The Arkansas banner., 1843-10-14


 fire at this place, which consumed about tive thousand buildings, and came near destroying the whole city ltis painful to go on shore and see the people-some have lost their children and some their parents by the flames leu cannot go ten paces amongst the ruins, without coming in contact witlla corpse.0
 BAD MASTERS MAKE BAD BOYS
 BY T. S. ARrHrR, ESQ.
 "Old Hard Paws will go out of his skin when the bill comes in. lcxpect he'll walk into you too quick
 "l shall be ready for him. Bad masters make bad boys, they say. And Pm sure I feel more wicked every day of my life, and all because that old devil treats me so badly. l feel sometimes just as if l could kill him, m,'
 " feel just like you do, sometmes,n said Barney. ''I often think that if I'd had good master, should have liked all things to have i pleased him. Whenever meet any of Will lam's boys, almost envy them. They look so cheerful, and are always dressed so re- specially. Not one of them but what speaks we'll of both him and his wife Mrs. Will Hams is as kind to them as mother could be, and IS always doing something for their com fort On Sundays they go to church, and sit i'll the same pew with the family; and no later than last Sunday, as was going along after church time, met Harry Wheeler, the oldestboy, actually walking home from meet ing with Caroline Williams. And he didn't sneak along, can tell you but walked close to her, and as easy as if he were her brother. And then to see how naturally and pleasantly she talked with him, was enough to dc one's heart good"
 "Don't talk about them things, Barney, if you please" said Tom; '' it stirs me up from the very centre.o
 's It makes me feel bad, too, when I sec how other boys are treated like human beings, and we arc dogged about like dumb beasts,'' added Alexander
 "Phillips's boys have as hard a time as we have," remarked Barney
 "Yes, and they are pretty hard colts, ioo," responded Alexander.
 ss All the bad masters in town have bad boys," said Tom.
 Y es, and the good masters have little or notrouble with their boys,n added Alexander. " ou know old MT. Lane, who publishes the paperi"
 "Of course, we do,' responded both the boys.
 Well, when he bought out that newspa- per establishment, there were three boys-I knew 'em all well enough-who were to be transferred with it. It was a joyful day with them when it was known in the office that there was to be a new administration, and Mir. Lane at the head of it. On the day the court was to transfer their indcntures, at about nine o'clock in the morning, the three waited upon Mr. Lane at his office.
 "'Good morning, boys said Mr. Lane l pleasantly. Take chairs,' and he seated them all as politely as if they had been men grown, and all as rich as Jews.
 "'Y ou're going to buy out the office, l be- leve, Mr. Lane,' said the spokesman
 Yes, it's already done, boys he replied encouragingly.
 "'Well, there's one thing we want to know, before our indentures are translewed.'
 "'That's right, boys; name all you want now, for after have your indentures, it will be too late, remember.'
 "'Well, all we want to know Is, whether, if we are bound to You, you will allow Tom Hill, the foreman, to fog us whenever he pleases.' {
 "'No, indeed, that will not said Wr. Lane, warmly. Nobody shall have fhe privilege of flogging in my office but myself l shall do all the flogging, understand.'/
 "We'll be bound then,' said the thrfe fel- lows at once, laughing right out, in fpile of themselves, at the idea of Mir. Lanfs fog ging them.
 At ten o'clock they went up tgithe court house, and expressed to the judge, each one by himself, their willingness to lave their in dentures transferred to Mir. Lane After 1t was all over, MT. Lane called them to one side, and told them that he wished to see them at his office They went there, and when he entered, he said,
 "'Now, boys, you havehad your terms, shall name mine. You stipulated tbat no one but me should fog you. Now that you are bound, stipulate that no boy in my enl- ployment shall expect 10 be fogged at all.- can't have any boy that wants to be hoggcd All my boys must be acted on by d higher motive-the desire to please me. Now, il any of you think you can't do without hog- ging, he can just return with me to the court house, and get back his indentures, for there is to be no flogging ill my oflice.'
 This was new doctrine to them fellows, l can tell you. but they understood it at once, and believed in it.
 "'Y ou shall never have cause to complain of us, MT. Lane, said the spokesman. All we want, is just to know at any time what you wish, and it shall be donc.'
 "'Stick to that, boys, and we'll never quar- rel,' replied MT. Lane, smiling good humor- edly upon the three chaps. And do you think they would do any thing to displease him No!-they'd cut their right hands off first and yet they were always kicking up dust and getting flogged before. Mr. Lane has no trouble with his boys, for they all like him too well to offend him"
 "Mr. Lane's prime gentleman n' respond ed Barney. < It always does me good to look at him. If all masters were like him, boys would have some motive for doing right. Pve many time thought of doing l