The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-05-12

$50 it seems, replied Louis. aAh,
there scas a time-well, thank YOU
kindly, John, for the-stieking plss-
ter"
"Come onF shouted William,
thirsting for more blood.
"Tirc Ia gueTreP' cried poor
Louis, rushing blindly at his foe.
Well and nobly he fought, but he
could not stand his ground, When
he did hit, indeed, he hit to some
purpose; but seldom could he reseh
out far enough to do much damage.
Foot by foot and yard by yard he
gave away, till at last he was forced
10 sake refuge in his arbor, from the
window Of which he threw stones at
ms enemy to keep him back from
following.
A moral is drawn, and the laziness
and eoWardice Of the other monitor
is thus rebuked:
"Louis was plnainly in the wrong
He ought to have calculated AZ
other boys strength before attack.
ing him, and he deserved q licking
for his rashness. But he had his
licking now, and when William. who
talked so big about his peaceable
disposition, and declared he only
wanted to defend his fatherland.'
chased him right across the garden,
trampling over keds and borders on
his way, and then swore that he
would break down his beautiful sum-
mer house, and bring Louis on his
knees, everybody thought that the
other monitors ought to interfere.
But not a foot would they stir.
Aleck looked on from a safe dis
tanee, wondering which of the COM
batants would be tired first. Jo-
seph stood shivering with fright, not
daring to say a word lest William
should round upon him and thrash
him again"
Jonny's desire to make money
out Of both parties, and how he lost
the friendship of both is thus hit
of:
John sat in his shop, grinding
away like niger at a new rudder
and pair of oars which be was cut
ting out for Louis boat, in which
case he wanted to take advantage Of
the brook, for which service Louis
would pay him handsomely and
William abuse him cordially.
etT oau't bal, n - ras1 ToI. -
getically; I'll make a rudder and
some oars for yOu, too, and a boat
besides if you want one-that is, Of
course if you viii pay me well"
"But don't want one" answered
William, angrily. 81 have got no
water to float it in, as you very well
know. By which it will appear that
John did not make many friends by
his neutrality. @And just look here"
continued William; do you know
where these cuts on my forehead
came from? Why from the stones
which you pitched across the water
for Louis to throw at me.
Cant help it, Bill; its the law Of
neutrality"
Neutrality indeed I call it bru-
tality." And so William went across
the garden again leaving Jonnie at
his Work-of which however he be-
gan to be thoroughly ashamed.
Louis in his despair call on John
for help but he turns deaf ear TO
his entreaties and exhorts him to
''give in"
"Come and help a fellow, John''
cried Louis in despair from his ar.
Dor. don't ask you to remember
the days we have spent in here to-
gether, when you have been sick Of
your own shop. But you might do
something for me, now that am in
such desperate fix, and don't know
which way to turn"
Il am very sorry, Louis" said
John, but what can LIDO? It is no
pleasure to me to see you thrashed.
On the contrary, it would pay me
much better to have anear neighbor
well off and cheerful than crushed
and miserable. Why don't you give
in, LOuis2 1t is no mortal use to 90
on. He viii make friends directly
if you will give back the two little
slips of garden; and if you don't he
will smash your arbor to pieces, or
keep you shut up there all dinner
time and starve you out. Give in,
old fellow. There's no disgrace in
it. Everybody saw how pluck1ly
you have fought "
"Give imp sneere1 Louis; @that il
all the comfort you have for a fel-
low, is it? Give in Why, would
you give in if that great brute was
in front of your shop swearing that
he would break it down? No dis
grace, indeed. No / don't think
there is any disgrace in anything
that have done; but, though nv
dear, dear arbOr that | have spent so
many weeks in building should be
pulled down about my ears, every
flower in my garden be rooted up, I
would not change places with you,
John, sitting there sleek and safe
no not for all the gold that ever was
coined! Give in, indeed, Non DieM
that 1 should ever have heard such
word as that come across our lit
tie stream" The old school marm
thought that John should have sep
arated the boys and thus took him
to task.
There was a time when, if you so
much as held up your finger the
whole school would tremble. No
body trembles now. Nobody cares
one farthing what you think or say.
And why? because you have grown
q sloven and a screw, and boys de-
spise both the one and the other.
You ought to have prevented the
fight from the very first. Failing of
this, you ought, in conjunction with
the other monitors, to have stepped
in the moment the boys had proved
their relative strength, and struck q
balance with them. Instead OfdOing
so you sit coolly in your shop, sup
plying the means of carrying on the
fight, and coming a few Fretched
.coppers out Of your sehoolfellOWs'
blows and wounds. You have been
a bad friend to both ofthem. Well,
some day, perhaps, you may want