The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-11-28
HOW A BOY GOT
HIS NICKNAME

Wen, sir, what do you suppose my
Uncle Bob called me last week? Why.
just Saad-nothing more nothing less.
And that is not the worst of it. or the
best Of It'll don't know which vet
Everybody in the house calls me Sand.
and 1t has spread out into the streets
and over TO the school Its Sand
hc.e and Sand there ana Sand yon.
der till YOU can't rest. Papa and NAM
ana l'oked sort of pleased. as if il was
something nice. and if it is. why.
dent mind. They say it means I've
got sand, grit-not afraid, you know.
That's the best of it, But there's
Aunt Mamye (be sure you spell it
with ye); she teaches me etiquette.
and she says the name is horribly vul-
gar, and Tom-he's my brother. you
know-he says it's just short for
sandy, and that's the color of my hair.
If it's that way, the name isn't so
nice. That's the worst of it. You
see. these fathers and mothers can't
always be depended on for straight
tip about their own boys. They'll
soften things and give taffy. But.
then, brothers like Tom and aunts like
Mamye can't always be depended on.
either They're apt to go the other
way and show you that things are
blacker than you thought
But maybe I'd better tell the whole
story and let you see for yourself
First, though, want to say | was
scared-whewl | shivered so that
when Tom heard about it the next
morning he declared all my buttons
had been shaken loose. They hadn't,
of course; for they came loose playing
ball the day before. But Tom was
closer right than he knew. When |
think it cut straight and square to my
self, as have to sometimes, I'm most
sure that Toms and Aunt Mamye's
fun hits me closer than papa's and
mammals praise.
You see it was this way: Papa and
Tom We're off on business, to be gone
all night, and mamma was sick with
a headache. They left only me in
the house to look after things. 1t
seemed nice till l went upstairs to
bed; then things grew awful dark and
lonesome. But l pulled the clothes
tight up over my face and tried not to
think. If there's one thing in this
world I'm afraid of it's the dark. You
can't see the things you know are
creeping up around you.
Well, some time in the night came a
loud barking from Towser, just like
somebody scolding somebody else for
forgetting, and | knew in a flash what
it meant. I'd forgotten to leave the
woodshed door open for him to go in.
But | slid lower down in the bed
and thought to myself | wouldn't.
though | knew all the fine | would.
| couldn't 90 to sleep if | didn't. SO
after awhile shut my teeth hard and
crawled out. pretty scared and shaky.
for it was awful dark and got into my
clothes the best | could. Then felt my
way out into the hall and down to the
back door, for there as plain as plain
could be, | heard somebody trying to
get in. If it had not been for mamma
being sick and papa and Tom being
away, I'd have scooted up them stairs
quicker than ever came down. But
that wouldn't do for the man of the
house No, sir, not if he died. But |
was too scared to think much, so
just opened the door and yelled Boo"
loud as ever | could And, well. sir
you'd ought to see them fellows tum-
ble down the steps-for there were two
and across the yard and over the
back fence, dropping their tools and
having Towser square on their heels
The next day papa and Tom came
home, and Uncle Bob came over from
the store. And Uncle Bob said the
tools were a burglars kit, and papa
looked at me as he does when he's
pleased. That's all