The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-04-06
The Heart OF Ten-Cent Barty.

q The Heart OF Ten-Cent Bartv.
N Bartlett must have been about four year
,. Of age when be first announced that he wa
!. much too old TO be kissed.
i Up TO that moment no one had given th
!. susj Ct ef kissing Bartlett very mucl
thought, for he was not one Of Of those II
resistibly attractive children that one in
. s'inctively csressss; but Of course after hi
d, Il mt declaration II became q matter o
q pride will the small boys family TO sc,
r which member could beg, buy or steal tn,
i, ers stest number OF klssas.
By the time Bartlett, who had a larg,
number OF feminine relatives, was ten, b,
had grown so skill'd 10 dodgipg osculatory
advances that II was no longer possible e
surprise him with unwelcomel endear'
ments II any one wanted, or pretended
to want, kisses from Bartlett, 1t was neces.
ssry to buy them.
, Bartlett's price for these favors was ten
cents apiece. For the next two years,
whenever he was desperately In need OF a
dime but the necessity had to be desper.
ate indeed ne consented to sell to his teas.
log sister Madge' his tantallzlpg cousin
Eleanor or his bsdgefing young Aunt
Emily small, sudden, brdlike peck, fol.
lowed always by instant flight. The sight
of this performance invariably sent the fun
LOVING family into laughter; but Brtlett's
mother did not q llte approve.
Done tease that boy so she would some.
times protest, although she was such q
mild little person that no one ever thought
Of needing her remonstrances. I'm afraid
you'll make him hard-hearted.
Surely, teased Madge, you wouldn't want
a mushy boy like Clarence Mills!
OF course, by ths time Bartlett was
twelve, no kisses could be wrung from him
for love or m )ney but to his great disgust
his fame had spread abroad, and his school.
mates had .bbed him "Ter~Cent Bsrty."
His older b other JJhn, young man Of
twenty, still sied his mother good night
in a comfortable, ua 'er-5f-fsct way; but
when Mr.. Morgan said to Bartlett, as he
sometimes did, with twinkle 10 his eye,
"My son, why don't you kiss your mother
good bighls' Bartlett would reply truth
fully, II not at all CALAMITY, SD rather be
shot,
/. was evident that Ten Cent Barty had
no use for kisses. II also became evident,
gradually, that the eyes Of Mrs. Morgan, a
slight, not very strong little mother, fol.
lowed Bartlett wistfu lv from the room
when, with hastily mumbled "Good
nigh, ~ to nobody In particular, the boy
would bolt for the stairs. 1t grew plain,
even to Bartlett, that she missed the good
night kiss that was hers by right and that
was never forthcoming; yet, strangely
enough, 10 spite Of repeated disappoint.
ments, she looked for 1t expectantly night
after night.
II was not the kiss alone that was lack.
ing. Between John, who was like bis mo-
theirs family in many ways, and Mrs.
Morgan there was a strong bond Of sympa-
thy and good fellowship most beautiful to
see But Bartlett was ar alien and almost
an outsider in the family circle. Appar-
emily he had discarded bis mother and
dresses at the same moment, for, with bis
irst trousers, he had turned to his father
for sympathy ard counsel.
Eocircled by bis mothers arm, John had
ewed patchwork had learned to knit, and
had even played with dolls, without suffer-
ipg permanent II jury from any Of these
girlish occupations :but from the time Bart
ett's small lngers had been long enough
to grasp hammer the younger boys pre-
dilections had been thoroughly masculine.
OF course 1t bad not taken him long to
discover how little bis mother knew about
things Of such vital importance az screw.
bolts, steam-Rsges, ball bearings and pill
n ither did any Of these things
appeal to John, who was reading law.
Bartlett had soon learned to work out all
his problems without moiherly or brother
iy assistance. by the Tina Ter Cent Bar
ty was sixteen, his knowledge Of mschin.
cry had become source Of wonder not
only to biz own family. but to the interest
ed neighbors, who called him In to pre-
scribe for aillng lswn-mowers and lniared
clothes-wringers.
In March Mrs. Morgan had taken cod.
All through the summer she had little ,
hacking cough that alarmed the family ,snd /
the seemed pale and listless. The family |
doctor shook bis head whenever be saw
her. aud in September ordered her to Ari- ,
z)na.
I'm not saying that thei'1 anything SER /
ious The matter with her, he explained to
Nj. Morgan, but this climate Isn't the
place for her this winter. se1d her Gu.
West.
have sister 10 ri q liz
Then terd hsr 10 PieaiX. The,e /
cou'dn't be 9 safer place for her from now Z,
obiil May.
By .be las. we,kln September Ars. Nor. ,
xap was ready 10 depart. When the day
came the entire family, with one exception, /
anDouuced It's intention Of going TO the sta. {
iion TO speed the traveller with cheerful ,
word Iomethirg very u rch needed 10 this
Instance. .
The exception, of course, WIS Bartlett. !
He, with his ut0sl aversion TO fsrewsils, /
bad murbtd something, and was leaving ,
lhe table at neon when bic father said !
Bartlett, aren't you going TO say good by !
10 your mothe,;
Good-bJ, muttersd Bartlett ffon the I
doorway. Hope yca'il have = nice time.
Mrs. Morgsn's eyes hlIed with tears, bu, !
Bartlett gave no fIxn OF seeing them, un. I
,ess an urusuklie vfgofOuk slAmnirv NJ