Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-05-05
LITTLE JOHNNY.

felt that he would like to drag that inn
pulsive. troublesome tongue Of his out
by the roots
1t was the first time he had spoken so
GROSSLY to his pretty, troubled girl-wife;
but he was sadly initated and annoyed.
Yes, l suppose l have" said the wom-
an duly. But You know, dear. that
when''-her lips trembled when Johnny
1 died | declared that were / ever so poor
l would never deny anyone who came to
me in want"
My dearest" he said, huskily, every
vestige Of temper gone from his face. Il
am sorry-Ieally and truly sorry that
spoke harshly to you. Kiss, and make
up"
OF course" she said quietly. But
! you know, Horace, it was so cold and
miserable outside; and he looked so
wretched and old, hadn't the heart to
turn him away. And really, ] didn't
want what l gave him"
/ but, ny generous little woman. yoa
know the j7ctor said You must have
good nourishing things, and as matters
stand with us II really am not able to
buy them twice over"
You must not think of doing So" she
said quietly. Il would really much
rather go without. | suppose the doctor
/ is right but when ] think Of the way our
! little Johnnie must have suffered. | feel
that his mother ought to suffer too
She stopped in flood of tears
Don't be morbid precious" he whis-
pered. johnny wouldn't like that, you
| know"
And he kissed away her tears. and in
comforting her forgot for the time that.
so far as he was concerned. the outlook
was very black indeed For truly the
fates were terribly un<ind to Horace
Wethersby just then. Johnny had been a
tragedy in himself. A few months before
the sunny little lad had wandered away
from a careless nurse girl, and for a week
his distracted parents could find no trace
of him. When he was discovered, he was
pitiful little emaciated wreck, and it
was plain from his childish babblng that
he had begged for food during his alb
sence, that it had been denied him. and
that the drunken fiend who had thought
to make use of him for begging purposes
had thrashed him for that he had asked.
From the time he was found there was
no hope of the rescued little one. al
though the fact was carefully kept from
his mother. Naturally delicate, and al
ways petted and INDUCED on that ac-
count, the weeks torture he had expert
enced had had the most serious effects
on his constitution, and although he
fingered on a bed of pain for some time,
kind heaven at last released him.
Sunny haired Johnny died foully muir
dered by a villain who, too lazy to work,
wished to excite public sympathy and ex-
tort aims by dragging about a starving
beaten child.
That awful time marked a transforma-
ton in the erstwhile CHEEKY Horace
Wethersby. He grew morose, careless
and insolent, with the result that his en-
ployers-a limited company, who made
no allowances for broken hearts and
services. And so it came about that they
were reduced to their last few shilings
His last hope-an appeal to an eccen-
tric. but well-off uncle-had met with
fri9id silence; and so, perhaps, it was
natural that he should be irritated by the
discovery that his wife had given away
the nourishing food of which :he doctor
had said she stood in need to u beggar
at the door.
But these two loved each other, so far
as husband and wife were concerned. the
shadow soon passed away. and. i'll spite
of the dreary present, they were soon
talking hopefully of the future. 1t was
as though the little one in heaven had
smiled down on them.
And he may have smiled upon the ec-
centric and well-Off uncle. too. for next
morning a letter came for Horace from
which IS note futtered to the ground
as he opened it. And the letter which
accompanied it read as follows:
Dear Nephew: Tell Mrs. Wethersby
that beef tea was excellent, and that a
kind heart is far above rubies. / shall
visit you tomorrow. with particulars of
an appointment. which. | think. will sui.
YOU; but not in the clothes l wore to-
night"
And bullied the little woman!" nut
tered Horace, crushing the letter in his
hand "Jove, what a cad / was!"
The peculiar manner in which his uncle
had chosen to make his welcome contribu-
tions to his sadly depleted funds did not
surprise Horace. The old fellow was a
well-ka nwn eccentric. and it was not the
first occasion on which he had been
known to play the part of more or less
amiable modern HaTom al Raschid.
"Emmeline," he shouted to his wife
upstairs, you entertained an angel I'M
aware last night! That beef tea and stuff
you gave away last night is likely to
prove the best investment you ever made
in your life"
and leaving her to puzzle out what on
earth he could mean, he forthwith rushed
out. and startled the shopkeepers of the
poverty stricken neighboThood by insist
ing in being supplied Immediately with
vast quantities Of new-laid eggs. port
wine. chickens. and beef extract, and on
being informed how it was that among
community of respectables and presum-
ably substantial tradesmen not one of
them had change for a to note.
Don't ike 'em." said a grievous green