Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-01-09

| b0lbt uliy IOunu the INR.' u
The last was Ned's favorite, as we'll rs
hers. "Shall / pitch the tune, or youY'
he asked, gallantly, then, before she could
reply, commenced shouting Il forth with
all his might. Susy joined In with her
weak treble, and 10 add 10 the confusion,
Ned kept time by stamping his feet Wig.
orously.
Other songs followed In quick success
sion, not forgetting some of Mother
Goose's melodies, and at last they wound
up with what Susy called free blind
mice" They wouldn't have stopped then,
only that they were so hoarse and began
TO be afraid Jane would hear them. II
was a wonder she didn't, and can only be
accounted for by the fact that she and
cook were almost equally noisy in the
kitchen. a
"I doesn't 'spect mamma has such
dood times as we, does you, Neddyf"
Susy asked, with beaming eyes.
Ned looked thoughtful. Perhaps
mamma is praying" he replied. She
| ought to think over our faults and what
ever we had done wrong, and try and do
better afterward"
"Then l dess I'd better yoclk Sally
Ann" Susy answered. eagerly, picking
up her neglected doll from the floor
Ned was silent, for with the recollec-
ton of what his mother had said came
| that of disobedience. Was he not sitting
up contrary to her wishes, and had he
not led his little sister into wrong tooY
Somehow, when he thought of it now, he
couldn't excuse himself so readily as he
had done before.
Susy's head soon began to bob up and
down in a most comical way and if Ned
hadn't been looking straight into the fire,
he would surely have noticed it. But he
didn't, and strange to say soon followed
her example; and really It was enough to
make one laugh to see the three, Ned
and Susy and Sally Ann all nodding and
bending and bowling together
Then all at once some one touched Ned
on the shoulder, and he started up very
much alarmed. 1t was neither his father
nor mother, but decrepit old man with
long white beard
II am the old year." he said, in weak,
quavering voice; "don't you know me ?"
Ned shook his head, and trembled all
over.
"Why, I've been your constant COM
panion for twelve MONTHS" continued
the old man. There's not word you've
said, not an act you've done, in all that
time, whether good, bad or Indifferent,
that haven't put down in this book l
carry"
No wonder Ned's heart sank at sight
oft, and that he was covered with shame
and confusion, for such a long catalogue
of sins and follies committed in the past
rushed over him at once that he was al
most ready to believe he had never done
anything praiseworthy.
al came to give you little advice and
a word of warning" the old year went on.
"For, as you have heard, | am to die at
twelve o'clock, or at least the world thinks
so, though, to tell you the truth, live on
In the hearts ofmen forever. But at that
time my youngest brother will come with
a book like mine, except that its pages
are blank and clear and white, and upon
that he will record all that men think, say
or do in the next twelve months. Just
remember this when you harbor wicked
thoughts, or disobey your parents, or i'll
treat your friends, or commit any little
mean act, and it will help you wonder
fully"
"Yes, SIR" Ned stammered, turning
led and pale by turns, and wishing that
Jane or his mother or somebody would
come.
perhaps you'd like to know what I've
written about the little boy you ridiculed
yesterday because he hadn't on as good
clothes as you?" said the old year. He's
the son of a widow, and works hard all
day, and does what he can to support his
brothers and sisters. That's the reason
he can't dress better; but for all that, he
bore your taunts with good nature, and
didn't return evil for evil. Compare his
record with yours, and see which is the
most blotted."
Ned's eyes turned involuntarily toward
the pages at which his strange visitor
pointed, and the name written in great
big characters on the top of one seemed
burnt in his brain. "Neddy Raynor''-
that must mean him; and-yes, there was
the other boys, Jake Miller. He couldn't
read much of the writing underneath
them, but knew the blots meant some
thing ugly, and moved by a sudden i'm
pulse snatched the book and threw it into
the fire. There was terrific explosion;
the chimney blew up and so did the house,
and then Ned opened his eyes and stared
at his mother, who was bending over
him. The old man and book had vanish
ed, Susy was still asleep in her chair, the
room was all right, and he couldn't feel
thankful enough.
"Oh, mamma, such a dream as I've
had!" he said. Then he commenced at
the beginning, and told her how he
had coaxed Susy to sit up, though he
knew it was wrong, and all that had hap
pened afterward.
His mother listened patiently. "The
old year was vision," she replied, "but
he gave you good counsel hope you'll
profit by it, and instead of leading your
little sister into wrong doing hereafter,
direct her toward the right"
Ned made great many promises, and
Mrs. Raynor undressed both him and Susy
and put them back to bed. Then she
went down into the kitchen and had
talk with Jane, for she was little dis
pleased at her neglect,
The next morning Ned remembered his
dream as soon as he awoke, and resolved
that the new year should write better
record of him than the old. Susy was
little surprised at his being so "velly
kind" that day, and sympathizing so
with Sally Ann, who had sustained Sc
rious injuries from her fall the night be-
fore. And Jake Miller, the boy whom he
had ridiculed for not wearing good
clothes, was made happy by the present
of dollar, Ned's own money, and was
always afterward treated by Ned with a
great deal of pcliteAess and considera-