Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-07-14

ton from YOU
"Well, what d,d you say ?" asked doz-
en- eager voices from the boys side of the
room. ~s --
II said no told him to leave the tree
standing, and answered for my pupils that
not one-elther boy or girl-would molest
a single apple, If they hung there till they
rotted upon the tree ~
There was an audible murmur of appro-
baton throughout the room, and Mr.. Bur-
ton continued
81 know you will every one of you make
good my promise to DR.. Waldron-you will
every one of you prove yourselves boys
(and, must venture to ado, girls y of honor
and honesty,-you will not touch an apple
upon the tree, ripe or unripe, and you will
make me now promise to that effect, with
the full intention to keep such promise
sacred. Is 1t not so ;"
"Yes, sir yes, sir we will promise!'
cried grand chorus of voices.
81 am now perfectly satisfied as to the
safety of DR.. Waldron's apples, and the
honor of my school. There is nothing more
to be said on the sbject," said Mr.. Burton,
and he returned to the duties of his school.
Il was in the latter part of March that
this little scene occurred. Mr. Burton had
been the teacher in that village only since
the first of January, but even in that short
time he had done much to reform both the
minds and manners of his pupils, and had
made himself generally and thoroughly low
ed and respected. He was man of great
intelligence and thorough education, and he
possessed the lare faculty ofimparting IN a
genial and effective manner his knowledge
to others but above all this, he was man
of high moral principle, and truly Christian
disposition and department
Three months passed by, and DR.. Wal
dron's apples ripened and mellowed undis-
turbed by the scholars no one would pull
one, and even the ripe apples that dropped
off the tree over into their play ground were
gathered up by the boys and thrown over
the fence; every one scorned to touch the
forbidden fruit. DR.. Waldron watched this
state of affairs with wonder and admiration
Mr. Burton with afectionate PRIDE
Finally, when the fine apples were in a
state of thorough ripeness and mellowness,
the Doctor signifed to Mr.. Burton his wish
that the scholars would consider those ap-
pies as their own property entirely, gather
them all, and appropriate them to their own
uses.
One morning IN school, Mr.. Burton told
his pupils of DR.. Waldron's generous gift
to them, and added words of warm praise
and afectionate commentator of ali his
scholars, individually and collectively for
having SO nobly and faithfully resisted a
daily temptation. Glad smiles and mur-
INJURED words of pleasure and delight,ran a.
round the school-room, but there was one
heavy heart which gave forth no glad ut
terances; one young head dropped low that
its long curls might hide the shame-dyed
face and the quick starting tears caused by
the teachers words.
"What is the matter with you, Sophie J"
asked Annie who sat at the same desk.
Nothing" answered the girl, with a
sudden start, and quickly ypallng cheek
Nothing, but my head aches" And in
truth she looked so wan and wretched that
one might well believe her physically i'll,
"But you don't seem to be glad Bit"
said the merry Anne; ~ don't believe you
have even heard what Mr. Burton has been
saying. Do you know we are to have all
the apples on DR.. Waldron's tree, and the
toys are to gather them tomorrow, which
is Saturday, and we girls are to come TO-
morrow evening TO have little feast at the
school house, and afterwards little dance.
"Well who are you teling?" exclaim-
cd Sophie. sharply. II have the power of
hearing as well as other people, and Mr..
Burton was as near TO me as he was to
YOU"
"But I certainly thought you were asleep,
Sophie !"
"It's nothing to you if was," muttered
the child in sullen anger, a mood SO very
unusual to the happy hearted Sophie, that
Annie, her bosom friend and companion
turned away from her, hurt and astonished
at her unaccountable conduct.
After school, Sophie took her brothers
arm, and nodding goodbye to the teacher
walked down towards her home. She and
Earnest were orphan children, but they liv-
ed with their grandmother in beautiful
cottage-like home, called Greenbrier, stu
ated near the outskirts of the village. She
had nothing to say during the walk, and
after they reached home, she put away her
bonnet and books and seated herself IN the
low window-seat, apart from them all. En-
nest commenced TO tell his grandmother a
bout the events Of the day, and how happy
they all expected to be tomorrow.
'iNot so much for the apples" he said
with boyish pride, "for can get them at
home-but for the honor paid to us, and for
the pleasure of dance in the school-house
with the girls, and MIR. Burton toplay fol
u.s.
"What ails you, Sophie :" suddenly asked
the quick-sighted old lady, interrupting En-
nests speech. "What is the matter with
you"
"Grandma, Tn sick" the child exclaim-
ed, almost petulantly, but with an express
sion of real suffering upon her countenance
which excused her dlsrespect. Immedi-
ately the grandmother was full of soil
citude and anxiety. CARVING her to hel
own chamber, she made her lie down upon
the beG while she bathed with camphor the
feverish, throbbing temples ), but all this
did no good, the bodily illness arose from
the mental suffering; and until that was al
eviated, the other could certainly not be.
eff you will leave me by myself, grand
ma, | expect can go to sleep-and then
shall be BETTER" said Sophie at length
The kind grandmother adjusted the pillow:
tenderly. and then went away leaving So
phie alone, but she was as unable to sleeI
as ever. the wild throbbing of her temples
and the wilder-throbbing of her guilty bu
renorseful heart gave her no rest