The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-02-17
SHE MRtBUNE.
THE BOY THAT BORE A CHARMED
LIFE.
BY MARK TWAIN.

called Jim In your Sunday School books.
He didn't have any sick mother either
"a sick mother who was pious and had
consumption and would be glad to lie
down in the grave and be arrest, but for
che strong love she bore for her boy, and
the anxiety she felt that the world would
be cold and harsh towards him when she
was gone. Most bad boys In the Sunday
School books are named James ard have
sick mothers who teach them 30 say.
Now lay me down. etc.. and then
sing them to sleep with sweet plaintiff
voice and then KISS them good-nig hi, and
knee by the bedside and weep.
Bu. it was different with This fellow.
lie was named jim and there WASH t
anything the matter with BIS mother, no
consumption, or anything OF that kind
She was rather stout than otherwise, and
sbe was not pious, moreover, she was
anxious on Jlm's account; she said if he
were to break his neck it wouldn't be
much lost She always spanked him TO
sleep. and she never Kissed him good
night; Cd the contrary, she boxed his ears
when she was ready to leave him.
Once this bad little boy stole the key
of the pantry and slipped in there and
helped himself to some jam. and filled
the vessel with tar so that his mother
would never know the difference; but all
at once terrible feeling didn' come over
hiR.. +" Is it right to disobey my mother?
tsat it sinful to do this? Where do
bad little boys go to who eobble up their
kind mothers JAM And then he
didn't kneel down all alone and promise
never to be wicked any more, and rise
up with light happy heart and go to
tell his mother everything about 1t and
beg her forgiveness and he blessed with
tears Of pride and thank fulness in her
eye. No. that is the way with all other
bad boys IN the books. Int Il happened
otherwise with this Jim Strangely
enough. he eat the jam and said it was
bully, in his own sinful, vulgar way, and
he put in the tar and said it was bully
also, and laughed and observed that 1.-THE
old woman woulG get mn and snort
when she found it out; and when she did
find it out he denied knowing anything
about it. and she whipped him soundly
and he did the crying himself. Every
thing about this boy was curious. Every
thing turned out different with him from
the way it does to bad Jsmesies in the
books
Once he climbed up farmer Acorn
apple trees to steal apples, and the limb
didn't break, and he didn't fall and
break his arm and get torn by the farm
ers great dog and then languish or a sick
bed for weeks and repent and become
good. Oh no, he stole as many apples
as be wanted and came down all right,
and he was all ready for the dog too. and
knocked him endways with rock when
he cane toe near him.
IL was very strange. nothing like 1t
happened in those mild little books with
marble backs and with pictures in them
OF men with swallow tail coats and bell
crowned hats ard pant aloons that are
short In the legs, and women With the
waist OF their dresses under their arms
aud no hoops on. Nothing Ike it in any
of the Sunday School books.
oace he stole the teachers pen knife
and then when he was afraid il would be
found out and he would b,. s,nlpped, he
slipped it toto Bolliver Wilson'S cap
poor Widow Wilson's son. the moral
boy, the good little boy OF the village,
the hoy who always obeyed his mother
and never told az untru;h and was fond
of has lessons, and infatuated with the
Sunday School, when the knife
dropped from the cap END poor iei!lyel
hung his head and b'u,lcd az if in con-
scioas guilt, and the erfeved teacher
charged the theft upon him and Was just
in the act of bringing the switch down
on his trembling shoulders, white
haired. improbable Justice Of the Peace
djdn' t stsddeuly appear in the midst ADD
strike attitude and say, Spare the noble
boy, there stands the coward and cul
brit. was passing the school-room door
q, recess and, unseen myself, saw the
theft committed y And then Jim didD' /
get wSaled, and the venerable Justice
didn eead tie tcaitul school homily.
ard take Bolliver by the band and say
such a hey deserves TO BE exalted, and
then tell him tc cplne aad make his
he-lc sith him and sweep oct the Office.
aud make fires, aud ran errands, and
chap wood. study las, and help his wife
l. II