Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1850-09-13
a Clever StOry-The Soft Answer.


Ono peasant Summer evening the boys of
certain school had settled themselves to play
these with their marbles, others with whipping
or their spinning iop-and were jus, making a
very cheerful time Of il. Suddenly ono Of them
sprang to his feet, and Loudly crying out. dis
'urbed in moment the whole harmony Of the
little meeting. Perhaps his maze Ii &c made
mistake which did him wrong. That we can
not be sure ofi but all are very sure that to do
another wrong. is not the best way t. get the
first one righted.
Rufus, for that was the little fellows name.
doubled bis fists, as the boys used TO cal
C 'enchiug their hands, when WE w,re one Of
them, aud lonrishcd his arms about. as If he
werp another QniXotc. (of whom YOU will read
one Of these dys, and was very nnxiou< to do
battle with somebody. lie DECLARED that he
con'd whip any hoy in tie school or all the b7v:.
one after the other; and re said that, for 8
small consderation-' Two Pins, we think it
was--he would do il too. And then lie looked
all round him, and pouted ont his lips, and
rolled his hands over each other, as if he was
grndnL on two coffee mills cross handed il
such thing could be. Nou may BE- certain
that lie though, himself very valiant indeed
bnt as some of the boys laughed, and none Of
them ran, Rufus was IN a sad pre!icampni !
takes two boys at least to manage one fiyhi
and Rufus began TO feel foolish as lie found
himself al! alone in this most unamiable spo-
stion. lie wished TO be the lyrant lie was
the victim
The other boys had fsily beaten Linn no,
with their hands. or with sticks, or with stones
or with angry words. The wise man saws tina =
a soft answer turneth away WRATH and will.
this weapon the quarrelsome boy was conquc--
. WDulU | n % b,,
lost his next holiday, or promised in spite, to
study through the whole long vacation, fSomc-
body only would have quarrelled with him. j.
is an awkward thing, let me tell YOU. if you
have not found il out yet, to be IN great rage
and 10 have nobody take it up as tho boys
say. ]; bellties the pugnqciouS man or boy
sadly, when nobody will make him Of conse
quencc enough to give him battle and he
creeps away after such appointment, feel
ing a great deal worse than if he had been
soundly beaten. lie las nobody to complain
Of, and nobody to bam' but himself. lie has
exposed his own weakness and wickcdnc>s
and found no one foolish enoughto to- come down
to his level, and be as contcmptibc as he
Rufus had kind little brother. and his name
was VIII; the boys used to call him gentle
Willy. Now, if the truth must b, told, the lads
did not always treat Rufus kindly. The lret
fnl hoy is sure, when one thing 9, e. wrong, to
find every thing awry. We have seen lad
Just like Rufus, iardy at school, punished for
inattention, degraded for mistakes detained af.
ter the others were dismissed, scolled for up
setting his iukstand, aud perhaps bruised in
quarrel with his mates, and a., beginning with
a hard knot in his shon-'tring in ne mprni ng.
The smallest trifle will destroy the rqnanimiy
of such on ungovernable boy Rufus, and
bring on him whole string OF msior,nnes
But if the boys harrassed Rnfns not sonl
Of them ever disturbed Willy. lie was always
ready with the strong weapon we have before
mentoned--the soft answer. and nobody
could impose upon gentle Willy Nobody I!
We are sorry TO say it, but there was one hny
who could and did; and who do you think II
was No other, YOU may be sure, than his
own brother, Rufus.
! Little Willy was much younger than his
brother, ard yet he saved the qnarrel-ome boy
from many difficulty. lie would put himself
between Rufus and harm ard great many
times he stopped the other boys from torment
ing him, because they could not bear 10 hurt
the feelings Of lad who never hurt any body
/ himself; and on the very day On which we
have been talking. gentle Willy took ungentle
Rufus by the arm and pursuaded him to come
home. Their path wound through pleasant,
fields and woods. which Willy dearly loved 10
look upon, lie walked away lighted and
cheerful. now watching The hule birds which
started up from the bushes, and flew away, as
The boys came near--for boys have no, a very
good character with birds-nrw laughing 10
see an awkward frog POP into the wafer with
orosk, ana row stepping carefully aside 10
avoid an an hll or worm N his rath. WI