The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-04-11
How Joseph Ran Away

Was there ever yet a boy of Il who
| did not think he was i'll treated at
! home?
In big city lived a family whose
eldest boy, Joseph, got the idea into
his head that he was abused by his
father and mother They were too
eXacting, he thought: they wouldn
let him have any fun; they whipped
him too often and too severely.
So he resolved to run away. Yes,
he would go out into the big world,
and do as he pleased and make a for
tune; and then perhaps his parents
would be glad to have him back on
his own terms.
Accordingly, that night Joseph wrote
this note on sheet of paper torn out
CT mis- composition book:
Dear Parents-Tm tired OF being
kept down at home, so I'm going out
into the world to do as l like and to
make a big pile of money. When l
have a lot of it I'll come back. Your
loving son. JOE
This note Joseph left on his table.
Then he said his prayers, undressed,
put out the light and went to bed.
But he couldn't sleep for quite
while. and when he did close his eyes
he had wild dreams.
Early in the morning Joseph got up,
dressed himself. said his prayers, made
up a little bundle of his clothes and
stole out of his room. down the stairs
and away from the house.
After he had hurried around the
corner he began to think:
''Wherell I go? What'H 1 do?
Who'll give me breakfast"
The world looked big and cold just
then and home seemed cosy and charm
ing; but he wouldn't give up. No; he
was out to seek his fortune.
SO he walked, and walked, and
walked out into the country.
BY this time it was o'clock and the
boy was getting hungry. He came to
a farm house. but a fierce dog glared
at him from the doorstep. so that he
was afraid to open the gate.
About half-mile further on he
knocked at the kitchen door of another
house and asked for work and food,
but a sharp-featured woman replied:
I'VE amt got no work nor food for |
worthless tramos."
So the hungry lad, his face blushing
for the humiliation, hurried away.
He walked for full mile and passed |
several dwellings before he could sum-
mon courage to try again. Then he
came to a dairy farm. At the door he |
asked for work.
Can you milk cows? asked the
iairyman.
NO. sir; but can learn" was the
-eply.
Where did you come from and why
ire you on the tramp?"
Here came the temptation not to tell
he truth, for one wrong step is sure
o lead to another. and Joseph made
Up a plausible story.
The dairyman engaged him for Sc
month and his board.
Now began a new life for the boy
lie had to be up at 3 o'clock every
morning to assist with the milking and
o get the cans off to the station.
Then he had to help clean out the
tails drive the COWS to pasture, scour
ans. shock corn, cut fodder, bring the
nws back to the barn in the evening.
elp to milk them, and do a hundred
nd one other chores. he was glad to
o TO bed at s O'Clock. His bed was a
ard straw tick, without a spring, up
\ the garrett His food was coarse.
Ie smelled of the stable. His employer
,as a hard taskmaster and kept Jo-
eph on the move from before dawn un-
Il dark.
AT the end Of the week Joseph was ]
erv tired. He saw that he would not ]
ct rich soon on Sc a month. He longed