The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1907-03-08
A POOR MOUNTAIN BOY.
An Orlainal Story by Spartan GOOdlett.

birteen summers. 1t was in the year ed
Sos. lust after the Surrender" John So
y's father and elder brother had come hi
rome from the war. The little farm N
,ear the Blue Ridge was all that they y
lad in worldly possessions, save few 4
silver dollars and dimes that were hid y
len away when the war began. Every "
body wore home-spun clothes, but n
Iohnnv did not have a full suit OF that, il
even. because his elder brother and e
two sisters had to be dressed first So a
when the afternoon Sunday-school was c
organized at the mountain school house t.
Johnny could not go because hekhad Il
no coat or shoes. y
Byron Brown, neghbor boy, Was t
not SO unfortunate as Johnny; he ihd a
shoes and two coats, and when fela
learned the reason why Johnny ID
not go to Sunday-school he offered p
loan him a coat, and he himself wouf
90 to Sunday-school bareiootcd. john
| nv reluctantly agreed to the proposal
ton and on the next Sunday he VENT
|by Browns home and put his coat ON
and they went to Sunday-school toS
yether. AS they walked along the roaf
Johnny insisted on staying behind TIP
crowd OF large boys and girls, Tor
was ashamed OF his big bare feet.
The school house was crowded wh4
they cot there and Johnny was ashaRJ
TO go inside barc-iooted; and he ff
sure that everybody would know he fd
ON Bvrou'S coat Byron led the by
and. as they had to step over the TT
and legs oi a dozen men before tfy
reached seat. Johnny was blushtg
and trembling icariully. and when I
sat down he stuck his icct under IN
pine slab bench.
lin Hardy. 4 young man Just honi
iro;u the war, sat near Johnny and BY
ron. Jim led the singing He lcarnc'
10 sing while he was III the army all
he was proud oj this Accomplishment
Such singing had never been heard
that settlement before. i'm Hard
Nnn, to ISIS ksklG!o =" NE, ill., 10: "S'"re an
save" during the war and bor,h, ,,;,
P.'vf collar and 4 cravat y. ~.
"'I nest dressed man in the b,r., ":
SONAR and cravat Were the Center .
",'T"''j"n. and Johnny son iorrn, :,
ABOUT being harc-ioo,ed :"
:. "ere were no Sunday school or,r.er
nc, published i'll those davs TLo ,;t.i
EmIdrcn studied the ca,ecb;s,, n,, m ".,i' :,
~5+tF scholars read iew chapters ~ !,
ana everybody enjoyed themselves
johnny Jones and Byron Brown wer,
regular attendants They bought \
song book and always sat near lin,
Hardy who led the singing.
Johnny wore Byrons coat every Sun
day. but he always took it off vbo,
lie reached Byron's home. There w,s
|" be grand Sunday-school celebra-
tion IN August and Johnny determined
|" nave a suit OF clothes and nair q,
ShoeS Tor the occasion; so, after th,.
crops were laid by he went down h,
the creek and peeled the bark off ,no
maple trees and boiled it and made ,
aye. Then he put some sheen wool.
ana cotton in the dye and LET II stand
Tor several days. Then he washed n.
wool and dried it in the sunshine Ioh,
ny eouid card and spin, but his sisters
'old nm II he would card the wool and
'"''on they would spin the thread and
weave the cloth OF course JOHNNY ex-
pected some help from his mother ,,l
sisters at this stage and he was H.,
"s"ted at their offer to help him. He
soon mad a big stack of roofs carded
ana his sisters kept the SPINNING wbeoI
gong and in few days the cloth wos
ready to be cut. Johnny's mother w,s
.ie 'al'or' and he was happy boy as
nc watched her cut the cloth and se,v II
it together. %"
Now Johnny must have na;r of
shoes. The cobbler told Job,,, ~.
or'ng the leather and he would make
ne SHOES. But no leather was to h. II
''u' Johnny's father had a pair of H
'rmy shoes that were given him whom
'e was on his way home from Ammo
''at'ox' and he carried them to the
'oDbler and had them ripped to pieces {
ma made smaller. And this is bov, S
lie got his shoes. II
Johnny had straw hat that h. ,,lo Fl
'imseli, and when he put on his new W
lothes he looked quite respectable b
lie looked awkward in his big shoes a
u' ne went to the Sunday school cele. 81
ration, and when the school for,a fir