Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-06-04

"a a get on too fast, and although he had n
to to penalty for breach of the rules of neat
.r ness, he introduced public scntimen
$ which restrained the pupils more effectu
ally than the rod; and as his own exam
pie was always made to second his rules
/. the children found no great hardship o.
Sc injustice in them.
n Among the scholars was one little fellow
r about eight years old, named Freddy Gar
rish, whose parents were poor and cared
little for appearances, if the children had
bread enough to eat from day to day
Freddy was the oldest of five children, and
when not at school he was generally mind
ing his little brothers and sisters, as the
Irish term what We call tending or taking
care Of them.
One day on his way home from school
he found an iron hoop, and before night
he had scraper before the only door Of
the house. 1t so happened that, when his
father came home, his boots were covered
with bog mud, and almost for the first
time in his life, he looked around for
something to clean them The scrapcr
that Freddy had placed there was just the
thing, and the little fellow was praised for
his ingenuity. Soon after sheep was
killed by dog in the field near Mr.. Ger
rish's house, and as no one cared for it,
Freddy offered to bury it if he might have
the skin, which had but little wool on it.
He borrowed a jack knife of larger boy,
and soon stripped off the skin from the
body, and then cutting as large square
out of it as he could, he went home and
proposed to his mother to nail it down in
the entry. This was done to please Fred
dy, and the baby was allowed to sit on it
until father came home. The effect ofI
Freddy's attempt at reform was soon felt,
and his mother was no longer heard to say,
as she often had done, dts no use to
sweep" "Wifc," said Mr.. Gerrish one
evening, "your floor is winter than the
wall: must get some lime and white
wash little, for Frcddy's scraper seems
to have tail to it." The room was shin
ing white before another day was passed,
and the cooking utensils began to look i'll,
standing around the stone. Mr.. Gcrrish,
who was good farmer, changed work with
carpenter, and had neat set of shelves
made with cupboard under them. One
day after she had secured the floor, Mrs. !
Gerrish said to herself, a wonder if |
can not paint this floor well enough for
poor people, for though white floor looks
well, it is easier to clean painted one"
Freddy was dispatched to the coachmaker's
to ask what some suitable paint would
cost. "How big is your rocm?" said the
man, who had noticed that Freddy was
never among the boys that were doing
mischief "Four times as long as l can
reach one way, and five times the othcr,"
said Freddy. The man applied the rule
to his arms, and said, I" 1t will cost you
half dollar? Who is to do the work p
said the man. "Mothcr, sir, is going to
try, because she can't afford to pay for the
paint and the painting too, and she wants
to do it before father comes home" "You
love her, don't you? 2" said the coach-ma-
ker. Iguess l do" said Freddy, Sand
she loves me, too, because l made scra-
per at her door like Master Halls at the
school She says if it had not been for
the scraper, she never should have thought
of the paint, and We are going to stay in
the bedroom or out of doors till the paint
is dry" 81 see through it" said the man.
"Go home and tell your mother 1 will
come presently and paint the floor for
nothing.' The boy was starting of, when
the coachmaker recollected that half the
charm was to consist in the wife's doing
the work, and surprising her husband with
a floor painted by her own hand, and
called the boy back and asked if his moth
er had any money. "a little" said he,
"she bought some yarn and knit three
pairs of stockings while the baby was
asleep,a and sold them" "Hereis thepaint,'
said the man, 81 give it to you, my little
fellow, because you love your mother"
The little fellows eyes glared in astonish-
ment at the idea of possessing so much
paint, and Of being paid for SO easy task
as loving his mother, and as the big tears
began to roll down his checks, he said,
"Mother'll be able to buy the Bible now"
"What Bible?" said the man, who had be-
come interested in the boy. "The Bible
for me to read every night and morning,
as the master does" "I have some Bibles
to give away" said the man, "and if you
will not spill the paint, you may take one
under your arm" 81 DECLARE" said Fred
dy, 81 don't know what mother will say
to all this. How will she pay you, sir