The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-14


 eurrence of far more seriousness took place.
 Tod had never seen circus, for until this eventful epoch in our simple history the humble little village had never been honored with the presence of this most highly moral and instructive exhibition of the age" When the grand cavalcade. with it's blaring music and it's richa caparisoned horses with their nodding plumes and spangles, four abreast draw ing the identical fiery chariot" Tod had heard his father talk about; when all the highly painted wagons with their 1 mysterious contents, and the cunning fary ponies with their little fluffy manes and fiossy tails-when all this burst upon Tod's enraptured eyes he fell mutely in to place behind the band wagon with it's myriad followers: and so, dazed. awe stricken and entranced, accompanied the pageant on It's grand triumphal march around the town.
 Tod carried water for the animals; Tod ran errards of all kinds for the showmeh Tod looked upon the gruff il-tempered canvas-hand with an awe approaching reverence. Tod was going to the show, too, for he had been most fortunate In exchanging his poor services of the morning for the "open sesame" of all the dreamed-of wonders of the arena Tod would laugh and whisper to himself, hugging the ticket closely to his palpitat- ing side, as he ran about on errands of a hundred kinds occupying every golden interlude of time in drawing the magic | passport from his pocket and gloating over the cabalistie legend Compliment tary." with the accompanying autograph of the fat old manager with the broad bejewelled expanse of shIrt-rront, and a watch-seai as big as a walnut; while on the reverse side he 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 mighty concourse of people, who waved their hats and handkerchiefs in widest token of ap- proval and acclaim. Nor was this the sole cause of Tod's delight, for the fat man l with the big watch-seal had seemed to l take a fancy to him, and had told him he might bring a friend along. that his ticket would pass two. As the gleetul Tod was scampering off to ask the teach CT if he wouldn't go, he met his anxious 1 father in a deep state Of distress, and was led home to listen in agony and | tears to a dismal dissertation on the wickedness of shows, and the intending punishment awaiting the poor, giddy moths that fluttered round them. Tod was missed next morning. He had retired very | early the evening previous. He acted strange-lke," said the good grandmoth- CT, recalling vaguely that he hadn't eaten any supper. land I thought heard him crying in the night. What was the mat ter with him, Isaac"
 Two weeks later Tod was discovered by his distracted father and an officer, covering behind a roll of canvas, where on a fat man sat declaring with a breezy nonchalance that no boy of Tod's description was "along o this-'ere party" And the defiant Tod, when brought to light, emphatically asserted that the fat man was in nowise blamable; that he had run away or his own hook and would do it again if he wanted to. But he broke there with a heavy sob; and the fat man said: "Therei therei Cootsey, go along with the old 'un, and here's a dollar for you" And Tod cried aloud.
 The good minister had brought letter for him, too, and as the boy read 1t through his tears he turned homeward almost eagerly.
 DEAR TOD," it ran: q have been quite sick since you left me. You must come back, for I miss you, and l can never get well again without you. I've | got new kink on a pair of stilts 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 I half believe sometimes she likes you better than she does her old sick unce but I can stand that, be- cause you deserve it, and I'm too old for little girls to like very much It'll socn be the Fourth, you know, and we must be getting ready for a big time. | Come home at once, for I am waiting.
 "To Stoddard Anderson, rom his old friend ard teacher"
 Tod went home. He hastened to the teachers darkened room. The dear old | face had grown pale-so very palel The kindly hand reached out to grasp the boys was thin and wasted, and the gen. tie voice that he had learned to love was faint and low--so very low, it sounded like a prayer. The good min ister turned silently and left the two old friends together; and there were tear drops in his eyes.
 And so the little, staggering life went on alone. Some old woman gossip, peer ing through the eye of a needle on the | institution known as the Ladies Ben evolent Sewing Society," said that "it 'peared to her like that boy of the preachers jest kep' a-pinin' and a-pinin away like, ever sence they fetched him back from his runaway scrape Shed seen him time and time again sence then, and although the little snipe was innocent-lke to all appearances. shed De bound that he was in devilment enough Reckoned he was too proud to march in the school p'cession at the teachers funer'l and he didn't go to the meeting house at all but putt off to the grave yard by hisse'f; and when they got there with the corpse, Tod was a-settIn' with his legs hangin' in the grave and a-pitch- in clods in, and a-smilln And only jest the other evening"" she continued "as I was comin past there kindo' in the dusk-like, that boy was a-settn' a-strad- dle O the grave and jest a-cryin', And l thought it kindo' strange-like, and stopped and hollered: Whats the mat ter of ye, Tod? and he ups and hollers back; 'Stumpt my toe, durn vel and thinks l. My youngster, they'll be a day o'reckonin fer youl "
 The old world worried on till July came at last, and with it that most glorious day that wrapped the ba3y nation in it's swaddling clothes of stripes and stars and laid it in the lap of Liberty. And what a day that was and low the birds did sing that morning from the green tops of the trees when the glad sunlight came glancing through the jewelled leaves and woke them! And not more joyous were the birds or more riotous their little throbbing hearts to pipe the trail and cheer ard twit.er twenty mill lion loves" than the merry children that came fluttering to the grove to join their revelry.
 o brighter than a dream toward the boy that swung his hat from the tree-top near the brook swept the procession of children from the town. And he flushed with some strange ecstasy as he saw little girl in white, with wreath of ever green, we've her crimson sash in aswer to hir1 Nxrnf1 cl< st-