Billy had no appetite for the nice supper that Aunt Saxon had ready

when he came dejectedly home that night. He had passed the parsonage

and seen through the dining-room window that the rich guy was sitting

at the supper table opposite Marilyn laughing and talking with her and

his soul was sick within him. That was his doing! Nobody else but

himself to blame!

Aunt Saxon had apple dumplings with plenty of "goo," black with

cinnamon just the way he loved it, but he only minced at the first

helping and scarcely tasted the second. He chopped a great many

kindling after supper, and filled the woodbox, and thoughtfully wound

the clock. Then instead of going out with his usual "I gotta beat it!"

he sat languidly on the doorstep in the dusk, and when she anxiously

questioned if he were sick he said crossly: "Aw, Gee! Can't ya let a fella alone! I'm all in, can't ya

see it? I'm gonta bed!" and knowing he had said the most

alarming thing in the whole category he slammed upstairs to his own

room and flung himself across his bed.

Aunt Saxon filled with vague fears crept softly up after him, tapping

at his locked door: "Willie, what is the matter? Just tell auntie where the pain is and

I'll get you some medicine that will fix you all up by morning. I'll

get you a hot water bag--!"

"DON'T WANT NO HOT WATER BAGS!" roared the sore hearted Billy. "Can't

ya lemme alone?"

Silence a moment while Aunt Saxon pondered tearfully and sighfully,

then: "Willie, is it the tooth ache?"

"NoooOH!" roared Billy.

A pause, then: "Billy, you've had a fall off that wheel and hurt yer head or cut yer

knee, I know, I've always thought you'd do that, that old wheel! You

oughtta have a new one. But I'll bring the arnica and bathe it. And

we'll paint it with iodine--where was it Willie? Yer knee?"

Billy's shoes came to the floor with a bang: "Aw gee! Can't ya keep yer mouth shut an' let a fella have a little

sleep. It ain't Nowhere! It ain't Nothin' an' I didn't

have no fall an' I don't want no new bicycle. D'ye hear? I don't want

nothin' 'cept just to be let alone. I wantta go ta sleep. Ain't I ben

tellin' ya fer the last half hour? It ain't sinful fer a fella

to wantta take a little sleep is it when he's been up half the night

before taking care of a fella on the mountain?--But if I ain't allowed,

why then I'll get up an' go out somewheres. I know plenty of places

where they'll lemme sleep--"




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