Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-06-06
"PAUcI SEQ MAGNANIM,"
"PARADISE."
By LoTTIE JEANETTE POE.

her lawn, lady erected target just over
the border, and induced several urchins to
throw stones at it from her place for a
prize. But it suddenly occurred to the
eager boys that they were working for her
and the fun suddenly gave way to disgust.
This deep-seated hatred that children and
all of US have TO work as work, exists be-
cause we were not created for it in Eden.
1t Is wholly unnatural-the curse of the
Fall Every object of human pursuit is
valuable only so far as it has tendency
TO promote our happiness What inclina-
ton impels. not what duty prompt us to
do, is that in which we find pleasure. In
our dislike of all imposed tasks we are
very much like Tom Sawyer, but, unlike
the inimitable Tom, we have not the inge-
nuity to evade the tasks when imposed
Tom was in disgrace with his aunt, and
as result his Saturday holiday was to be
turned into captivity at hard labor. Sat
urday morning came and the summer
world was bright and fresh and trimming
with life, There was song in every heart
and II the heart was young the music is
sued from the lips. There was cheer in
every face and spring in every step. The
locust trees were in bloom, and the fra
GRANGE of their blossoms filled the air.
Cardiff Hill, beyond and above the village,
was green with vegetation and it lay just
Tar enough away to seem a Detachable
Land, dreamy, reposeful and inviting
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a
bucket of whitewash and brush. He sur
veyed the fence and all gladness left him,
and deep melancholy settled down over
his spirits. Thirty yards of board fence,
nine feet high. Life to him seemed hollow
and existence burden Signing, he dip
ped his brush passed it along the top most
plank, repeated the operation, compared
the Insignificant streak with the far-reach-
ing continent of un-whitewashed fence,
and sat down on tree-box discouraged.
At this dark and hopeless moment an in
spiration burst upon him. Nothing less
than great and magnificent inspiration.
lie took up his brush and went to work.
Ben Rogers presently hove i'm sight-the
very boy of all boys whose ridicule Tom
had been dreading. Ben's gait was the
hop step-and, jump-proof enough that
his heart was light and his anticipations
high. He was eating an apple and giving
long, mellow whoop.at intervals follow
ed by deep-toned ding-dong ding-for
he was personating steamboat. Tom
went on whitewashing paying no atten-
ton to the steamboat. At length he sur
veyed his last touch with the
eye OF an artist, then gave his brush anoth-
er gentle sweep and surveyed the result,
as before. Ben ran up alongside of him.
Toms mouth watered for the apple, but
he stuck to his work. Ben said: "Hello,
old chap, you've got to work, hey?" Tom
wheeled suddenly around and said: "Why
it's you, Ben! / wasn't noticing" "Say,
I'm goin' in swimmin', / am. Don't you
you wish could? But, of course, you'd
druther work. Course you would"
Tom contemplated the boy a
moment and said: "What; do
you call that work. "Why. amt that
work." Tom resumed his whitewashing
and answered carelessly: "Well, maybe
it is and maybe 1t amt; all l know is that
it suits Tom Sawyer" "Of course, now.
you don't mean to let on that you like it. "
The brush continued to move. Like 1t?
Well, don't see why oughn't. Does a
boy get chance to white-wash fence ev-
cry day" That put things In new light.
Ben stopped nibbling his appleton
swept his brush daintily back and forth,
stepped back to note the effect, added a
touch here and there, criticized the effect
again. Ben watched every move, got more
interested and absorbed, Presently
he said: "Say, Tom, let me whitewash a
littles" Tom considered, was about to
consent, but altered his mind. Mono,
! reckon 1t wouldn't hardly dc, Ben. You
see Aunt Polly's awful particular about
this fence-right here on the street, you
know-but if it was the back fence she
xuns,l1xrf ,..s,1 I-Sf Vau "a
is awful particular about this fence its
got to be done very careful; l reckon there
amt one boy in thousand, maybe in two
thousand. that can do it the way its got to
done" mo, is that 500 Oh, come, now,
femme just try. Only just little-rd let
you If you was me, Tom" "Ben, I'd like
to, but Aunt Polly-well, Jim wanted to
do it, but she wouldn't let him; Sid want
ed to do it but she wouldn't let Sid now,
don't you sec how I'm fixed? If you was
to tackle this fence and anything should
happen to it" "Oh, I'll be just as care
full Say, now, femme try. Say-I'll give
you the core of my applet" well. here,
mo, Ben. now, don't I'm afraid" an
give you all ofitp Tom gave up the brush
with reluctance in his face but alacrity in
his heart. While the late steamer, "Big
Missouri" worked and sweated in the sun,
the retired artist sat on a barrel in the
shade close by, munched his apple, and
planned the slaughter of more innocents.
There was no lack of material boys hap
pened along every little while; they came
to jeer, they remained to whitewash. AS
the result Of Toms inspiration when MI ht
came, he had had a nice, good, idle time
all the while, and was literally rolling in
weaftllv Tom said to himself that it was
not such hollow world after all. He had
discovered great law of human action,
without knowing it, namely, to make a
man or boy covet thing it is only neces-
sary to make it difficult to obtain. If he