OUR LITTLE POLKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2004, 21 July 1892, Page 40

OUR LITTLE POLKS.

Bt Dot. Hot will be pleased to receive short letters from juvonllo corroBpoudcnM on auy matter* of intercut to tliomichts— tliort atoriet of pet auiuinU, descriptions of their favourite to>s, their p»rtiei, ■muh'metKs, Ac. The letters to be wiitten by th« ohllilreu them•cl*ci liiid nil il rested " Dot, euro of tl»o Kdltor," null to b9 pub" Uib&d iv \uo page dcrotcd to " Our Little Volki," A GOOD THOUGHT. (Written for the Witness Little Folks, by "Alice.") (Continued. ) When Willie awoke late in the morning, cheered and comforted by his good supper and refreshing sleep, with the memory of his happy dream upon him, in response to my prompting he dressed quickly, washing himself carefully, then bidding Annie a cheerful good morning, started towards the door. "When are you going, sonny?" asked Annie. "To find work," answered he stoutly. His sister did not reply, but pushed a cup of milk and some bread towards him. Willie munched the bread, and watched Annie, but she, so far as her appearance went, had forgotten all about their early! morning conversation, and putting the house to rights, whistled, as sho rattled things, "There is na luck about the house." Willie evidently thought so too, and took himself off as speedily as possible. There seemed to be no luck outside the house either, and Willie found what everybody else does, that it is far harder to persevere in a good cause than to start it ; but the disgrace and horror of the stolen half crown urged him ou. Ho felt that neither he nor Annie had any right to be happy any more until it was restored. The first house he called at was a pretty house with a well-kept garden. lie followed the gravelled path, a spiteful little terrier snapping at his heels all the way to the bark door. In answer to his knock a well-dressed woman came to the door, and looked at him with a sharp "Well?" "If you please, mam, I would like to do some work, aud earn a little money," said Willie, lifting his big wistful eyes to the suspicious ones regarding him. " Oh, you would, would you. What kind of work ? " said she. " Chop some wood, mam, or clean knives or boobs." "Now look here," responded the woman, "you take yourself oft". Do you think I'm fool enough to put you up to the places I keep my things, and have j t ou coming round some other time to steal them. Off you go ! " " I never do steal," answered Willie. "Off you go now, and no cheek," and the dog, ab though entering into his mistress' spirit, snapped and snarled at the boy till he was safe off the premises, and then barked until he was out of sight. One good-natured woman gave him a bun, but laughed at his request for employment, and asked him if he was a member of a union, as unless he was she couldn't employ him, as she wouldn't have the unionists down on her for anything. " I guess you are a blackleg," she concluded, " Two black legs on one > body as far as I can see," she continued laughing, as sho looked at the barefooted boy. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon Willie looked through .an iron gate into a neat garden, where he saw a gentleman workiug at some flower beds, and whistling as he worked. There was something very inviting about the whistle, and Willie went in. "Well, 6onny?" queried the gentleman as Willie approached. Annie called him " sonny " when she was pleased with him. Anyhow the eyes and voice were encouraging, so Willie began — "Please, sir, could you give me any employment ? " The gentleman eyed him over very deliberately, and whistled softly. " One of the unemployed, eh ?" — " Yes, sir." — "Look like one of the Submerged Tenth. Ever heard of the Submerged Tenth ?" — "No, sir." — "Never heard of General Booth?" — "No, sir." — "Ever heard of the great unwashed ?" "No, sir." " Your education has been sadly neglected. Whose boy are you ? " " Edward Grant's, sir." " Well, Edward Grant isn't doing his duty by you. You tell him so." " Please, sir, I shan't." "Oh, youVon't ? Why ? " " Because he's my dad." The gentleman whistled aud looked at him very hard smiling all the time. " Go to Sunday school ? " — "No." "No? Yet you seem to have learned one commandment pretty well — to honour your father. Though judging from the look of you ho doesn't seem to make your life a bed of roses. So you want work ? " he asked, turning back to rake the flower bed. " What kind of work ? Aro you a stone mason, or a gravedigger, or a carpenter ? " Willies eyes by this time were very full of tears, but he gulphed them down and blurted out : "Oh, sir. I want to earn half a crown. It ii an awful lot of money, and will take along time to earn, but I don't expect to earn it all at once, only in threepennies and sixpences, but I mv.it earn it." The gentleman left off raking, and looked at him. " Why, sonny ?" he asked. " I can't tell you why sir. I can never tell any one why, but I mint." "Well," replied the gentleman, putting his hand in his pocket, " I guess you're having me, but you are not the first. Here's the half crown anyway." "No, thank you, sir," replied Willie firmly. " I don't want to bet/ it ; I wanb to earn it." The gentleman looked at the child who had listened to my promptings, and then opening his heart to me, replied: '•Well so you shall, my boy. Honestly though, and no humbug about it. If you will earn it I am going to show you how long it takes to really earn half a crown. I will give it you out and out, if you like, but if you prefer it you must earn it out and out. Fetch me that wheelbarrow. lam not going to sham that you have earned the money and give it you under false pretences, but 1 believe a boy who would rather earn money thau beg it is worth helping. Off you go for the barrow." The gentleman then instructed Willie to gather together the weeds and dead leaves that were lying about, and wheel them in half barrow-loads to a pile in the back garden, where they would rot for manure. Very eagerly Willie worked, and very badly h ; s backed ached, but the happy day when he should have made restoration urged him on, and when dusk came the gentleman said : "Well done. You have fairiy earned sixpence. Will you be paid now ar come to me at 4 o'clock each day till the half crown is earned ? " This latter suggestion was accepted. Then the gentlemen said : " Now come into the kitchen and have a basin of hot soup. I think you can do that," he added smiling, " without any compromise to your dignity. You have earned the sixpence, and I invite you to dinner.

I occasionally dine from home myself, and feel none the worse for it, but if you feel under apy obligation to me we will come to a compromise when you are grown up. You are bound to bo well off — you are made of the right stuff for that. You can invite me to your house to dinner. Or it may happen that I may need employment, and you will give it to me — eh?" " Yes, sir," responded the boy in all earnestness. Willie was soon seated by the nice warm kitchen stove sipping his soup. Presently a pretty little lady came into the kitchen to look at him. She wore a shining silk dress, and bright rings ou her fingers, and Willie thought she must bo the gentleman's wife. In a very little time Willio found himself telling her about Annie, and how she always saved him the biggest half of anything she had to eat, aud the lady said that beiug so Annie must have gome soup too. Then cook obeying her mistress' orders, filled a bright billy up to the lid with soup, and promising to bring back the billy to-morrow Willie sped away, happier than he had been for many, many days. (2V la continued.)