The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-05
ton Of this longtime fayorite combined with other causes
to bring very unusual tears to her eyes, and her head went
dnmn. "a. j Innlr- -

ton Of this longtime favorite combined with other causes
to bring very unusual tears to her eyes, and her head went
down on the desk.
1sFatty" saw-and was lost. tsDon't cry, teacher, he
begged. "II-IW tell you somehow. You see, we all
swore on the dickshernary-there want no Bible here-that
we dassent tell; but I'm persidin' %ossifer, and I'll make a
bylaw. You just wait a minute" He got pencil and paper,
wriggled, twisted, knit his brows and finally brought back
the following bylaw: "Hearby, the S. S. s. s. preasedent
may tell teecher the secrets" 'sTherel That's all right
now. Funny I didn't think of that afore,'' he cried ~joyfuIy.
iii tell you. One mornin' I seen your Teller"
miss Smiths establishment did not prevent her face
showing uneasiness at this misuse Of tense)
II mean, I have saw your Teller, an he give me so cents
cause he's sorry he's goin' to get you off from Adams
school. Then he give most all the fellers dimes-an'
nickels--"
lis that where all those pennies came fromq"
'Yes,m, leastwise, we got 'em. changed to pennies, so
we'd have more. Then, afore that, we'd got up a sassiety
to sees you get a square deal. It's the-the, ding it! I
cant never member that last word.
A piece Of paper, creased and soiled, was unpinned from
somewhere. Miss Smith read: 1'smith's Surtin' shure SAT-
garders.'
"Shm's sister thort up that last word, an it's bun.''
but what are you always whispering together about? %
why, we're investergatin' your Teller, an when our
'tectives bring In information we sort Of talk It over. Since
l seen-I mean have saw 'im-I'm satessfed that he'll do
tollably well, but you can't satersfy that no. count Slim
Hes mad he didn't get effected, an he kicks special cause
he didn't gel, no money! - -.
Miss Smith was too overwhelmed by all this food of light
upon past events to think clearly. @~
''But the sore arms? 2" =#1z - wE
= spose I'd better show you; you see, BATS sister
read in some darn (scuse me, ma any story bout how a
sassiety ort to brand its name on boys arms; she said all
the univers't y boys had x an X and z and those letters.
an just look at that!" III. 4:sn
-Four long, crooked SIS struggled down the length Of
'Fattys" plump arm (there wasn't room across), done in
the angry crimson of blistered, tortured flesh. Miss Smith
turned sick at the sight, and took the faithful little sufferer
into her arms. w. ~.<*:
MY poor little boyl Who did it, How dare thew
What did your mother sayq"
Bats brother works in a blacksmithin' shop, an he
made an. iron thing. Gee! but it hurts. They made mine
worse, cause I'm ~preserdent. Ma don't know; you see, we
dissent tell" His face couded; he had told, and doubts Of
the "bylaw" began to intrude. Miss Smith kept an assort-
ment Of first aids to the injured , and 'Fatty's'' arm
was soon made easier than it had been since his branding.
With the old, friendly relations re-established, he was happy
in spite Of it. Miss Smith told John the whole whimsical.
pathetic little story that night, and John made a sudden
resolve.
Invite your family and everyone Of those children for
a Christmas dinner at the house-our house. Well have q
dinner they'll remember as long as they live. Our old
Nanny Dinahscan beat them all at cooking. She spent her
youth on the Davenant plantation in Georgia, and served
christmas dinner to at least one hundred every wear. Mother
never had to give but a single order: "Give us a southern
Christmas, Dinah." We haven't had one since mother died
ten years ago, and Dinah always gets a faraway look in her
eyes this time Of year: It will make her as happy as it will
the ohildren>and u.s.
+ And Miss Smith assented.
. a. - N'- 4" r--- .r~% 80 , -. '~% , ,