“Yes, here it is,” and the badge was taken from the coat and handed to the boy. Looking at it closely, and calling several companions to him, he said:
“Pres., youse see that diamond in the center?” pointing a dirty finger to it.
“Yes, sir, we all see it, and it’s a beauty.”
“Well, you see,” he said straightening up above his natural height, “I subscribed four cents to this here badge, and all the boys put up the dough. When I went home and thought it over, I says to myself, we ought to have a bigger badge than this fur our president. So when I comes down town I see de boys and we concluded to have a diamond put in the center. It met wid de kids ’proval, and it was done. You see de diamond?”
“Yes,” replied a dozen voices.
“Well, I blowed eleven cents in it,” he proudly replied. Adding, “Ain’t it a bird?”
Happy youth.