Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-10-22
BOSSING 1T.

InlnSS 90 not always go on Win perfect
smoothness in my brother Johns house.
II is a pretty we'll regulated family, and
the brothers and sisters, for the most part,
agree beautifully with one another, but
now and then there comes jar.
l happened 10 see such an one few days
ago. 1t was on Sunday AFTERNOON. l was
Just coming ia at the door when l saw lit
tie Frank sobbng and in a passion of tears.
WHY cried out, 'what is the matter
with this little boy?n Between anger and
grief he could hardly speak, but he man
aged among the sobs to tell me that mo-
nent or two before Tom had taken him
by the arm and dragged him into the
house. II only wanted to go down to the
corner and meet mamma and papa. l told
him so, and he would not let me go, and
then he pinched my arm and hurt me, and
pulled me in the house ~ was his summing
up.
Now, I am careful what Il say to the
boys, but they know me so we'll that 1 can
talk very freely with them. They take it
FOR granted that 1 have right to do it. So
Tom did not take it amiss as l turned and
said "How is this Tom? that is hard
story little Frank tells about you"
Tom looked alittle ashamed, but frankly
replied: Mother don't let him go out on
the street on Sunday; and he hadn't his
hat on and he wouldn't come in when 1
told him to. So 1 only took hold of his
arm to make him come in"
did not pursue the investigation, as it
was not my business to regulate matters in
the household. l took Frank in my lap
and got him to tell me what they had been
doing in the infsnt-class. He soon was
deeply engaged in telling me how the boy
next to him pushed his missionary penny
in crack in the seat, and couldn't get it
out again. He would once in a while give
long breath and a sob, that was like the
memory of great grief; but he soon was
smiling again.
After supper Tom and 1 walked out to-
gether, and we talked the affair of the af-
ternoon over. 1, of course, had said nothing
about it to any one. / said something like
this to Tom =
II suppose that you thought that you
were doing right to drag Frank in the
house, but | want you to put yourself in
the same place. You feel strong, and able
pretty well to take care of yourself. But
suppose that you had been standing on the
stoop, and a large, tall and strong man, as
much bigger than you as you are than
Frank, had said to you, in about the same
tone and way in which you spoke to him: :
Come in right away and when you did
not feel inclined to do it, ali the less because
you did not think he had any right to COM
mand, and you did not move he had come
TO you, seized your arm, pinched ii tightly,
and had Civ en- you great jerk into the
hall, which sent you Keeling and almost on
your back, how would you have felt?
Would not the insult, the injury have
seemed almost, too great to he borne?
Would you not have been almost beside
yourself with anger and the bitter sense Of
wrong?
yet that was just what you did to
frankie. You are so much bigger and
stronger than he, that he could not resist
you, out / think you can imagine how he
need |
him in such a passion of tears. You
would have cried too, with unutterable in
dignation, if you had been in his place.
Now, my boy" added, 81 want you
to think Of this when you are about to do
something Of that sort again. Remem-
Der that one of the last insults that man
can give another is to lay his hands in
anger on him. There is something in the
touch that is like fire in the soul. A little
child feels ii so. You are strong, you feel
Yourself to be So but you must hereafter
be too manly 10 show it on your little
brothers and sisters.
II know that you did not hurt him
When Re said you did, although he did
not understand it, he meant that the hurt
was great deal more in his feelings than
on his arm. That was very much harder
TO bear, and he could not bear 1t. l an
very sure that if you had thought 1t all
over YOU would not have done it,"
Tom is boy of noble impulse, and h'
would be the very first to defend his llttl'
brother If he saw any one expressing him
If he had seen any other person doing jus
what he did to Frank he would have In
moment stepped in to protect him, but like
many other big brothers and sisters, IN
did not see it in the same light in his owl
case. There was q fair opportunity AM
with a show of right to "boss it" over Jhi
little one. and he improved II. The re
suit was not beautiful,-CH Christian Weekly