The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1867-12-18

but that sight hatl touched the key n0ie oi
another memory in the soul ot Tom Breck.
Sax months ago. he. with halt dozen
other fellows, had rubbed that mans water
melon field, and stripped the vines Of oil ITS
rlpened trait. The plan was concocted on
holiday afternoon and executed that very
evening. u happened to be = fs'orabie
one ior the undertaking, moon with iace
ni gray clouds over il, and the boys were
just ripe for a trolic. as thev called Il, after
half day Of rough sport. Nobody thought
IL was mean" stealing At the time.
lf such 4 Suspicion had flashed across
Toms mind. he hal put i, away with some
ol the maxims of the schonl boy mnrality.
Numbers had seemed to justify deed
from which alone his conscience and his
sense of honor would h,ve ShruRk tlismsy-
ed. and Tom hsd gone with the rest.
The vines were rlfpd. the melons eaten
or destroyed. and the boys had their fun.
q 0f course the farmer was wrathfuI enough
when he discovered the theft nett day. aud
threatened 10 prosecute the perpetrators I;
but these had never trsnspired. 50 they had
all gone "scot free
. Tom had forgotten the whole thing. but
nov the deed came out 0f some unlocked
dnnr and stood beiore him for Just what IL
~as-m.an. dishonest. stealing.
lie " need a little under that last word
he tried 10 ssrnish the deed over with the
current ideas Of his class-to bolster il up
9th such words as "fun," aud good
time and "jally trick, but through all thr
sarnish the real features showed themselves
Tor just what they v.re. aud the false words
! cauil not sustain the bad deed beiore the
BOYS better instincts.
rom Brcet wished he had taken no part
N the ~a,errn-lon stesling-wished he had
/ lad the nnral cnnr.gr to tell the buys just
sast he iho0ght Of the whole thing. even
IL ihry had laughed Al hlm-wishei he
caul, 20 s~sy no1 to the new school, and
the new seenes without that mem0ry
r,nkl,ns IN has ;houshta; call il what you
sauid. il was Just stealing. and nnthing
better.
Hut what could he dc dragging his line
snconsciously y along the r,vri. ~hrle snwe-
thing ~iihlo whispered. with compelling
authority" Jud ,.u make clean br at
ui II, Tom Breck. Be man. Ga aud ac-
knn~lr,lge your STARE IN the th-h. Tell
,h. farmer you ~Il; p,y for your part ol
The stolen mrlons. ~ cnursr Won won't
betr4y the other boys. but free ,our nwn
conscience oi this mean decd which ellngs
to aud soiis IT,"
hut YOU see Tom didn't like to do this
thing. The isrmer might not take this
c.nirssion very kindly. aud then the boys
9nuld hear Of IL. and sneer over his old
wamsn's conscience" And Was robbing =
water melon patch such grave, solemn of
iencr, after all
"it "a. stealing" aid the ,oice Of au-
ih.rits iL.uir. calling /" fun" I" sport. !"
and VII ihase hne wnr,ls, could not change
the fact. There u stoo,l, mean. coward
ly thing. and the numbers that we're in 10
didn't excuse the work. The onl, brave
thing sss TO 20 eouragsously and face the
truth. and not run awsy frnm !, like COW.
srl. when he was already a thief.
The ~ordssiung. Tam stood It'll. .lov
" winding UP his l,nr. the rnuad face full
~ an snusnaI grsyiis.
Al laa he looked up. The sun oi the
summer day smiled in The ~esi. The sha
dovs Of the trees lay long and thick on the
grsss.
III do il !" said Tum Breek, at last. q
sudden Hash of resolve all svrr hrs face.
and he erof dawn the river rosd. where
. mile beyond lived the lsraer whom he
had robbed.
The boy met the old man at his great
barn gate which his team had just entered.
Eager and brea,hless. Tom painted out :
You remember. Mr.. Writ. that your wn.
termclon vines were robbed last fall"
Yes, sir" said the farmer cracking his
whip. a precious sset Of raseals got ahead
" m~ that time. Never scented outa sonl
| ret"