The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-10-05


up when they are seventy"
Billy pondered this new aspect of
things In his mind. If 1t really was
right to do what you liked, then II was
not wrong to want to make machinery.
AS for waiting till he grew up, that
was too dreary prospect to be toler-
ated. He would defy Mrs. Perkins.
and begin his life work. He went to
the machine shop, and edged into the
busy place unObserved. But when he
asked ore Of the men If they wanted
boy, he was CURLY answered no. and
unceremOniously elected. His venture
made him late home, and he received
a rather more severe beating than
usual. Rebellion was raging In his
heart, and he cried out:
"You can lick. me, but I'm going to
do what like!"
"You ungrateful little beast 7" shrek
ed the woman. $50 upstairs, and stay
there!"
Smarting and aching from the beat
ing the boy dragged himself up to his
comfortless room. AS the hours wore
on hunger asserted its claims. But he
was told not to dare to come down. as
he would get nothing to eat that day.
Then the forlOrn little chap took q re-
solve. He waited till everything was
quiet, and he could hear the heavy
breathing of Mrs. Perkins, and taking
his shoes in his hand, he crept noise
Of II
strange to be walking through the
sleeping town in the middle Of the
night. But at last he was free! 1t
was a wonderful feeling Of power and
elation. He wandered on to the rail-
road. When a train came along, he
got on, and was put off at the next
station. But he evaded pursuit, kept
on, and the place Of his thralldom saw
him no more.
Billy felt that somewhere there
would be q machine shop that would
take him in. The one where he was
repulsed was Of course under the bane-
full influence Of Mrs. Perkins. Every
thing in that place, except Miss Terry,
seemed to be soaked with the horrible
poison of Mrs. Perkins. There certain
ly could not be another Mrs. Perkins
in the world. He had never heard of
their going in pairs. And no matter
what happened to him, it couldn't be
as bad as Mrs. Perkins. So the little
chap trudged on. To be sure he had
to beg for something to eat, but when
one is very hungry, the humiliation Of
asking quite vanishes for the time be-
ing.
In the city he fell in with the news
boys and street Arabs, and slept In an
area way or inside packing box. But,
oh the JOY Of freedom the lifting Of
the awful premonition of beating 1t
was worth much hunger, boards for a
bed, and rags for raiment. In short
time he was selling papers.
Then a man with the Christ love In
his heart which was always leading
him to seek out homeless boys who
sold papers and slept in doorways,
found Billy, and after that he went
hungry no more, and slept In a real
bed. This man told him he thought 1t
would be good thing to 60 to
night school, and Billy, who would
have walked into fire had this man
suggested 1t, willingly took his adj
vice, and began attending the night
course Of study. Somehow Billy did
not care to run away from this school.
In the first place this friend expected
him to make good, and beside this, he
had begun to feel something of the re-
sponsibility of making some prepara-
ton for fighting chance in the battle
of life.
When John Ritchie-that wasn't his
name, but the real man does not want
to be known-when John Richie found
that Billy wanted to work in ma
chine shop, he soon found the place
for him to begin.
Eleven years from the time Billy
entered the machine shop he was adj
mitted to the firm Of the big automo-
bile company. He had invented an
Improvement that soon became so
valuable they found it to their ad-
vantage to keep him with them. Billy,
now called Mr.. William Tyler was
happy In his work, and his success.
But always there remained the bitter
memories Of his sorrowful childhood,
and the unweakened hatred Of Mrs.
Perkins. Time did not seem to soften |
this. The fostering sore Of revenge
never healed. For years he had been
looking forward to the day when he
could visit the little town, go to her,
and tell her what he thought of her |
cruelty and injustice. He meant to
drive 1t all home to her with no I'M
sparing force. He meant to snap his
fingers in her face. and show her what |
he had become In spite of her. If she |
were still beating and starving some |
defenseless child as she had him, he |
meant to take the kid from her, and |
show her up before the town.
The time had now come for taking
his revenge, and Billy boarded the
train for his native town. He found
the old house I'm other hands, and was
told that Mrs. Perkins was in the poor
house. So other means than his had
taken part In his revenge. But he
meant 1t should be complete, and he