The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-06-28

allow dark the we'll is," cried May tim
idly peeping down while another bucketful
" as being slowly raised from the spring.
"And how awful Deep" said Jennie ven
arm around little Mays waist.
eyes," said Uncle Benny sit is deep and
dark enough, and there is dark story of
disobedience connected with it too"
ga story" cried the girls in breath,
ooh, dear uncle, do tell us the story of the
we'll"
"Well," said he pausing, and resting his
arm on the well curb, "thirty years ago
boy about your age, girls, met with les
son which he never forgot he was dis
obedient lad, Away causing his paren ts
pain by his bad conduct; one night his
little sisters were i'll with scarlet feser,
three of them, the youngest of the three he
loved dearly and she seemed to be in great
er danger then the others. The boys
mother charged him to hasten for ply
stefan, and ~arned him to be faithful 10
delivering his errand, for, should he lighter
by the way his little favorite might die.
have told you before, girls, the boy loved
Irvine her arms around his neck and raise
her little rosy mouth TO him for kiss, aud
If she saw him weep after being punished
for his way wardness, she would use her
little apron to dry his tears and try to con-
sole him in her own gentle lispDg way.
Que was a ueautllul cullG, lull OF Innocent
love and tenderness; well the boy hasten
tened on his errand aud met bad compan-
ions on the way. He must just join them,
they said, for they were going to have a
fine time setting fire to certain haystack.
At first he refused to join them, but grad
ually temptation prevailed, and the poor
weak minded creature yielded"
Eyes, he yielded" continued Uncle Ben
ny shaking his head slowly from side to
side, "and when the mischief was ,done a
|reproachful sadness seized his heart at the
thought of his little sister whom he had
neglected, and fleeing from the wickedness
he had shared in, determined to complete
was obliged in order to reach the doctors
by shorter route to come through this
same orchard. The night was dark and
sudden rain began to fall which made it
still gloomier for the culprit; new curb
was building for this we'll at the time; the
old one having been torn away by hurri-
cane, and boards were laid across the open
ing that no accidents might happen to
passers-by. The boy, however, had COM
mitted double wrong and God saw fit to
punish him he was hurrying along and
his foot stumbled roughly on the loose
boards and displaced them in attempting
to walk on he fell through the aperture he
had made-fell, girls, down the dark we'll,
hinging his arms wildly about him, striy-
ing in vain to catch at some support and
shrieking out the most pitiful cries. At
last his hand grasped a little projection
once used for a stepping stone for those
who descended at certain times to clean
out the we'll. 1t was the only one left.
There it is now, he added pointing down,
there he hung, finding what little support
he could for his feet against the rough sides
of the well, uttering despairing cries for
help his body ached, his head was dizzy,
his arms 80 weak that he felt each moment
Il oh, inc hia
ran cold with horror as the fearful thought
presented itself that his strength would
give way before rescue would come and he
would fall headlong into the cold dark
waters below, and thus meet with the pun
isbment he so richly deserved.
lips to heaven, he walled out that if he
were saved from the terrible danger he
would try in future to obey Gods laws.
God saw fit to hear him, he hung i'm
ploringly and trembling there, until the
cold gray morning, when paeser by hear
carried to hie home being too faint to walk,
and there learned that his little favorite
had died during the night while they were
waiting in vain for him to return with the
doctor, his mother being obliged to rely
solely on him-a a messenger. Girls, he
added, he never disobeyed his parents
again, nerer, and think may safely say,
lived a strictly honorable life. That boy
was your Uncle Bennie."
"You !" cried the children, gazing at him
from head to foot in amazement, sis it
possible, Uncle Benny, that you could ever
in your lie have done anything wicked"
said Jennie.
cab, my pets," be said, ''satan is strong
and lies in wait for the young; you must
always watch for his coming"
The girls could not for a while recover
from their surprise. Uncle Benny in their
eyes was perfection itself, and they could
not bring themselves to realize that he was
the wicked boy of the we'll. Then they felt
q species of terror creeping over them at
thoughts of one so dear to them ever hav-
ing been in such danger.
Their father then appeared on the scene
and May and Jennie were obliged to'leave
their kind uncle with tender 'by bye,' and
many loving words, and depart for their
city home, when often they spoke to their
companions about Oakdale and the story
of the well.-Young Crusader.
The crop statistics attainable thus early
in the season indicate that all sections of
the country will be blessed with bountiful
harvests. OF course such statistics are
hoip oh FOL NV