The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-08-06

and gives his sister sthirty'-pretty
present for girl, isn't;tt?" said Billy,
with an air of supreme contempt.
"Could you stand such stuf-say Y'
1 put on my instructive face and
answered.: I
"Well, my dear Billy, you know
that arithmetic is necessary to you if
you mean to be an industrious man
and succeed in business. Suppose
your parents were to lose all their
property, what would become of them
without little son who could make
money and keep accounts ?"
"Oh! said Billy with surprise.
"Hasn't father got enough stamps to
see him through?"
'''He has now, I hope; but people
don't always keep them. Suppose
they should go by some accident,
when your father was too old to make
any more stamps for himself
You haven't thought Of brother
Daniel"
True; for nobody ever had, in con-
nection with the active employment
of life.
"No, Billy" I replied, 81 forgot
him; but then, you know, Daniel is
more of student than business
man, and"
"Oh, Uncle Teddy! you don't think
I mean he'd support them? I meant
I'd have to take care of father and
mother, and him too, when they'd all
got to be old people together. Just
think! I'm eleven, and he's twenty
two; SO he's just twice as old as I am.
How old are you p
"Forty, Billy, last August
"Well you aren't so awful old, and
when I get to be as old as you Daniel
will be eighty. Seth Kendall's grand
father isn't more than that, and he
has to be fed with spoon, and a
nurse puts him to bed, and wheels him
round in q chair like a baby. That
takes the stamps, I bet! Well, I'll
tell you how I'll keep my accounts !;
I'll have stick, like Robinson Cru
soc, and every time I make toadskin
I'll gouge piece out Of one side of
the stick, and every time I spend one
I'll gouge piece out on the other"
rs pend a uhot?" said the gentle
and astonished voice of my sister Lu,
who, unperceived, had slipped into
the room. II
"A toadskin, mh,' replied Billy,
shutting up Colburn with farewell
glance Of contempt.
Dear, dear! Where does the boy
learn such horrid words?"
why, ma! Don't you know what
a toadskln is5 Ho-~s vue, said Dill
ly, drawing a dingy-fve-cent stamp
from his pocket. "And don't I wish
I had lots of'em!'
"Oh~ sighed the mother, "to
think I should have child so addict
ed to slang! How wish he were like
Daniel III,
''Well, MOTHER" replied Billy, eff
you wanted two boys just alike you'd
oughter had twins. There amt any
use Of my trying to be like Daniel
now, when he's got eleven years the
start. Whoop! There's a dog-fght; a;
hear'em! It's Joe Casey's dog-I
know his:. bark"
With these words my nephew
snatched his Glengarry bonnet from
the table and bolted down stairs to
see the fun.
"What will become of him % said
Lu, hopelessly; che has no taste for
anything but rough play; and then
such language as he uses! Why isn't
he like Daniel?''
II suppose because his Maker never
repeats himself: Even twins often pos
sess strongly marked individualities.
Don't you think it would be good
plan to learn Billy better before you
try to teach him? If you do, you'll
make something as good Of him as
Daniel; though it will be rather diff
ferent from that model"
"Remember, Ned, that you never
did like Daniel as well as you do Bill
ly. But we all know the proverb
about old maids daughters and old
bachelors sons. I wish you had Bill
ly for month-then you'd see"
"I'm not sure that I'd do any bet
ter than you. Knight err as much
in other directions. But I'd try to
start right by acknowledging that he
was a new problem, not to be worked
without finding out the value of x in
his particular instance. The formula
which solves one boy will no more
solve the next one than the rule-of
three will solve question in calculus
Or, to rise into your sphere, than
the receipt for one-two-three-four cake
will conduct you to successful issue
through plum-pdding-
I excel in metaphysical discussion
and was about giving further elabora'
ton to my favorite idea when the
door burst open. Master Billy came
tumbling in with a torn jacket, a
bloody nose, the trace of a few tears
in his eyes, and the mangiest of Gu,
dogs in his hands.
"Oh myl my!! my!!! exclaimed
his mother.
Don't you get scared, maj" cried
Billy, smiling a stern smile Of tri
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