American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-06-28

There is the twilight concert, too,
And that must be attended
And now, it must be clear to you
Our cares are never ended.
For thus we work the hvelong day
You can't pretend to doubt it.
You see there Is no other way!
And that is all about it.
JOHNNY BRANDS DECISIONS.
! johnny Brand dreaded that opening day
of school. In the first place, his clothes
were not quite what he would have liked
The cloth was coarse and faded, and on
each elbow of the jacket were spots,
which looked remarkably like patches
while the knees of his trowsers were what
some would call threadbare. Then his
shoes seemed so thin and out of season for
the deep snow which had just fallen. II
he could only have had pair of nice,
thick boots!
Then again, he had no reader such as
they were to use that term, and his mother
had Just todd him that she had no money
to buy one then.
And last, though not the least of his
troubles, there was a new teacher stran-
ger, and mani His former teachers had
all been ladies, and SO very kind; but this
man! Oh deari how he did dread it!
Mrs. Brand saw it all and once or twice
pleading eyes, she felt like telling him
that he need not go; but she wisely held
back the words, and kept about her work
as though she had noticed nothing.
At last the school bell rang. johnny
tip-toed across the room to where his
mother sat.
Mother, mnst ] gos'' &
Oh, it is SO hard, sometimes, to resist
the pleadings of the little ones, even when
we feel that to grant their requests may be
productive of harm to them. Mrs. Brand
found 4 so extremely difficult, that NOM
ing, to say to Johnny that he must CO. that
she compromised the matter.
Decide for yourself, my SON.
No advice, no words Of encouragement,
or of warning. She had been giving him
lessons of wisdom and truth ever since he
had been old enough to receive them, and
his decision in this case would show
whether her teachings had been treasured
up or lost.
Decide for yourself, my son.
Johnny hesitated only a moment only
while he was recovering from his sur
prise.
aOh, motherm then he stopped. But
he spoke again Immediately, and this
time his voice was strong and unyielding.
II will go, mother"
Dear reader, if you have ever been
placed in a like position, YOU know how
much courage Johnny needed in making
this decision; if YOU have not you never
can comprehend it. But you can imagine
what it is to be laughed at, sneered at,
ridiculed and insulted by your pchool-
mates, or rebuked by your teacher, when
you deserve praise; or worse, unnoticed.
This was what Johnny Brand expected,
yet he decided TO go, and be went.
Nearly all the scholars were nj the
schO0EhOuse when Johnny arrived In
sight OF II, for you know there are so many
reasons Ief Deihg early on the Hfst any.
Ihere are the nice seats 10 select.not
always retained, IL Is true, OUT there is the
fun OF choosing tnem-theh mere are play
mates to greet, whom you nave not seen
during the long vacatiOn, perhaps; and
sometimes, as IN this case new teacher.
Johnny had thought Of all this, but
when he saw the yard full OF boys, ne did
so dread to go IN before them all. lie
stopped and peeped through the IRON
fence, wishing they would go in, or that
something would turn up to draw their
attention while he went by. Ali he had
not quite conquered.
While standing there, the very thing he
had wished for actually happened. A lit
tie apple peddler, with HIS basket OF nice
apples, turned in at the gate, and the boys
huddled round him in twinkling.
"Now is my time" spoke Johnny, half
aloud s'They won't see me-"
He ran for the gate, almost holding his
breath, he was so eager, and darted up the
walk. No one had noticed him, and he
began to feel quite safe; but just then he
heard the little apple-vender cry out:
"Oh, don't steal 'em, don't steal my ap-
ples!''
The cry WAS followed nv such an up-
roar of voices that Johnny could not dis
t;mr,,isb smother word
% 80. o.h; 20 ,
,.;d ioennv w;tbo,,t stonning vet SLACK
,niu III n." " He pnght tn have
,nnS -. p1 .i'on To come in IF 7 ston
hnys1i ali Gee me and make finn of nv
.Ioibas. and don't know as I could HELM
in, sny III go in and oct me a seat: If
don't. perhaps shan't get one at ALL
Iohnry knew better than that but he
VOC trr;3o TO find a GOOD excuse for not
'ei,,ing the lad in distress
He Gould not ouite ease his conscience.
,o,,aver
..I ,y;cb know whether oupbt tn sion
nd helm him. he unused. "They,Il get
II his annjes 7 can see a dozen bovs
vbo each have one I wish I knew what
!, IL"
Wv