The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-10-23
A BROKEN FLOWER THAT
BLOOMED AGAIN.
A story of a Brave Boy and His Sister

A Story of Brave Boy and His Sister
In a pleasant New jersey village lived tw,
boys named respectively John Wilson and
Harry Grant. The former of these BOYS
was nine, and the other eleven wears of age
Their condition in lieras very different
Harry Grant lived in beautiful cottage
close by the village church, with a prett,
yard full Of flowers stretching out before ths
door, and great garden lying behini it,
under whose trees the children played in
summer, and in which the little birds bull,
their nests in early spring. Johnny Wilson
on the contrary, lived in an old dilapidated
house, without any yard before it or any
garden behind it; with only little patch
of ground, surrounded by struggling fence in
which only now and then timid little flower
peeped out in summer fl ON thin grass, as il
ashamed, from so desolate place, 20 look
into the bright face of Gods beautiful days.
Harry Grants father was clergyman, and
he had one brother two Years younger than
himself. Johnny Wilson's father was shoe
maker by tlade. A little sign over the door
told the passers- by that within they could
haze boots and shoes made and repaired. y
But the signboard was deceptive ; for Thom-
as Wllson-the people in the village gener-
ally called him "Tom was an idle, lazy
man he cared mere for lounging at the tav-
arm and drinking with the bar-room loafers
than for work, and SO it happened that he
was very seldom found at home when the
villagers called to have him perform their
"jobS." Tom Wilson had three children in
all: Johnny, VINO was the Oldest Mary,
who was two years younger and Robby,
who was yet little baby, only one year old,
with the iignt Of heaven still in his eyes. TO
all of these, hunger was a familiar guest. and
few were the days of sunshine in their lives.
Yet while these two boys lived very different
ly. they were not SO very different in char
acter. If ANYTHING, Johnny Wilson was the
manlier of the two. He had so much trouble
to encounter thai he grew strong in resisting
IL and he saw so mach in his fathers life
n i i.9 knew to be wrong. and 50 much suf-
t4gjns i'll his home, that he learned to hate
sin, a1U TO SPEAK olt against i, without any
tesr ". .tever.
JJhDay vas helped very INCH il leaning
To do riGht y his matner, who was tr;e
Ghristian woman, and taught her children TO
AVOID everything that was wrong. Every
nigh! and morning, Ia their little sarret-room
she would hear them say their prayers, some
times telling ten a pleasant story about
Jesus, aid his loye fpr little children: and
- ..cVtr ia'.t,. - cuiiolt. ,.,..,, ii
ed!y, anything thai was wrong in their con-
duet. Sometimes Johnny would forget, as
al litle boys are at to do. the lessons his
uothsr learned him, and on such occasions
sae vas sure to show him his error. aud
make hin anxiJuS TO do better in future
) Johnny. with such a guiGe and helper.
grew ~ u he a pleasant, kind, and noble
boy, whom! every body loved, but none SO
much as his h,;Ie sister Mary.
But Johany was not without his troubles S.
Very often he had his principles pu. to severe
trials
One day his father, who had been wander
ing irritably about the house for some hours,
commanded Johnny TO take the .jng and go
10 the tavern for quart of liquor.
81 canno' 30, papa, said Johnny | am
pledges, never to taste nor handle anything
! that makes drunk"
won't go, eh ~ angrily exclaimed the
father. Take tina; jug, sir, and march
straight along, or you'll rue it sorely"
! Johnny was used to such threats, so he
only repeated:
! 81 can't go papa"
/ Iom Wilson did not stop any longer to
argue the case. SEEING the brave little
! Johnny, he beat him savagely about the head
until he was out of breath, and then, raising
his foot. kicked him into the corner of the
room, where he lay bruised and bleeding
while the inhuman father. snatching the lug
hurried off to the tavern.
Johnnys mother lifted him from the floor
and carried him to the bed, where she kindl,
bathed his bruised face, smoothed down hi.
rumpled hair, and, with soft words, soothet
his sobbing heart, while little Mary, her eye:
fall Of tears, stood by, holding one OF John
ny's hands in hers.
"Don't cry said the mothe, father die
not know what he was doing. He woult
not do 50 if it wasn't for the naughty liquor.
But what makes papa drink the mast!
STUFF" said little Mary.
The mother did not answer; she only turn
ei away her face that her little ones Nigh
rot see TIE painful look in her eyes; ant
rrr* s"on Johnny was asleep, and Mary, for
ge,liag her grief, was rlaying on the floor a
thougI 10 sorrow had ever darkened he
: YONG lie.
, seen ike this were Very freqnen, in Ton
Wilson's ho'3e, but he had never beaten hi
son so severely as On this occasion. 1t seem
ed as if he had lost all feeling, and had be
r come d brute 1t vas no wonder that lon
after Johnny was asleep, his mother sat vii,
her hands lying in her lap and a sorrowfl
, lock in her eyes. She remembered ho'
E when she was happy young girl Tom WI