Show THE NEW KNIFE A story for boys A bric briZ brighter liter ilter rosier happier face was wag never seen than little harry willetts as lie he sauntered one sunny afternoon in may allay down the winding lane that led from his fathers farm and took the road to the village the warm breeze tossed his brown locks lightly and the merry sun still peeped saucily now and ant then through the torn brim 0 of his straw hat bat into his frank blue bine eye eyes and flashed into the dimples of his big happy mouth A fine face harry narry iia ila ry had not a pretty face if lif by that you mean very n cel cei cely cels formed features and great handsome long lashed eves eyes but an open a kindly truthful generous ze nerous filce face such suc b a one as made you think with a quick waun warm glow lov iov at your heart what a comfort and pride prid he must ak M to ibis his mother and anti how her eyes must brighten whenever be he shone in upon her through the busy day but hams hahs face c contented ani and smiling as it usually was wore a peculiarly gratified grat fled fied expression today to day that something very delightful I 1 had occurred there could be no 0 doubt doub ile he was alo gether gethen too happy to whistle an and d he sauntered along alonz with luw lui hands in his pockets and those glad blue eyes of his full cf pleasant aedita tiun diun if you had bad been walking with harry in the stillness essof of that warm afternoon you might have heard an occa occasional very plea piea pleasant cant jingling in that trousers pocket of hig his hi and if good betsy the maid at the farm had bad been there too she would doubtless have told you what a budget e t of od nails and bits cf lead and tin and all sorts of f trumpery harry always carried in his pocket pockets greatly to the wear and tear of said pockets and of the home patience in mending them but ah all ulai betsy something rather better than thair old nail lead sinkers and tin titi 2 rattler rattier there now nothing less than two big bright halt dollars Iol lol larg tars all harrya harrys s own to spend as he likes lik ilk es now and ihen then lie lle take takes them there out and looks at them to be he sure swe that they thay are safe and a reality and with the utmost content at the confirmation hs eyes give to the fact drops them back again into the jingling jin g I 1 I 1 i rig pocket the truth wa was that possession of the wonderful treasure was rag the greatest event in the he money way tha that had ever happened to harry and it needed the witness of all his senses to keep tip up the conviction that it was really no dream harrys father although althou gh a farmer who gave his little boy good clothes alid all home comforts had seldom any amney anney to bestow for his big own special spending harrys hadrys utmost ambition and anil success having heretofore hehe heie extended 0 to o a bright d me an amold anold old oid an fn mend end of his from a distant city spending spend inc inZ a few lays days with them had bad dropped into harr harrys s hand ban that morning in par parting tinz the gift of two tajo bright half doll dollars ars to buy anything that he might happen to want happen to want wanti ohbok much roli roii clr cli and anil how bow iong long 10 harry had wanted a knifel how lon ion longhe e had hot wished and hoped and wondered when the time I 1 would come that he be should own such stich a fre treasure asire twelve years old and hid had no knife had been a j damper am more than once when he le tried 0 to o follow with ager the big boys at school I 1 and anti you yu may be sure there was not a moment for indecision as to how or when his money should be bp spent for a knife that very afternoon it should go that was settled aled at once what boy does not remember the pride and anti pleasure that came with his first knife the dig and manliness its ownership conferee conf ered what I 1 boy will not appreciate the giad glad thoughts hat that j filled harrys heart as he walked along alonz through I 1 the warm dast dust of the highway toche hev village llla itla c he ift heXt could not quite decide whet fit ait should have a white or a dark handle haddie but at all events it must have two blades and wont he hov show joe smith next day that some boys could make whistles as well as others and he mend little suy martins lead pencil for her instead of seeing her i go up to the master roaster every time lime it wanted eha sha harp ening oh tomorrow to morrow was to bo be a grand grarld cha dayi dayl i on Il harry harrs artys s way 1 a l rod or two back from the dusty road stood a 0 small dark unpainted house at the low open window of which he caught a sight of 0 a face that lie he knew very well and he paused ed and then walked up with a pleasant smile to speak to his friend josey wood josey was a weak summer suffer ng crippled boy and he be half reclined now on a couch cooch his bisgood good mother made for him all stuffed with hay and covered with neat chintz and drawn up cose to the window so 0 o that the sweet warm air blew in oil on his white forehead and lie he could reach out put and touch the creeping creele grapevines grape vines filled with buds thit that clambered above I 1 the sill I 1 josevs josefs mother ivas evas was verv very poor noor and she worked hard all lay day with her needle for there was no one to provi provide defor defon for fon her or her tripled boy and yet she lle ile lie found time to do a world of kind things for him she it was who trained the roses who kept the room so daintily clean who carried him in her arm arms out into the field in the he warm days that lie he i laia lala might gilt glit feel the he soft grass and hear the birds sing sin and watch the feeding of the flocks flock she it was who sang old songs to him and told him stories when he was almand ire ile the lie pain made him nervous and M sad she was a good mother to josey and he loved her dearl dearly yand and tried as much as lie he could to keep back from her his troubles and pain and always spoke to her and ard sweetly but ut josey osey had dhe one great plea piea pleasure tire of his own he had a remarkable talent for cutting curious and beautiful things out of wood these he stained with dye that his mother made for him and she carried them down to the village and sold them when she went home with her e work woric Tobe to be sure josey could not make many of these for his hig little a nervous fin fingers finers ers were of ten fen useless with pain and some days he was obliged to lie very still on his back do doing indo dithing thine thing but theroy the joy hb he had whenever hi laiz mother mather did bring home money of his big owr own barnin earning X 1 w was as more than I 1 can tell you his hot lint cheeks checks would glow the whole evening and his mother had to take him on her lap and sooth him to sleep or he would have lain all night dreaming of his liches iches t ile he was feeling very bright to lay day and the litile pine table drawn up to the side pt hs couch was covered with bit bits of wood and tin tiny cups of coloring hat that belonged to his work he laid down the knife with which he lie cag was cutting and put out his big thin hand to meet harrys with an expression of delight the two boys had not seen each other ether fw a long time and arid harry had a host of wo darful of boy interest to bdate relate and altogether was wag so affectionate and cordial that his presence served to do josey as much good as the mag mav sunshine and anil indeed lh mi plump glad gidd face all ail in a glow with ex exercise freise and the warmth of the day wa was s a cheery sight for anybody what are you doing there said harry narry pointing to the materials on the he table oil oh some something thing lhing famous 5 si d josey smiling its ts going to be the greatest thin thing I 1 ever did its a kind of work box oil sep ive got a splendid picture for the top and here a queer invention of my own for the he spools isi I 1 shall be rick tick rich I 1 expect when I 1 sell i it eh mohei and b he e smiled T e playfully at the word rich harry hand instinctively dropped into the pocket hat that held the file two half dollar dollars but blit he looked at josevs van wan face and worn patched clothes ciot ctol hes and something in his heart restrained him from parading his newly acquired wealth dont stop working josey 91 he be said 1 I should like ilke to see how you yon go zo at it its much a puzzle to me how those beautiful niney nines are made I 1 am sure gure I 1 could never neier do it in a lib lifetime kinle ai 0 a perhaps you could if it nothing else to do said josey pleasantly but the he words made harry sober as lie he thought of his own strong limbs and vigo vigorous ou t f amb ams and thousand ways of amusement a and nd he stood looking at josey Is cs lie he worked in silence it was wag curious indeed to see he cut and carved ami how smoothly the rough wood came into form under his the work evidently interested inte reste him greatly greath but now norv his big hand 1 trembled and hig his hi shortened breath showe dhow even a little exertion was but he talked pleasantly to harry explaining the he why and ani wherefore of everything he lie did se seeming pining to enjoy his admiration and anti sympathy very much what a sharp knife that is of yours josey 11 said harry tit it cuts like a razor 12 yes s stid slid lid tid joy that knife was my father 4 the little blade was wig broke when I 1 first had it but this bids bils fair to last a cond many years and luck dy ly for I 1 dyt dont doht know what I 1 should do without it and anti lie lle lunged it into one on ide tide of the he box w where here he was hollowit hol hoi lowin out a 1 liere here was a quick low snap and anti hany harry s stait rd dand and leaned into the window ah abi it was way too frue true rue it q quick nick excited motion I 1 lie he knife had bad broken tile the blade snapped near the top still sul stuck fast to lle ile lie the I 1 wood wool and the smooth worn handle was left ifft in m his hand poor josey furred very white and lay back on his couch and into his hollow eye eyes came big 1 tead tear ar but ho lid crushed them bade linder under the thin eyelids and put up irs s liand lland as if it he would smooth the contraction of hii forehead but a look of pain had fixed itself in his face and he lie could not put it away jJ josey oey dean dear boy said sald liis his mother molher ani and she c came ame up and put her han la around him and drew out the broken blade from the wood her tears she did not try to keep back but pitying as she I 1 did she could only weep and sooth him she I 1 could not say the words she would rather have sad sa d than any other thit she would soon have haie replaced his ani loss oss don dont acry crr dear mother ald far aid joey jofey faintly I 1 knives cant last forever you know and if this must break see seo hov how nicely it has come off so near the handle I 1 can use the tile blade for a great many things and one of your knives will help too I 1 can get along nicely I 1 think but jospy josey found it harj hard to comfort his big poor mother she knew how many lonely hours that knife had cheered how many mariy dull quil ones it had bri brightened aurs airs likened how bow much delight his wo work nad had had always been to him how impossible it was for her 1 to 04 get e t him in another ion tor a lonz time and she remembered b e d t too loo 0 that on the sll sli slight ht earnings of josevs she he was a dependent epen dent for the means of procuring for him those little luxuries that were almost n necessaries ec es when he lie was wag feeble and dufferin summering suffering 7 harry could lot lot tot speak but chiq lii ill bi blue it e eyes were full of tears and a great pain filmed his heart as lie he caught lie look more touching than all the mothers words with ach wit ch josey gathered up tip the severed handle ani and blade and put them into the drawer of his little table oh liow how few the boys sources of happiness must be when the the breaking of the simple knife could pit p it such a desolate loo look k into his face excitement as it usually did had made josey jo jorey rey sey a little faint and while he lav lay back with his eyes closed for a few monten moments ts mis wig ll 11 is mother fannin fanning him with her broad palmleaf palm leafman leaf fan harry slipped away it was late in the afternoon when he came again towards the house on his return from his long walk to the he village the soft light of the ilia setting stin sun fell about window and the pale boy lay looking out on the ro roy rosy y an and golden chadi in in the tiie western sky there was still a sad look on his face but bill lie he smiled when harry came up tip and li listened plea piea pleasantly to the boy gossip lie had brought from the village it was not until sod som some e m after harry had bade him gool good bye and lie ha had ceased to watch his stout little figure hurrying road that hat joey josey discovered in the far corner of the window a closely folded package of while paper directed to himself and as aa lie he slowly and wonderfully unrolled it there droppel dropped from it heavily upon his couch a big and beautiful knife stouter ter and handsomer than the one luellad hei hee lad iad lost and with two fine blades blade losey josey trembled so and his eyck eye grew so dim that he lie could not read the wortis words on oil the tiie inside of the wrapper ani and all in wonder his in other mother came and ard reat these lines written in an un unformed ormed boy bayh ah hand fiand please to accept this knife from me became because I 1 would rather you should have it to make up tip for the one you broke thin to have the thie handsomest knife in the world I 1 bought if with my own miley on lupoe for you your sorry and affectionate friend harry 1 poor joeal the tears that had bad been kept back fell fast enough now and like a little child he hid bid h s face against his big mothers breast too glad and grateful for word words there was no pleasant sound sounding ine inz of silver in in harrys pocket when he weilt went to his hs room that night no strone strong beautiful lo keife ife better thair tharl the fhe i silver to take its but his mI mahers hers kiss was tender er than ever when she site hate hade him good goodnight n ht and angels of peace and love ove hove Nove hovered reI rel about aboul t him I 1 with will blessings promised to those who lay up treasures in heaven |