Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-04-10
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 old 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. If he could
only have had a pair of nice, thick
boots
Then again, he had no reader such as
they were to use that term, and his
mother had just told him that she had
no money to buy one then.
And last, though not the least of his
troubles, there was new teacher
stranger and man His former teach
ers had all been ladies, and so very kind
but this man. Oh, dear how he did
dread it /!
Mrs. Brand saw it all; and once or
twice, when he looked up into her eyes
with such 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-ben rang. Johnny
tip-toed across the room to where his
mother sat.
$ Mother, must / go p
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 it so extremely diff
cult to say to Johnny that he must go,
that she compromised the matter.
Decide for yourself, my son."
No advice, no words of encourage
ment or of warning She had been
giving him lessons of wisdom and truth
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
surprise.
''Oh, mother !" then he stopped. But
he spoke again Immediately; and this
time his voice was strong and unyield-
ing
Sc VIII go, mother"
Dear reader, if you have ever been
placed in like position, you know how
much courage Johnny needed in max
ing this decision if you have not, you
never can fully comprehend it. But you
can imagine what it is to be laughed at.
sneered at, ridiculed and insulted by
your schoolmates, or rebuked by your
teacher when you deserve praise or
worse, unnoticed. This was what John
ny Brand expected, yet he decided to go,
and he went.
Nearly all the scholars were at the
school-house when Johnny arrived in
sight, for you know there are somany
reasons for being early on the first day.
There are the nice seats to select
always retained, it is true, but there is
the fun of choosing them-then there
are playmates to greet, whom you have
not seen during a long vacation, perhaps,
and sometimes, as In this case, a new
teacher.
Johnny had thought of all this, but
when he saw the yard full of boys, he
did SO dread to go In before them all.
He stopped and peeped through the
iron fence, wishing they would 90 in, OF
that something would turn up to draw
their attention while he went by. All !
he had not quite conquered.
While standing there, the very thing
he had been wishing for actually hap
pened. A little apple-peddler, with his
basket of nice, red fruit, turned in al
the gate, and the boys huddled round
him In twinkling.
Now is my time" spoke Johnny
half aloud, ''they won't see me"
He ran for the gate, almost holding
his breath, he was SO eager, and dartec
up the sidewalk. Nc one had noticed
him, and he begun to feel quite safe
but just then he heard the little apple
yender cry out:
"Oh, don't steal 'em don't steal m.
apples !"
This cry was followed by such an up
roar of voices that Johnny could not dis
tinguish another word.
"Oh, phsaw that's nothing to me,