Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1869-05-28
SELECTED sT0R Y
THE POWER OF KINDNESS.

zach Sprout was good husband an in
dulgent father, an honest man, an accom-.
modating neighbor, and he possessed many
other excellencies of character which might
have made him an excellent member of SO.
ciety had it not been for certain loose habits
which had marked his course from child.
hood. His parents had been careless and
prone before him, his father had been &
tough, rough customer, so Jack had natur.
ally come into the same track. But he was
good looking and kind hearted and genial
social, and SO had gained for q wife one Of
the very best maldens in our town, as we'll as
one of the handsomest.
Master Freddy Sprout, aged five years,
stood by his mothers side, with sadly be.
grimed and tear-s treaked face, and his story
was that Solomon Gordon had whipped him
with stick, and the boy still bore few
slight tokens of the castigation. Freddy
with some playmates, had teen throwing
stones at Mr.. Gordon's dog, and one of the
missiles hurled by Freddy, had hit the ami
mai and caused him to howl with pain. Oh
course the stone thrown by such tiny hand
could not have inflicted much injury upon
the canine brute, but Solomon Gordon loved
his dog, and when he saw what had been
done, he caught Mr.. Freddy and give him
a thrashing for, be it known, Solomon
Gordon was just such another man as Jack
Sprout--warm- hearted, generous and neigh
borly, but rough, uneducated, strong willed
and impulsiye.
zach Sprout put on his hat and prepared
to sally forth. His lips were pale and tight
ly compressed, and the huge muscles Of his
arms worked like bundles of rope
dear Jack" pleaded his wife, ''don',
60 out now"
''Let me alone, Abby No man shall
strike child of mine without having a
chance to strike me. I shall go and see
Sol. Gordon, and I'll give him such lick
ing as he won't forget in hurry"
"No, no, Jack-don't CO. What good
will it do? Wait until You are more cool. y
"Pshaw Go away, Abby. There is not
power enough on earth to save Sol. Gordon
from drubbing, and I'll give it to him be-
fore the sun goes down"
And as Jack Sprout looked at that mo-
ment, he gave awful evidence that he was
physically able to make good his word, for a
more magnificent structure of frame work
and muscle was not to be found in town.
Dear Jack, cried the wife, taking her
husband by the arm. ooh, do listen to me
one moment; Freddy is not much hurt, and
he ought net to have thrown stones at Cor
don's dog. You know both Solomon and
his wife Set everything by the little animal,
and he would not bark at the boys if they
did not plague him. Ii. you go and find
Gordon as you are now, you will only make
matters worse. Oh, wish you would drop
it,"
Jack only shook his head, and smiled one
of those smiles which are terrible on the
face Of an angry man.
ooh, Jack, if you would only try the eff
feet Of kindness upon Solomon He is a
good man at heart
Jack interrupted his wife with derisive
sheer.
Don't laugh at me, Jack. I tell you it
would be better to do so than to resort to
blows. If you were attacked l should not
blame you for trying to protect yourself !;
but this is not the case that calls for your
strength Of muscle. There is higher and
nobler strength that you can use now"
ooh. bo !'' uttered Jack, '.you are
preaching. You are giving me some of
your Sunday school lessons. You may ex-
perience religion as much as you please, but
mustn't preach the stuff to me.
Jack spoke the wife, with stern solem-
nifty, have been worse since began to
have an interest in religious thing p
''No Ahby-you we're always good"
"Then why will you not listen to me? II
you will stay with me now-if you wait I'M
til your anger is cooled-an then 60 and
speak kindly to Solomon Gordon, l give you
my solemn pledge that you will feela thou
sand times better than you will if you"
But Jack would not hear his wife out
He had said that he would thrash Solomon
Gordon, and he would keep his word. His
His temper was at the boiling point. and he
was fairly aching to get his fingers on the
man who had dared to strike his boy; for
Freddy was his pet, and every blow that had
been laid upon the child's body had make
mark of fire upon his own heart. Sohe put his
wife away from him and hurried from the
house, slamming the door after him.
Away went Jack Sprout with rapid, heavy
strides and had Solomon Gordon fallen IN
bis way Just then ne would have most as
suredly been severely beaten, for though
Solomon was a very stout, bold man, Jack
was very Hercules.