The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-01-09
HOW A BOY GOT
HIS NICKNAME

Well, SIR what do you suppose my
Uncle Bob called me last week? Why,
Just Sand-uothing more, nothing less.
And that is not the worst of it, or the
best of It'll don't know which yet.
Everybody in the house calls nae Sand,
and 1t has spread out into the streets
and. over to the school. It's Sand
here and Sand there and Sand yen-
qua BOXED sort of pleased, as if it was
something nice, and il it Is, why,
don't mind. They say 1t means I've
got sand, grit--not afraid, you know.
That's the best of it. But there's
Aunt Mamye tbe sure you spell 1t
with a ye); she teaches me etiquette,
and she says the name is horribly yul-
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.
II 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 Tor a straight
dip 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
6lacker than you thought.
But maybe I'd better tell the whole
story and let you see for yourself.
First, though, | want to say I was
scared whew! shiyered SO that
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 titan he knew. When
think it out straight and sqcare to my
self, as have to sometimes, I'm most
sure that TOMS and Aunt Afamye's
fun hits me closer than papa's and
mammals praise.
You see IT was this way: Papa and
Tom were off on business to be gone
all night, and mamma was sick with
] headache. They .e.. S7.y ne In
the house TO look after things. 1t
seemed nice till | went upstairs to
bed; then things grew awful dark and
lonesome. But ] 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 III the night came q
loud barking from Towser, just like
somebody scolding somebody else for
forgetting and 1 knew in fash 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 time I would
I couldn't go to sleep II I didn't. So
after,awhile lshut my teeth hard and
crawled out. pretty scared and shaky.
for 1t 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, l heard somebody trying to
get In. If 1t 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 1,
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-
BILE down the steps-for there were two
land 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 We're burglars kit and papa
looked at me as he does when he's
pleased That's all. ttA