The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-06
JUST WOULDN'T SWITCH
WOULD DIE or MS M rms ne
FORE HE'D TEN ON 4 PAL.
ms Chum SANDY Set Islm on IRE on Thanks
giving Da> ami when He Heard Billy
was Dying and Wouldn't Tell He came
/ Around and s0nT csSesi Wuy BETTER.

fNB1UthHh wv ""'NNE' ""S 1921
Billy Newton. aged Q. il in bed at his
home ont on Voorhees, avenue near Twenty
- sixth street, Sheepshcad Bay. with his
right hand. right arm and right side all
Burned mp. He's been that way since
-trhanksgiving bay, and it looks as il he'd
have TO stay in bed in bandages right
tbrough until Christmas.
But there are two things that console
BILLY a whole lot. The first is that he didn't
mitch. One of the other boys set him on
FIRE. and he alone knew who it was, but
Just the same he didn't tell, even il the police
did ask questions. But the best thing
all IL that last night the guilty one
Invent to Billy's mother and confessed and
y tbe two pals spent the evening together,
n Making it all over and saying how glad
!. they were that Billy wasn't going to die.
Billy New ton and Sandy McMann had
d&been sworn side partners ever since the time
y fhcy helped each other in "A fight as strangers
md then found themselves seated ~diagonally
Incross from each other in school, over on
CAvenue z and Twenty sixth street. Billy
- the son OF a we'll 10 do widow, lives in a
Stkbig house and has sleds and things, 80 it
.SRas only natural that Sandy, who is the
oun Of a widow not 50 well to do, living
~about a mile away. should come over 20
ctplay around Billy's house. And 1t was
Comfy natural that the two pals should ar
range to tell each other the costumes they
were going TO put on Thanksgiving Day
and have a lot Of fun as r~agamuffins, with
cut letting any one else into the secret.
On Thanksgiving Day all the boys round
about were dressed as plain ragamuffins,
with hard looking masks TO make them look
rial tough, except Billy. He had found
m the house an old Santa Claus suit that his
runcle had worn at the Christmas tree last
year. Billy stuffed it with excelsior to make
tblmself fat like a real Santa Claus and put
on q fine long beard Of cotton batting.
Sandy knew him, of course. He'd talked
81 over with Sandy. But none Of the other
boys knew who he was and he alone knew
Sandy by the big screw driver that Sandy
wore in his belt.
When they got tired the boys built a fire
and began dancing around it. Then just
for the jun of the thing Sandy put an old
broom into the fire and began 10 whiTl it
Naming around his head. 1t made a fine
blaze and he thought he would put it close to
fHilly's fine cotton beard just TO SEQ what it
would do.
The beard took fire at once, and Billy
began TO scream and the rest of the Santa
lClaus suit took fire and Billy ran of scream
ling owsrd his home, a block away. Sandy
IXIOOQ DOKlnR AT MIN. lDen ne ran away,
. lust as the other boys had done.
Billy met a ~neighbor before he had run
livery Far, who rolled him on the grass and
tput most Of the fire out. The boy was
Screaming from his burns when he was
fcarried into the Newton house. The doctor
Idressed Billy's wounds and said they were
t~esrious. When his mother asked him who
bad set him afre Billy said stolidly:
Il dunno"
The police came around and asked. The
lmost that Billy's mother could make him
fAdmit was that he knew who had set him
Iaire but he wasn't going to snitch, not
LII he died first.
Sandy didn't dare to come TO the house
% find out how his pal was getting along.
He joined the other boys in saying;
i didn't do it, hope 10 die. He says he
Knows who did 1t but he won't snitch.
What do you think of that?"
Sandy went of wishing he was dead.
billy was reported to be dying and still
HTouldn't snitch on his pal who had muir
Idered him, that was all, just murdered
him. IND Sandy wasn't brave enough
Ito tell that he'd done it.. How could her
re- BssS1 SsSir 7 y ~ + = esass99>sSs
Sandy spent four miserable days. The
Whispers Of the boys grew more and more
keinister. Billy was in delirium. He was
bdying. He screamed all the time. And at
this a new fear sprang up in Sandy's heart.
What II Billy should died and he never saw
him again until he was dead? This thought
F~as too much. Last night a little figure
tcrept up the high stoop Of the big Newton
thouse. 1t rang the bell and then stood
Eohivering with a sob.
The door opened and there OF all people
fotood Billy's mother,
Want 10 see Billy stammered tkeboy.
E We'll Of all boys Sandy MoMann.'
Ecried Mrs. Newton. What do you want
Ito see Billy for?"
.I-I-Im the boy-the boy that s-set
Nhim on fire and now he's dying
And Mrs. Newton found herself, before
abe knew it, with a ragged little boy in her
arms telling him that Billy wasn't dying
after all and she knew Sandy wasn't TO
blame. She said.
-The doctor says he mustn't be disturbed,
4 hut he's been asking for you SO much that
you shall go right up"
And 80 last evening was the happiest
evening Sandy and Billy have spent for
Fweeks. They talked Of the good times
they were going to take together when
K Billy got out again and the skating they'd
have and the hitching, low and confden-
kkiAlly. as two pals should, until Mrs. Newton
came in, saying: Time for Billy TO go 10
sleep now. : and Sandy set of on his walk
home with a new, warm feeling just above
bis stomach such as he hadn't had for