WEARY WILLIE

New Zealand Tablet, 4 November 1909, Page 1757

WEARY WILLIE

Weary Willie was not a tramp ; far from it. He lived in a lovely home, was dressed in good clothes, and sat down to three bountiful meals every day. He was considered a fine lad, strong and healthy, but when his parents asked him to do something, such as run errands or do some little chores around the house, he was very tired. One day when he came home from school, his mother said : ' Willie, you sweep the path to the gate and then maybe you can have some of the sidewalk swept before your father comes home.' 'Oh, dear,' sighed Willie, sinking into a chair, 'you don't know how tired I am.' His mother went over to him, and smoothing his hair, said : ' I'm sorry to find you so tired,' and went away. ' I'm glad to get away so easy,' thought Willie. So the next morning Mr. Myer went up to Willies room, and said : ' Willie, you may stay in bed to-day.' A great lump rose in Willies throat. ' Why, father, I'm not a bit tired.' ' Yes, you are,' said the father, and the tone of his voice told him he must be obeyed. ' Good-bye, Willie,' said his father. ' I wish to find you rested when I come home to-night.' His iootsteps had hardly died away when Jane was asking permission to enter. She carried a plate with two slices of unbulttered .bread. ' Sure, there's cakes and pies downstairs, but your mother thought you'd be too tired to eat them. So she sent you this.' And she went out of the room, not daring to disobey her mistress's orders. She said: ' I felt so bad to see the poor boy lying there all alone, he looked so forlorn.' - About 10 o'clock his mother paid him a visit in haste. She said : ' Tom Jennings just called for you, and I told him you were too tired to go. He said the fishing is fine over in the creek and the berries are ripe in the woods.' When Mr. Myer came home he immediately went up to Willies room. «, . ' Hello. Willie, I hope you are rested by this time.' Later on when he looked out in the yard he saw a little figure busily shovelling a path. He went out, and Willie said: ' I have got all the rest I want for a while, and when I get through I want a good square meal.' And he got it.