Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-01-17
she drove them outn @ 81
eg"Did he stone them, or beat them?"
t'Oh, no. He was as gentle as child
towards them -

|
towards them. !" a -
"You are testing"
."Not I. Friend Barton has not forgot
ten that his pigs were in my cornfeld
Yesterday, and that / turned them out
without hurting hair Of them. Now,
suppose had got angry and beaten his
pigs, what do you think the result would
have been? Why, it is more than proba.
BILE that one or both Of our fine COWS
would have been at this moment in the
condition of Mr.. Melons old Brindle.'
81 wish you wouldn't say anything
more about old Brindle," Mrs Gray said,
trying to laugh, while her face grew red
in spite of her efforts to keep down her
feelings. T
"Well, won't Sally, if it worries you.
But it is. such good illustration, that |
cannot help using it sometimes"
aa"I am glad he didn't hurt the COWS" !"
Mrs. Gray said, after pause.
Sand so am /, Sally. Glad ON more
than one account. 1t shows that he has
made an effort to keep down his too irrit-
able temper-and if he can do it, it will
be favor conferred on the whole neigh
borhood, for almost everyone complains
at times, of this fault in his character"
sIt is certainly the best policy to keep
fair weather with him." Mrs. Gray re-
marked-"A man of his temper could
annoy us a great deal" it
'That word policy, Sally, is not agood
word," her husband replied. cit conveys
thoroughly selfish idea. Now, we
ought to look for some higher motive Of
action thanmere pelicy-metives ground
ed in correct and unselfish principles"
"But what other motives could we pos
sibly have for putting up with Mr.. Bar
toms outrageous conduct?"
"Other and far higher motives, it seems
to me. We should reflect that Mr. Bar
ton has naturally hasty temper, and that,
when excited, he does things for which
he is sorry afterwards -and that, in
nine cases out of ten, he is a greater suf-
ferer from these outbreaks than any one
else In our actions towards him, then,
it is much better and higher motive for
us to be governed by desire to aid him in
the correction of this evil, than to look
merely to the protection of ourselves
from its effects. Do you think SOP"
"Yes. 1t does seem so." 2o1
"When thus moved to action, we are,
in degree, regarding the whole neigh
borhood, for the evil Rf which we speak
affects all. And in thus suffering our
selves to be governed by such elevated
and unselfish motives, we gain all that
we possibly could have gained under the
mere instigation of policy-and a great
deal more. But to bring the matter into
still narrower compass. In all our
actions towards him and every one else,
we should be governed by the simple con-
sideration-is it right? If spirit of re-
taliation be not right-then it cannot be
INDUCED without a mutual injury. OF
course, then, it should never prompt
us to action, or if COWS or hogs get into
my field or garden and destroy my prop
erty-who is to blame most? Of course,
myself I should have kept my fences in
better repair, or my gate closed. The an
imals certainly are not to blame. for they
follow only the promptings of nature
and their owners should not be censured,
for they know nothing about it. Itwould
then be very wrong for me to injure both
the animals and their owners for my own
neglect-would it not?"
ayes, suppose it would"
$50 at least it seems to me. Then, of
course, ought not to jnjure neighbor
Barton's cows or hogs, even if they do
break into my corn-tield or garden, sim
ply because it would be wrong to do so.
This is the principle upon which we
should act, and notfrom any selfish policy y
After this there was no more trouble
about farmer Gray's geese or cattle.
Sometimes the geese would get among
MIR. Barton's hogs, and annoy them while
eating, but it did not worry him as it did
formerly. If they became too trouble
some, he would drive them away, butnot
by throwing sticks and stones at them, as
he once did. -
"Late in the fall the shoemaker brought
in his bill for work. 1t was pretty large
bill..with sundry credits.
'tPay day has come at last" farmer
Gray said good humoredly, as the shoe
maker presented his account. swell,
let us see!' and he took the bill to ex,
anime it, item after item.
"What is this?" he asked reading aloud
the credit for bushel of corn.
s'It is some corn had from you"
81 reckon you must be mistaken. You
never got any corn from me. /" s
ooh, yes; I remember it perfectly
well. 1t is all right"
"But when did you get it, friend Bar
ton? am sure that / have not the most
distant recollection of it.
"My hogs got it," the shoemaker said,
'Your hogs?"
eyes. Don't you remember when my
hogs broke into your field and destroyed
your corn?"
ooh, dear-is that it Oh, no, no,
friend Barton / can't allow that item in
the BILL"
"Yes, but you must. 1t is perfectly
just, and | shall never rest until it is
paid"
ST can't, indeed. You couldn't help
your hogs getting into my field and then,
you know, friend Barton lowering his
tone), you know my geese were very
! troublesome" ae G4
The shoemaker blushed and looked
confused, but farmer Gray slapped him
Familiarity on the shoulder, and said, in
lively, cheerful way
"Don't think anything more about it,
friend Barton And hereafter let us en-.
deavor to do as we would be done by, and
| then everything will go smooth as clock
work" - - s~ - ~a
"But you will allow that item in this
bill % the shoemaker urged, persever
ingly. J ) 13&ES .A1 :.
"Oh, no, l couldn't do that. I should
think it wrong to make you pay for my
| own, or some of my mems negligence III
leaving the bars down" '&sEJ4A
But then (hesitating), those geese.
killed three. Let it go for them''
eff you did kill them, we ate them-sc
it is even. No, no-let the past be for
gotten, and if it makes better friends anG
neighbors of us, we need never regret
what has happened"
/ Farmer Gray remained firm, and tht
bill was, settled, omitting the item o
Corn" From that lime forth, he never
had better neighbor than the shoemaker
The cows and hogs and geese of boil
| would occasionally tresnaSs hut the tres