The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-05-04
THE TIIoRNY ROAD,
By UNCLE GEORGE,

|5a THE THoRNY ROAD.
& By UNCLE GEORGE.
Most little boys dislike study. joe Walk or
hs an exception to this rule He was pas
pnately fond of his books and his lessons.
was only fourteen last birthday, but he was
barly always ut the head of his GLASS, and was
ns s s; one Of the most promising scholars
pike most children of his age, made use Of
ason as well as memory in his school tasks.
be consequence was, of course, that what he
ards remembered; whilst his fellow pupils,
Tho merely acquired knowledge parrot-fashion,
peedily forgot the results of their labors.
Joe was not . brilliant boy he had to Fight
l,s way by sheer common-sense; but he was q
>ktle hero, and in his intellectual battles he
lsplayed all the sturdiness and courage q
I'D Hannah, aged respectively seven and ten,
egarded him as kind of prodigy and always
ame to him for help when their sums were
acult or their spelling bothered them.
Easter was approaching, and the good Sis
ers had offered prize to the scholar who
hould pass the most creditable examination
IA the Saturday proceeding that festival. This
*Ftize was O splendid new catechism, and Joe
<gas determined to win it.
Now, at the academy was boy named Jim
Flake. a bright, dashing, go-ahead fellow, of
and when he chose to study, which was rarely
E&he case, as he much preferred play, he gener-
ally made his mark. He liked to work for an
pssct, and Prize . e., was pretty sure to ineite
astudent, and however neglectfnl he might
have been, he could rub up his knowledge in q
sysFy short time, if 30 minded. Joe regarded
4 him as his rival at the academy, and when the
offer of the catechism was made, he naturally
said to himself, II will have to beat Jim if I
Now Jim, on his side, looked on our hero as
dnll steady-going boy, good for long run,
but not to be calculated upon for quick work.
Hence he considered that in the matter of the
casechism, Joe stood no chance against him.
For this reason he said boastingly to his play
mates, Z" mean to gain the prize and take it
20 show my cousin Efie, who is coming to
6Gpend Easter Sunday with me-"
s Joe happened to hear this remark, and that
SAfternoon he went home, determined to study
desperately. Now everything had gone wrong
with him that day, and he had made several
failures in his lessons, and he had not been
&able to master his exercises in Virgil. He had
2lso got a bad mark for whispering in school,
which whispering had been done to explain to
another boy the mysteries of an example in
algebra Joe, therefore, was not in the best of
humors, and when his sister Hannah asked him
20 take her and Jane to walk after dinner, he
&Sourly refused, mutterng that he did not want
be bothered with silly girls.
III Hannah went away with an injured look,
and it must be admitted that her brother did
mot feel thoroughly satisfied with his behavior
towards her. Having begun wrong, however,
( he stuck to his ng-doiDg, and he did not
Arelent when, about four o'clock, Hannah took
Jane by the hand and started without him.
"a Joe studied and studied that afternoon, but,
Somehow or other, he did not make much pro-
gress he continually thought that he ought
so have gone with Hannah and Jane.
B& At length evening came on, and in due time
the supper-bell rang, and Joe came down stairs
sEith raging headache. He looked around
For his sisters, butt though it was quite dark,
Father wondered what could have become of
chem. The finally concluded that the little
girls had dropped in at some of the neighbors,
And had been persuaded to remain to tea.
~ So the matter rested, but when eight, and at
East nine o'clock came, and still no news of the
missing children, all the family grow uneasy.
soc blamed himself severely for net having
Row vain. The horrible idea dawned upon
him that his sisters were lost. Poor Joe he
became sadly frightened, and when his father
put on his hat and said lie would 60 search for
the missing ones, he begged to accompany him
and assist His father, however, said he could
be of no use. and went without him.
~ Joe went back sorrowfully to his lessons but
LAS his heart now ached as bad his head, and
as, besides, his conscience snote him terribly,
his efforts to study were worse than useless.
"a At half-past ten his father returned but he
xcamc alone, and his countenance betrayed the
sntmost concern.
II That night nobody went to bed n the house,
and everything was in confusion. Joe's mother
swept necessarily, and his father did nothing
3but pace the floor. At last, utterly worn down
with watching and waiting, our hero threw
himself on a sofa and fell asleep. He dreamed,
and his dreams were so horrible that he tossed
and tunlbled, and great beads of sweat stood
upon his forehead.
81 When morning broke Hannah and Jane were
#still absent; but as the stricken family were
about to sit down to breakfast, policeman
rang the bell and said that two little girls
Were at the staton-house, who said their
names were Hannah and Jane Walker, and
THAT they lived at No. street. The
policeman added that no had found them
wanderiug about the city at midnight, and
that he had taken them to the station for
Identification.
Joe's father at once went away with the po-
liceman, and in hours time Hannah and
ane were safe at home. The poor girls were
terribly scared, but they soon recovered their
usual spirits. Their father kissed them, and
ftheir mother fondly Rugged them to her bosom,
thanking the good God for their restoration.
Joe sat apart at a table, with his STILL aching
head bound up with wet handkerchief, try
5ng to look at photograph album, but hardly
able to see tho pictures from pain and shame.
Hannah and Jane crept up to him and stood
Ply the table james pretty head scarcely reach
9ng above the top. They stood there q moment
end then they both kissed him. Joe was pun
lshed enough, and he had learned lesson he
pever could have learned in school. He had
learned to know how much he really loved his
pisters, and Heaven had taught him, by q
eeVere experience, that he should always be
kind to them and cherish them.
Joe told his mother all about the affairs of
fhe past day-all about his troubles at the
oCademV. and all ahout 10 sboro IN, he