Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-10-04

SOP
90 yes / cried Il am so wicked
| wish were as good as you are =
AS am ! be began.
/ was too young then to understand the
sharp tone of self-reproach in which he
spoke. In my eyes he was perfection !;
only perhaps little too good. But he
went on -
DO you know this fault of yours re-
minds me OF time when ! was just as
williul and conceited, just as much bent
upon doing the great duty Of helping
others in my own grand fashion, rather
than in the humble way in which Gods
Providence pointed out, only it was in a
much more serious matter; | was older,
100, and so had less excuse. | am almost
tempted to tell you about it; not that
our cases are really quite alike, but that
the punishment which met my sin was so
unspeakably bitter in comparison with
yours, that you may be thankful to have
learned lesson of humility at smaller
cost
did not understand HMM fact 7
did not understand many things that he
said, for he had habit of talking to nue.
as if he were speaking to himself; but
had a general idea Of his meaning, and
said (very truly, Il cannot fancy you
doing wrong
was puzzled again by the curious
expression of his face but he only said:
Shall tell you a story
knew his stories of old, and gave an
eager Yes
1t is sad one he said.
j do not think should like a very
funny one just now l replied. Is it
true|
Quite he answered, 1T is about
myself He was silent for a few mo-
ments, as if making up his mind to
speak and then laying his head, as be
sometimes did on my shoulder, so that
could not see his face, he began.
When | was a boy Colder than you,
so that | ought to have been better,) |
might have been described in the words
of Scripture, was the only son of my
mother and she was a widow We
were badly off; and she was very deli
cate, nay, ill-more i'll, God knows, than
| had any idea of. | had long been used
to the sight Of the doctor once or twice
week, and to her being sometimes bet
ter, and sometimes worse; and when our
old servant lectured me for making
noise, or the doctor begged that she
might not be excited or worried, | fam
cied that doctors and nurses always did
say things of that sort, and that there
was no particular need to attend them.
Not that l was unfeeling to my dear
mother, for | loved her devotcdly, in my
wilIlul, worldly way. 1t was for her
sake that had been so vexed by the
poverty into which my fathers death had
plunged US. For her sake worried her
by grumb.ing before her at our narrow
lodgings and lost comforts. For her
sake, child, in my madness, wasted the
hours in which might have soothed
and com'orted, and waited on her, in
dreaming Of wild schemes for making
myself famous and rich, and giving her
back all and more than she had lost
For her sake | fancied myself pouring
money at her feet, and loading her with
luxnries, while she was praying for me
to our common Father, and laying up
treasure for herself in Heaven.
'One day, remember, when she was
demonstrating with me over the bad re.
port which the schoolmastcr had given
OF me Che said | could work but would
noD, my vanity overcome my prudence,
and ! told her that | thought some fell .
lows were made to fag,' and some were
not; that | had been writing a poem in
my dictionary the day that had done so
badly, and that hoped to be a poet long
before my master had composed a gram
mar. | can now see her sorrowful face. /
AS, with tears in her eyes, she told me
that all fellows alike, were made to 60
their duty before God, and angels, and
men That it was by improving Il
little events and opportunities of every
day that men became great, and not by
neglectng them for their own presumpt-
uous iances. And she entreatcd me TO
strive and do my duty, and to leave the
rest with God l istened, however, i'm
patiently, to what | called Jaw, or a
scold,' and then (the tender interest ,he
took in all | did tried to coax her by
offering to read my poem. But she an.
swered, with just severity, that what she
wished was to see me a good man, not
a c-oot ana ,,l Al. l. =. Ill -