The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1870-08-18

ny MARK TWAIN.

Once therc was u good little hoy by
the name of Jacob Bliycns. lie al
ways obcyed his parents, no matter
how absurd aud unreasonable their de-
mands were; and he always learned
his book, aud never was late at Sab-
bath school. lie would not play
hockey, even when his sober judge
meut told him it was the most profta.
BILE thing ho could do.-None of the
other boys could ever make that boy
out, be acted 80 strangely. lie would'n:
lie no matter how convenient it was.
lie Just said it was wrong to lie, ahi
that was sufficient for him. And he
was so honest that he was simply RI
iiculoas. Tho curious ways that
Jacob had surpassed everything lie
wouldn't play marbles on Sunday, he
wouldn't rob birds nests, ho wonldn't
give hot pennies to organ grinders
monkeys; he didn't seem to take any
in,ercs.;;in any kind Of rational amuss-
mcnt So the other boys used to try
to reason it out aud come to an undcr.
standing with him, but they couldn't
arrive at any satisfactory conclusion I;
AS said before, they could only figure
out sort Of vague idea that he was
afflicted aud SO they took him under
their protection, and never allowed any
harm TO come TO him.
This good little boy read all tho
Sunday school books; they were his
greatest delight. This wasthe whols
secret of 1t. Ile believed in the good
little boys they put in tho Sunday
school books he had every confidence
10 them. lie longed to come across
one Of them alive, once ; but he never
did. They all died before his time,
may be. When he read about par
:icular good one. he turned over quick
y to see what became Of him, because
he wanted to travel thousands of miles
and gazo on him but it wasn't any
use; that good littlo boy always died
in the last chapter, and there was u
picture of a funeral, with all his rela-
tions and the Sunday school children
standing around the grave in paut a
looms that were too short. and bonneis
that were too large, aud Everybody
crying into handkerchicfs that had as
much as d yard and half of stuff in
them. lfc always headed off in this
way. He never could see one OF
those little boys, on account of his
dying in the last chapter.
Jacob had a noble ambition to be
put 10 q Sunday school book. lie
wanted TO be put in, with pictures
representing his gloriously declining
TO lie to his mother and she weeping
for joy about il; and pictures repre-
seuting him standing on the doorstep
giving n penny to a poor begar woman
with six children, and telling her to
spend il freely, but not to be extravi-
gaut, because extravigance Is sin
and pictures Of him maguanimously
refusing 10 tell on the bad boy who al
ways lay in wait for him around the
corner, as he came frsm school, and
welted him over the head with lath,
and then chased him home saying,
I" Hi! Hip as he proceeded. This
was the ambition Of young Jacob Bliv-
eus. He wished to be put In Q Suo.
day school book. It made him fee
little uncomfortable sometimes when
be reflected that the good little boys
always died. He loved to live, you
know, aud this was tho most unpleas-
ant feature about being Sunday 'choo
book boy. He knew it was unhealthy
to bs good. lie knew that II wa'
more fatal than consumption 10 be sc
superuaturally good as the boys in
tho books were he knew that none o
them had ever been able to stand Il
long, and It panied him to think tha
liz they put him in book be wouldo''
| ever see it, or oven If they did get thu
book out before he died, 1t wouldn'
be popular without any picture OF BIZ
funeral in the back part of it. l
couldn't be much Of q Sunday schoo
book that couldn't tell about the ad
wise he gave 70 the community whel
he was dying. So, at last, Of course
be had to make up his mind to do tb
best he could under ths circumstance
Ito live right, and hang on as lonI
= be could, and have his dyinI
speech all ready when ks time came
i 'But soashow nothing svsr ven
ltght vish shls good ~ z |. scy; - I. roth oh