Year: 1878

hlSbI iOhhS Sr'''N3 -
only n boot, black; but you are, a
little mistaken II you suppose that
all the cream OF boy hood is Tapped
up by such as you and all the skim
milk left for such as I


"My father lived and died gen
tleman and it isn't his fault th 1t
! am blacking boots on the streets |
today, he stood friends security |
and had it to pay, it was large |
sum OF money and he had to sell !
his big house and all the grand fur |
niture and silver, his horses and
carriages-we moved into a little
wooden house aud sold all his jew
elry to live on till he could get en-
pl0yment-would you believe it,
he walked this big city for weeks
and could not get any-you see he
was brought up without a trade
and no one wanted Il clerk, Secre-
tary or tutor. | mean to learn a
trade and then if need it | will
have it, and tor all father couldn't
count his friends when he was rich,
he actually did not have one when
he was poor. If ever j am rich |
won't call any one my friend who
is not my friend now that | am
only a boot-black.


"Well, father would not let mo-
ther or sister try to do anything
aud kept me at school, so the mo-
ney did not last long, then his
watch went and the same day he
was taken very ILL with broken
heart mother says-he was i'll so
long that when he died all of mo-
theirs and sisters jewelry was gone
and it took what pictures and such
things as they had saved to bury
him. | came from school and we
all went to work i'll good earnest,
we had better luck than father had,
for it was not long before we all
had employment. | think his old
friends grew ashamed OF their
heartlessness, tor one of them set
me up in the boot backing business,
and others sent sister some music
scholars, and that is how we live.
You need not turn up your nose at
it, for am happy as lord"


"Happy with patched coat ana
shoeSp


"Well, yes, clothes don't make a
boy happy, they make him warm,
and | will have new ones as soon
as | have saved mp money enough
to buy them. | have had pretty
good luck backing boots and when
| 90 home there is always II smile
from two dear ones whom | would
not vex for the world. | intend
to be inst as well educated when
grow up as you will be. | Studict
hard at school, for | liked it, ant
they teach me at home every spare
moment; don't think there is any
thing but what mother and sistel
knows. and then our evenings
Father did not sell his library oI
sisters piano, and we have manag
ed to keep them since; mother
learned to knit when she was little
and sits in IL little wood rocker
that's cushioned all over to make
believe an easy chair and knits my
stockings, and sister does. crochet
work for a fancy store and read
aloud in Il book, that is splendid
sometimes l stop i'll II nice place
aud we talk it all over and perhaps
mother tells of something she ha!
known or read like tive Away
stop before bedtime and siste
plays for us and | help her sing
and sometimes mother joins us il
ii sweet old ballad. Do you spenC
a happier evening than thatY Iol
need not smile at me as onlya boot
black, for | am too happy to fee
it.


"Only a bootblack out in the cold,


Whose coat and shoes are patched ah'
old


But as noble heart in his shiverint


breast


As ever was clasped to a mothers press


ed