Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1916-12-21
BILLY
BRADFORD
Story of a Boy Who Had
Never Heard of
Christmas
By F. A. mitchell

prairie schooner crossing the plains in |
1849. When he was old enough to ex-
perience his first Christmas he was
astride a donkey in Mexico. There
was no Christmas for the Bradford
family and no mention of Christmas
II Billy's father remembered it was
Christmas day he said nothing about
it. The wife and mother remembered
it with tears. She had no home. There
was no mantel on which her little boy
might hang his stocking, and if there
were there was nothing to put in It,
The mother died while the family
were still moving from place to place.
Then the father died while passing
through an uninhabited country. Billy
found himself alone. He was eight
years old. Considering that he was
left in wilderness, with no one to
take care of him. perhaps his want of
in his favor. With little help from
kindly neighbors, he went about pro
viding for himself as a young squirrel
does when left on Its own resources.
AT first he slept out under the trees,
then made himself sleeping place
partly under ground. For food he
lived mostly on berries. But his ia
ther had left gun. and Billie knew
how to bring down birds. That is all
he did, the same as wild animals.
One day while examining the articles
his father had when he died Billy
found some certificates of shares in
mining company located near San
Francisco. He had no idea what they
were, but one day a traveller passed
that way, and Billy showed them to
him. He told Billy that they repre-
sented a fortune for whomsoeyer owned
them. When Billy told him that his
fathers was the name written on them
and that he Billy) was all that was
left of the Bradford family the stran
ger advised him to go to San Francisco
and look the matter up. Billy explained
that his father had crossed country
with no trees and plenty Of Indians
and stopped awhile in city, where
upon the man inferred that Bradford
had been forty-niner, had invested III
mining venture and moved on.
The stranger furnished Billy with
funds to go to San Francisco, writing
out note for the amount. and Billy
made an x at the bottom. Then the
lender went on his way, saying that he
would likely turn up some day in San
Francisco and claim the amount due
him. he never did.
Billy knew nothing of travelling and
walked the whole way to San Fran
cisco, more than 300 miles. He reached
the suburbs Of the town on winter
evening at dusk. Passing house that
was lighted up. he looked in through
a window. A number Of children were
inside and some o. persons were
hanging evergreen te>toons from the
ceiling. The scene in the house pleas
ed Billy, and he went to the door and
knocked. A little girl opened it. and
Billy said to her:
"What you putin up the green things
tori"
what are we putting them up for?
Why. for Christmas, of course"
Whats Christmas?'
ooh, my good gracious!
She ran back into the room where
the Christmas preparations were being
made and cried out:
There's boy at the door who
doesn't know what Christmas is
The establishment at this announce
ment among the children was eclipsed
P0no tIn DIV
into the room and stood staring about
him, half blinded by the lights. A lady
descended from stepladder and con
fronted him.
"Are you the boy who doesn't know
what Christmas is?"
mo; don't
Where were you brought up?"
II wasn't brought up at all. I was {
mover"
''What do you mean by that?'
That's what mother said we was
We was always gOin' somewhere"
Where is your mother?'
Dead"
"And your father?"
Dead"
"And you never heard of Christ
masT'
mo, l never did,
children" said the lady, "how oftel
have l tried to make you understand
how thankful you should be that yo1
are surrounded with comforts! Here
boy who has neither father no
mother. who has always been q war
derer and who doesn't know wha
Christmas is. Have you anything to b
thankful for. little boy2'
Eyes, I'm thankful that WASH
borned a grounding or somethin Xix
that
The children were not able to con
prehend this assertion. They did nc
know that the only thing the boy ha
to be thankful for was that he was
human being. If they We're thankful
was that they were far above other hi