The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-09-25

/ W. I derision, for Wise Billy was witless.
4 w Il There were some OF the Bowmanylle
$500 people who wouldn't have it that
IGN<flS[l Billy was entirely witess, and 1t
- was In the expression of this beliet
these people showed that they were to be classed
with the wiser
Wise Billy had been HIT the head when he
was nothing more than fodder and 1t was the
blow that set his mind cropping for things that II
could never fully grasp. Bowmanyllle, while IL
is a part OF great city, has green nelds ana
great forests yet untouched by the AK OF natures
tyrant Billy roamed the fields and threaded the
forests Like Little Hiawatha he learned or the
birds and the squirrels their secrets. They were
playmates that never made sport or MS menIal
SHORTCOMINGS He loved them and they loved
him The streams beyond the little stream which
farther on in its course becomes the chicago
river were the haunts of bobolinks. II was
there that the Italian bird catchers hired by the
big city dealers in the habit or settlng thelr
traps to catch rollicking Robert or Lincoln that
he might be cooped up in by cage to pine
away a few brief summer months for the sup
posed pleasure of someone whose ideas OF liberty
did not include bird and beast.
one afternoon the Italians set their traps all
over the meadow with a captive bird in the lower
compartment The men went to hedge by the
roadside to watch results. They saw boy start
on q keen jump across the meadow. His feet
were winged Before the trappers could realize
line was open a bobolink freed and the trap
itself was T. crushed mass OF wire and STICKS.
They tried, but they could not catch this grey
hound of lad He liberated twelve birds and
smashed twelve traps, and then shot into the
Budlong woods II was Wise Billy who had done
this turn for his bobolink friends.
Wise Billy's father and mother sent him to
school. The teachers did not want TO receive
him but he was quiet and he showed shortly
that impression could be made upon his disor-
dered mind He knew more about the pictures
than he did about the words, but in the course
OF year or two he wrote sentences disjointedy.
II was poetry that Wise Billy loved, especially
the poetry in which the words sang OF birds and
trees and flowers. 1t inspiration to hear
Billy repeat Bryant's "Bobolink" and the Lines
TO a Waterfowl" There place in his heart
seemed to speak to some little sound section or
his mudded mind.
Wise Billy reported at the school one morning
that be was going to be a poet. He stood at his
desk and made the announcement out loud The
pupils laughed and laughed The teacher tried
10 look kindly, but there was bit OF merriment
In her face iii bring some verses and show
you,T cried Billy, He was keeny alive TO rdi-
cVle, witless though he was.
Wise Billy had found a friend. He was man
who tramped the field with round box in which
he put leaves and flowers and with opera
glass through which he stared at birds. Billy
had come across the stranger the rivers
edge Just west OF the Budlong wood. The man
WAS picking marsh marigolds. Billy told him
be would show him where there were some pref
tier ones II the would promise not to pick
them. The stranger seemed struck by this APP
peal from the boy with hating tongue and vacant