The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-05-14
The judges Kiss.
(SeIected)

|
!
| (Selected)
| A Judge in a juvenile court in a
Western State answered the knock at
his office door to admit woman Wis
itor. She told the piteous story that
her boy, Autrey, whom the judge
had sent several times to the House
of Refuge, had again run away, and
had been killed in railroad wreck.
His sympathies were aroused by this
story, the details of which seemed all
too true. Two months later another
knock brought the judge from his
serious study. The boy, once thought
to be dead, stood before him. well,
my boy" gasped the judge, your
mother told me that you were dead"
"Did you believe it, Judge? My
mother knew that l had run away to
keep from the workhouse." did
you send your mother here to tell me
that you were dead? Why did you
come back? For | have no alterna-
tive but to place you iu the hands of
the law; you have violated the rules
of the House of Refuge, and the
workhouse is all that awaits you."
The boy looked the judge squarely
in the face, and said: Il did not
send my mother to you; know that
| have violated all the rules, but felt
that you could help me in some way,
and | could not deceive you longer"
MY boy, here is the money to carry
you to the workhouse; keep away
from the officers; you will have to
stay ninety days, live on bread and
water, hard work and solitary con-
finement; you know as well as what
it means; the train leaves at night
fall, and l will be there with little
Frank and ask you to leave him at
the station at the House of Refuge"
''All right, Judge, l II play fair.
He took the money and was gone.
The judge passed restless night.
uneasy day, for he could not help
having half-lingering hope that the
boy would use the money in the
cause of freedom. After sunset the
Judge took little Frank to the station
and awaited the coming of Autrey.
The great white light Of the engine
flashed in sight, and passengers
jostled each other in their haste to
get close to the incoming train. The
: Judge was disappointed, and yet a
sigh of satisfaction passed from him
when he thought of ninety days of
loneliness, drudgery, and almost
, starvation in the workhouse, for a
boy that had never had a fair show
| ing. Just as the first gong sounded
for the trains departure, breath
: less boy touched the judge on the
, shoulder; the judge grasped his
hand, and in the darkness he felt a
: boys lips brush his own cheek and
: leave tear upon it. "I'll stay up,
' my boy, until you reach the work
t house; 80 telephone me from there. "
r On the rear platform could be seen
two boys, one a large overgrown
: boy, the other small delicate child,
: cheerfully, hopefully waving their
E hands to the judge. The judge re-
turned to his home, and there in the
! stiffness of his own study he thought
of Autrey, and what it meant for q
: boy to be misunderstood without
: sympathy and companionship. In
less than two hours the phone click
e ed, and the boys familiar voice from
] the workhouse said: Here | am,
e Judge; l left Frank in good hands;
: you can depend upon me; you have
r played square with me, and I'll dea
: fair with you."
= That is all. Only bad boy you
d say, and he in the workhouse, justly
e suffering the penalty of his own mis-
n doings. Yes, only boy; but one
y who did not wait to be arrested, but
= willingly and cheerfully went to hi!
Imprisonment, playing fairly ano
d acting squarely in the midst of ply
e sical and mental suffering. A NEAR
father and an untruthful, wea!
% mother, and he yet boy who's
N soul revolted against living a lie
Only ninety days, and then he come
D. out to live-HOW? May we be Civ
" en- wisdom to understand and b
If comrades to our boys.
4 There is Pink Pain Tablet mad
hx DR. Shnon that will positively stOl