il
p self into positive indignation when j
n was learned from the doctor that a.
explanation. printed in red keel on tn
back OF a fragmentai bit OF circu
= poster. had been found folded an,
I tucked away in the buckle strap o
his horses bride The somewhat re
2 markabIe communication, in sprawlinl
i capitals ran thus.
''Pap's got me agin- I hat 10 GO
$ Dam him. Doc, tel her to keep m,
books. Good by. fed ole Charly.
n fed him otes an ha an corn. He won
d need no more fer a weak An bran'
I. 10. Doc tel her good by"