Not all, perhaps only a very few, new enterprises in the literary world are able to meet all their expenses and show a profit during the first year of their existence, but the twelve-year-old boy's enterprise was able to do this. Beside meeting all his expenses, he had at the end of the first year been able to distribute 760 pairs of shoes to the poor children of New York. Not all of these were new. Some were old ones mended by Tello's special shoemaker in such a way as to make them almost as good as new in the matter of usefulness, if not in appearance. Then people began to send in stockings (some new, some old), dresses, boys' suits, underwear, old playthings, etc., until the Barefoot Mission became indeed a blessed place to the poor of New York. When Christmas came, the boy-editor provided a great Christmas tree and festival, where not only boots and shoes and clothing were distributed to the needy, but turkeys and ham, and cakes and "candies" were given out, to the great delight of the 700 children who attended it. Here is one of the many pathetic little letters the young editor received just before one of the Christmas festivals. It was published at the time in The Sunny Hour:—
"Dear Mr. Tello,—Me and my little sister and the baby can't have no crismus this year 'cause our father is dying and granma is sick with perelisis and our little bruther died two weeks ago and the city had to bury him. Mother is not working 'cause the baby is too little—there's ten of us all counted. So if you have any crismus won't you let us come, for we all haven't got clothes to keep us warm nor shoes, and no coal except what my big brother picks up—nothing to eat hardly. Yours respecfully."
Childish letters of appeal similar to the above have been coming in ever since the mission was started, and they have acted as a continual spur to the young missionary. The distributions increased until one day 3,032 pairs of shoes and stockings were given out, and about 2,000 flannel garments as well.
GOLD MEDAL PRESENTED TO THE BOY-EDITOR BY THE PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA.
(Of which there are only five in existence.)
Meanwhile The Sunny Hour magazine increased in interest and circulation. The list of eminent contributors and patrons became larger every month. Very busy men and women, for the product of whose pens the editors of the best periodicals were willing to pay liberally, sent in gratis to The Sunny Hour stories and poems to be edited by a little boy.
TELLO J. D'APERY AT PRESENT TIME.
(Photo: D. Garber, New York.)