Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-09
The Strongest hing
in the World

This is quite a true story, and
Christopher is real boy. Although
he has grown big now, could take
you to see him tomorrow If you
wanted me to do SO. Well, one cold,
wintry morning, in a certain village,
a woman opened her cottage door and
found on the step a basket and in the
basket little baby boy. Somebody
must have left him there; but al
though the cottage woman carried
him indoors, she just couldn't keep
him, because she had quite enough
children of her own. So she took
him to house in the village where
they looked after friendless little
children, and there they took him in.
All they could find out about his name
was the word Christopher" which
was marked on his little nightshirt.
Christopher, of course, began to
grow up, but the people who looked
after him were not kind to him. He
hadn't enough to eat and was pushed
here and there. No one loved him as
a father and mother would, so how
could he grow up a nice boy? Sure
enough, he didn't. Nobody would
have him to work. because he would
worry the pigs and let the sheep run
out of the fields. He made all the
children most awfully afraid Of him.
I know one little girl who used to
burst out crying every time she saw
him If she was alone. But don't say.
'eWhat beast!" for Christopher didn't
know how Jolly It is to be nice. He
had nobody to care about his being
f,,1Ix ov.H tn hn
good when you've never had any one
to love you and tuck you in at night,
Well, Christopher got worse and
worse, and he couldn't get a smile
from anybody. Even the best old man
in the village said, Hes a bad fellow,
Christopher; he'll never be cured"
Christopher couldn't get any work.
and he couldn't get any money; but
no one seemed sorry.
Yet there was a dear old lady near
the village who had some COWS, and
she wanted somebody to bring them
from the field each night and morn
ing, to milk them, and to see that the
shed was cleaned. So she said to
somebody, IT wonder how that Chris
TOPPER would do?"
That somebody replied: ooh, don't
take him! He'll kill the cows and ruin
you. Why, nothing in the world could
make him do anything or make him
better"
Then the old lady said a queer
thing. This Is what she said:
"Well, I'm going to have him look
after the cows. and I'll see II the
strongest thing in the world will cure
him"
She didn't say what the strongest
thing was, and everybody thought that /,
she was silly old lady. But she took !
Christopher; and somehow the cows !
didn't die, and the cow-shed was kept
clean. Nobody ever heard her scold
Christopher. She got him new suit
of clothes, and she gave him five
shillings a week, and nobody could !
find out that Christopher wasted the
money in silly ways.
BY and by Christopher, who had |
been the checklist boy you can think |
of, stopped being cheeky, the children
coming home from school stopped BE- |;
ing afraid of him, and his face became
quite shiny and happy.
Then people went to the OLD lady /
end said. "How did you ever make
christopher so different"
She said, "Oh, tried the strongest
thing in the world" Nobody could
make her say anything more. This Is
really, really true.
Now guess what the strongest thing
ia. It changed Christopher: and If 1t
could change Christopher, am sure
It could change the horridest person
you know.