The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-20

with the accompanying autograph of
the fat old mana ger with the broad,
bejeweled expanse OF shirt front, and
a watch seal as big as walnut; while
on the reverse side ne would glut his
vision with an exterior view of the
monster pavilion" where a girl poised
high in air on a cord, in spangled
dress" was kissing her hand TO a
mighty concourse of people. who waved
their hats and handkerchiefs in widest
token of approval and acclaim. Nor
was this the sole cause of TOd's de-
light, for the fat man with the big
watch seal had seemed to take a spe-
cial fancy to him. and had told him
he might bring a friend along. that his
ticket would pass two. AS the glee-
full Tod was scam pering off to ask the
teacher If he wouldn't go, he met his
anxious father in deep state of dis
tress, and was led home to listen in
agony and tears to a dismal disserta-
ton on the wickedness Of the shows,
and the amending punishment awaiting
the poor, giddy moths that fiuttered
round them. Tod was missed next
morning. He had retired very early
the previous evening. He acted
strange-like," said the good grand
mother recalling vaguely that he
hadn't eaten any supper, -'and
night. What was the matter with him,
Isaac"
Two weeks later Tod was discovered
by his distracted father and an officer
covering behina a roll of canvas
wherein a fat man sat DECLARING with
a breezy nonchalance that no boy of
Tod's description was "aIong O. this
ere party" And the defiant Tod. when
brought to light. emphatically asserted
that the fat man was in no wise bIam-
able; that he had run away on his own
hook, and would do it again if he
wanted to. But he broke there with a
heavy sob; and the Eat man said:
There, there. Cootsey. go along with
the old 'un. and here's a dollar for
you And Tod cried aloud.
The good minister had brought a
letter for him. too. and as the boy read
it through his tears he turned home
ward almost eagerly.
Dear Tod" il ran: 81 have been
quite sick since you left me. You
must come back, for 1 miss you, and
/ can never get well again withaut
| you I've got new kink on a pair of
stills I've made YOU. but I can't tell
how long to make them till you come
| back. FANNY COMES over every day
and talks about YOU so much 1 halt
| believe sometimes she likes you bet
| ter than she does her old sick uncle;
/ but I can stand that, because you de-
serve it, and Pm too old for little girls
! to like very much. TIN soon be the
Fourth, you know, and we must be
! getting ready for big time. Come
/ home at once. for I am waiting.
ITO Stoddard Anderson. from his ole
friend and teacher"
Tod went home. He FASTENED to the
teachers darkened room. The dear -
! face had grown pale-so very pale
| The kindly hand reached out to grasI
the boys was thin and wasted, an(
the gentle voice that he had learned
TO love was faint and lOw-So ver1
low. it sounded like a prayer Tn,
good minister turned silently and lef
the two cid friends together, and Their,
were tear drops in his eyes.
And so the little, staggering life wen
on alone Some old woman gossip
I peering through the eye OF a needle OF
the institution known as the Ladies
/ Benevolent Sewing society. said tina
sit 'peared to her like that bow o
thes preachers jest KEEP a-pinin' an,
a-pinin' awav like. ever sence the,
fetched him back from his runawa-
scrape. She'd seen him time and tim
again sence then, and although the lit
tie snipe was innocent-like to all ap
pearances, she'd be bound that he wa
in devilment enough Reckoned n
p'eession at the teachers funer'l: an
he didn't go to the meetin' house a
all, but putt off to the graveyard L
hisse'f; and when they got there wit
the corpse, Tod was a-settin' with hi
legs a-hangin' in the grave, and 3
pitchin' clods in. and a-smilin'. An
only jest the other evening she coz
tinued, "as 1 was comm past the-
kindo' in the dusk-like. that boy wa
a-settin' a-straddle o the grave. an
jest a-cryin'i And 1 thought it kindc
strange-like. and stopped and hollereG
What's the matter of We, Tod?' an
he ups and boilers back: 'Stumpt m
toe, durn yei' and thinks I, M
youngster, they'll be a day O. reckon
in fer you"
The old world worried on, till Jul
| came at last. and with it that mos
glorious day that wrapped the ban
nation in its swaddling clothes @
stripes and stars and laid it in the ia
of Liberty. And what d day that was
and how the birds did sing that morn
ing from the green tops of the tree
. when the glad sunlight came siancin
through the jeweled leaves and wOk
, themI And not more joyous were tn
birds, or more riotous their littl
. throbbing hearts to pipe the trail an
cheep and twitter twenty millio
loves than the merry children TN