HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1899-1-27, Page 22
THE BRUSSELS .'OST.
TAN, 27, 1899
`` Young Folks. {a
•
A QUESTION.
If u
n \5111 kindly Please,
[ ] it l
Y lv 1 me
What animal I am,
Ishull be very thankful—
I'm grandmas "blessed lamb.'
My brother Archie says "that kid
'Upsets our whole big house,
And when I tease my grandpa
I'm just his "little mouse."
I give my aunt Besse letter, and
She says, "thank you, my deer.'
And then I'm papas 'monkey,"
Which certainly is queer.
And noels Charlie says I'm stubbor
As a "good sized mule;"
,lily mamma calls me her "sweetheart
When I've been good au school.
Now, this is all confusing
Toa man who is so wee,
I call myself just "Teddy;"
Pray, what would you call me?
BILLY'S CRUTCH.
"Will you please buy my geranium
61r?"
If a musical voice, a bright face and
a beautiful plant, alt belonging to a
young site. with dimpled cheeks and
laughing blue eyes, will not Mega
man to a standstill, then it must be
that he is hurrying through the world
Loo fast and wants nothing to come in-
to his life that will gladden his heart
and renew his youth.
femme t o a full stop and wuuld not
have inieeed that sight for a great deal.
As the girl stool there on that bright
October morning, it was diffienlo to
tell where the sunshine left off and
from. Isn't it just splendid to help
Clod answer or Billy's prayer?"
The moisture in my eyes didn't sub-
side out, bit, es 1' said;
"I went you to do mea favor, Ger-
trude. 1 am hundreds of miles away
from the place where I live, and I
tan's carry chip, phut around with
me. Would it be toil much trouble
for you to keep it for nee?"
'What, do you want me to take
care of it for yuul"
" 1 "Yes, my dear, if it will not he too
=eh trouble."
"0 you splendid man. you! Pil be
glad to do lt, and 1'11 take just asglod
Care of tr. as I did when It was mine."
I Carried the Plant, while she Car-
ried the crutch, and -atter reaching
the house, dilly was called in to 066
m6, while Gertrude smuggled the
n crutch into his room and came Leek
with a face as happy ns n face could
be, but never betraying to Billy, by
sword or look. Grit she had been an -
meaning Billy's prayer.
'fo sum it all up, Billy got a new
crutch and he le the happiest cripple
in the big city, Gertrude helped an-
swer his prayer and a happier girl
doesn't live. I own the handsomest i
geranium bush 1 over saw and. the one
who takes rare of it for me is as proud
i as I am of that plant.
where the girl began; They seemed
made for eacb ocher; it was a per-
fect match, with the dividing line
hard to di-aern.
"Have you any objection Lo tell me
your named"
• "0, no, sirl My name's Gertrude
Wilson."
"What a beautiful geranium you hate
there!"
"Isn't it lovely?"
"Indeed it is, and the finest I ever
Saw. Where did you ger ie?"
"About three years ago a lady left
a slip lying on the s, -at in a horse ear.
I took it hone, got the richest dirt 1'
could find, put it in thls old paint can
and then set the slip in it, and it began
growing right away. Pre given it
plenty of water to drink and kept it
in the sunshine as much as possible,"
"Why,l should think you would love
it dearly."
"Love it! I guess I do love it. It
seems just like apart of myself."
"Well, my dear, if you love it so
much, pray tell me why you want to
sell it?"
-0, 1 wouldn't let it go if I did not
want to help Got answer Billy's
prayer. .L)oe % you think it splendid, to
help answer sotuebo.ly's prayers?"
"How do you know ',believe in pray-
er?"
' 0, I am sure you do, you have such
a.praycrtut look."
She broke out into merry laugh,
and 1 joined her in it as I said;
"Yes, I do believe in prayer. Now
tell me who Billy is?"
As I made this request a joyous look
came into her face, and her large blue
eyes shone with delight; and as the
dimples deepened in her cheeks I be-
helda picture that was worth go,ng a
long say t0 sea.
"What, Billy? Oh, he's the nicest and
best little fellow in the cityl Why, he
is goolness, sunshine, and music all in
one lump. Somebody let him deep when
he was quite young and broke his hip,
and ever since he has been ee (ripple.
But his leg is the only crooked thing
about him. Aly mother rays thet Billy's
mother was the beat l'bristian she ever
knew. Well, when elle died last year
everybody in oar tenement -house
wanted to adopt hilly; so, you see, he
b -longs to all tit us. Ile pays his way
by telling newspapers, and nuonewith
good legs tan get around livelier than
Billy can with acrutch, But yester-
day his crutch caught in a hole in the
sidewalk, be pkn in two and let him fall.
13e managed to get into the huu.oand
was no, hurt. Well, last night, just
as 1 was going to bed, I heard Billy
praying. His room is next to mine
and only a board partition between—
so 1 could hear it. all. Oh, 1 shall
never serge. his words as he said:
'Dear j.ord, I've never complained
about .my hioken hip. and 1 tau willing
Lo go through life with it, but 1 can't
get on. without a crutch, I've nu
money to get t,nother, and I don't
know who to tisk, so please, dear Lord,
send me another one, Mother always
told me to go to yete when 1 wee in
trouble, and to I come now. Please
deer Lord, answer my prayer for
Jesus' sake. Amen,' - 1
"I laid awake a good while thinking 1
of that prayer, and it was the first
thing I thought 01 this morning, and
C began wondering if I couldn't do
something to help God answer Billy's
prayer. Weil, while 1 was wondering
I saw my geranium, and then I said;
'Oh, maybe f can sell it and get enough
Lo buy another crutehP
"Now you know who Billy is and
Why I want to sell my geranium.
Won't you please buy it?"
I was greatly moved and interested
and I`fi own up 10 a great deal of mois-
ture about my eyes, as I inquired;
"How tall is Billy'?"
"0," she quickly responded, "Pee
got the measure of his old crutch, if
that le what you mean,"
"Yes, that is just what I mean; so
if you please, Gertrude, we'll go and
eee about a crutch,"
It did not take us long to find te
store whore snail things were to be!
procured, nor a gy'ctet while to get the
keeper of the store as much interested
eg I was in the girl's story. Just the
right kind of a crutch watt found and
a minimum price was put upon it.
• "Well," I said, „I'll give you I:hat
much for the geraniam, Gertrude, and
it's very cheep at that."
"0, t)zanit you," she said, and her
Byes fairly (lanced with gladness, "111
:eke the crutch, please, but Ilillymust-
eet ktteee a word about where it came
PHYSICAL CULTURE FOR GIRLS.
• The need of the day is for a higher
physical devrluptnent of girls and young
women. The world has moved along,
and the fair sex to a certain extent,
have gone with It, so says an exchange,
But it luta been rather an intellectual
development than a physical one. The
women have stepped into the places •
formerly occupied by men, and taken
all in ell have held their own very well.
But in this they have shown only their
amental capabilities. There can be lit
tle doubt: but that physically women
have been comparatively at a stand-'
still, 'There is, to be sure, a move in
the right direction, but it will take
a. long time to effect a permanent or
far-reaching result,
Girls do net sacrifice either maiden-'
ly nrcalesty or refinement by indulging
in athletics, and the tendency should
be 10 encourage exercise that will de-
velop a more rugged constitution. In
this way girls will find themselves pos-
.sessed not only of the increased,
strength necessary to support them
during the days when they are called
to business occupations, hut they will
hive the strength to sustain the Sur --
dens and trials of wifehood and mater-
nity, end of all the responsihilities of;
' home making when that important time 1
ell•tt at•;