The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-08-10
HOW A BOY GOT
HIS NICKNAME

INV 'tHOsSlSFAIIaL
A''-' -'-'-'-,-.-.-,-s-.-s-s-.-.-.-
well sir, what Go you suppose my
Uncle Bob called me last week? WHY
Just &&ad--aothing more. nothing less.
And that is not the worst Of it. or the
best Of it'll Cont know which vet.
Everybody in the house calls me Sand.
aud 1t has spread cut into the streets
ana over to the school. It's Sand
here and Sand there and Sand Won
der till you can't rest. Papa and nam.
ala I'.1Aed sort of pleased. as if it was
something nice, and if it is. why,
don't mind. They say it means I've
got sand, grit-not afraid. you know.
mats the best uf it. But there's
Aunt Mamye be sure you spell it
with yel; she teaches me etiquette.
ard she says the name is horribly vul-
gar. and Tom-he's NY brother. You
knoW-he says lis just short for
sandy, and that's the color Of my hair
II its that way. the name isn't so
nice. That's the worst of it. You
see, these fathers and mothers can't
always be QcpendCd on for Il straisht
tip about their own boys. They'll
soften things and give taGE. But
then, brothers like Tom ard aunts like
Mamye can't always he depended on.
either They're apt to 20 the otht,
way and show You that things are
blacEer than you thought
But maybe I'd better tell the who'll
story and let you see for yourself.
First, though, | want to say | was
scared-whew | Shivered so that
when Tom heard about it the next
morning he declared all my buttons
mad been shaken Loose. They hadn't,
of course; for they came loose playing
ball the day before. But Tom was
closer right than he knew When
think it "ut straight and square to my
self, as h&te to sometimes, I'm most
sure That Toms and Aunt Mamye's
fun hits me closer than papa's and
mammals praise.
You see it was this way: Papa and
Tom We're off on business. to lie gone
all night, and mamma was sick with
a headache. They left only me 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 in the night came q
loud barking from TowSer, just like
somebody Seeding somebody else for
forgetting, and knew in a flash what
it meant I'd forgotten to leave the
wooGShed 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 | would
couldn't go to sleep if | didn't. So
after awhile shut my teeth hard and
crawlcd out. pretty scared and shaly
| for it was awful dark. and got into my
clothes the best could. Then felt NY
i way ont into the hall ana down to the
| back door, for there, as plain as plain
| could be, heard somebody trying t.
get in. If it 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. Blu
that wouldn't do for the man of The
house. No, sir, not if he died. But
! 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
tle down the steps-fOr there were twt
and across the yard and over thu
back fence dropping their tools an(
having Towser square on their heels.
The next day papa and Tom cam
home, and Uncle Bob came over fron
the store. And Uncle Bob said tn
tools were burglars kit, and pap
looked at me as he does when he
pleased. That's all