Show rrt T THE NEWSBOYS GREETING by FRANCES GRIN grenstead STEAD T T WAS a frosty morning in the days day of franklin stoves the paper carrier a small email boy wrapped iti in a red and black striped muffler his dose cose and eyes showing beneath a castoff plush cap of his fathers and wearing a nondescript coat once big brothers slipped in the door of the hardware store with an armful of newspapers he blew his cold breath in the chill air and held his hands to the rapidly heating stove only then did he be muster nerve to fish in the coat pocket hanging near his knees and to proffer with the morning paper a new years tears car card d elaborately printed in two or three colors of ink and decorated with a variety of borders rules and sizes and styles of type this he offered shyly with a retreating motion toward the door the hardware dealer glanced over his spectacles looked at the greeting as it if surprised and exclaimed well well henry but this Is nim nice thank you and heres a dime henry left the stoves increasing warmth with more haste than usual 1 he glanced over his spectacles spectacle as if in surprise in order to make his bis new years tears call upon miss mattle blattle milliner and dealer in thread needles and buttons with her and with others on his route from the mayor to the grocer and blacksmith he left the dally daily paper anil and a copy of the annual work of art from his editors print shop conveying in lines that rippled with eloquence the paper carriers hope that his patrons would wax prosperous and maintain a state of general good health throughout the glad new year tear each of his customers would express an agreeable surprise and a gratifying know knowledge knowledg led ge of what was expected a responding with gifts tha that t ranged from the hardware mans dime to the mayors fifty cents among the samples of work done which printing offices so seldom throw away hway there aust must rest many examples of the carrier boys card of thirty to fifty years epars ago it was a widespread custom under Und ertho the dusty eaves of one arl print shop has lain a carriers card that will soon round out ont its century of A aging ing yellowness the lines of the poem it bears deal with the fleeting character of time present the merits of henryclay henry clay over william henry nar har alson and end with this verse terse the ladle fairl god bless blesi them all will ralie raise the welling swelling lay and help us onward roll th the ball the ball tor for henry clay thus when you revel in your hill hall midst mirth end and laugh and joy at how you nobly rolled the ball think of the carrier boy 45 western newspaper union |