The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-13


ll1NENNI likewise his father; likewise the
- only other member of the boys
immediate family. very. very new baby,
yet limited to long clothes and short names.
Baby" "Toots' and Dear were its sole
recognized OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES that not
so very long ago had been the boys. The
little new life had alread been chartered for
life's journey under the name of John Henry
Harold willibert. and the boy thought that
diminutives that had nothing to do with
John Henry Harold willibert were foolish.
Besides, II ii hadn't been for John Henry
Harold. the boy would have been taken
along with his father and mother and not
now be sitting on the top step of the marble
flight that led UP to the big front door of
his aunt's home.
The boy was lonely anu sullen. He was
not a very big boy. being only newly ar
rived at the REFER and middy-cap age, and
he was as unhappy as a child, midway be-
tween a baby and boy. can become. He
was lonely and sullen and silent because
he was In disgrace, and he was in disgrace
strictly in opposition TO his promise and
every intention to be a good boy. There are
crises when IL is hard enough to be good in
the bosom of ones own family where every
surrounding conduces TO angelic behavior.
but IL is many times harder with ones own
atmosphere several miles removed and ones
immediate surroundings what might be
termed passively aggressive; that is TO say,
In the dominion Of a large house Of many
servants and OF an aunt beautiful to look
at, an aunt who is highly interested in
clubs, who understands clubs. but not little
boys-what Is more, doesn't wish to under
stand little boys or she would not be always
rubbing them the wrong way of their feel
ings.
The boy sat sulkily huddled on the step
as the woman came up. The woman whose
nephew he was was not at home; this was
evident, for the boys face was dirty. his
REFER battle-skewed, his demeanor sulkily
aggressive. And the woman, as she looked
down upon him, though she had come to
call, silently shook out her pretty brown
skirts and sat down on the steps beside
the boy.
She automatically scrutinized the red
faces of the brick houses across the way.
whats the matter, Harold?" she asked
casually.
Muffin" answered the boy.
HAS Berthe Watkins stolen your
sgates?" asked the woman, ''or has pussy
Tomkins eaten up the canary again. or
Aunt Josephine forbidden candy?" For she
thought from the boys appearance that he
might have been driven to naughtiness OF
the street by way OF sighting OF his in
dependence.
The boy turned his face up to hers and
wrinkIed his little pug nose. "Aw." he said
sarcastically, for he was very miserable.
you're cold, you're very cold; you're most
freezing
The woman had known the boy since the
day of his advent into the world, and next
TO his mother she thought quite possibly
she understood his eccentricities better than
any other living person. So she didn't re-
move her pretty brown eyes from the brick
houses across the way. but gently straight
ened the boy in his REFER, and incl
dentally held his hand afterwards Some
way, the boy felt his aggressiveness melt
Ing out OF the hard lump in the region OF
his left reeSer pocket and sliding softly
downward through his pudgy person till IL
reached his stout boots. and by that time
he had forgotten all about it. He began tc
talk.
Aunt Josephine" he volunteered. "she's
gone to the club at Mrs. Brown-Jones's
She left me with lilly"
to a vocalization OF his troubles and went
on animatedly: 'I slapped Tilly yesterday
TlIy vets my hair when she's brushin' it
and mamma don't low my hair 10 be wet
cause 1t makes my throat sore. Aunt Jo-
sephine said couldn't go out while she was
gone. because L was a naughty boy and
wouldn't say / was sorry. She said
couldn't go out"-he looked at the woman
refectively-"but / could. Tilly says she
amt goin' to boss sassy boy like me; she
says"
But you shouldn't have come out, Har.
old" said the woman reprovingly. "WheT
Aunt Josephine comes she'll scold-"
Jaw. she won't. neither" broke in tn,
boy. impatiently. Evidently the woman
didn't know Aunt Josephine. Aunt Jo
sephine don't never scold. She Just grit,
her teeth and smiles She don't approve o1
scolding. Aunt Josephine don't She JUS
shuts up tight and talks"
Tho boy shuddered here. as though the