St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-07-18
flor hr Children.
Little Scotch Granite.

Did you ever have bit of cloth that
you thought clean until some time it
happened to be laid near new piece,
and you then saw it was soiledY In
similar way people discover facts about
themselves sometimes, as Burt and
Johnnie Lee did when their Scotch
cousin came to live with them. They
were "pretty good boys" and would
have been very angry if anybody had
called them deceitful. Well, when their
cousin came they we're delighted. He
was little, but very bright and full of
fun. He could tell curious things about
his home in Scotland and his voyage
across the ocean. He was as far ad-
vanced in his studies as they were. and
the first day he went to school they
thought him remarkably good. He
wasted no time in play when he should
have been studying, and he recited
finely. At night, before the close of
school, the teacher called a roll, and
the boys began to answer, "Ten."
When Willie understood that he was
to say "tenn if he had not whispered
during the day, he replied, 81 have
whispered"
"MOre than once 2" asked the teacher.
ayes, sir" answered Willie.
GAS many as ten times W
"Maybe / have" faltered Willie.
"Then 1 shall mark you 'zerO,'" said
the teacher, sternly, "and that is a
great disgrace"
'Why, | did not see you whisper
once" said Johnnie that night after
school.
"Wen, did," said Willie. "I saw
others doing it, and so L asked to Dor
row a book then lent slate pencil
and asked boy for knife, and did
several such things. | supposed it was
allowed"
"Oh, we all do it," said Burt, REDEEM
ing. "There isn't any sense in the old
rule, and nobody could keep it, nobody
dOes.n
81 will, or else will say, Il haven't,'"
said Willie. ''DO you suppose | would
tell ten lies in one heap ?"
"Oh, we don't call them lies," NUT
tered Johnnie. "TheTe wouldn't be a
credit among us at night if we were so
strict"
'sWhat of that if you told the truth ~
laughed Willie, bravely.
In short time the boys all saw how
it was with him. He studied very hard,
played with all his might in playtime,
but according to his own account he
lost more credits than any of the rest.
After some weeks the boys answered,
"Ninen and eight" Oftener than they
used yet the school room seemed to
have grown much quieter. Sometimes,
when Willie Grants mark was even
lower than usual, the teacher would
smile peculiarly, but said no more of
disgrace" Willie never preached at
them or told tales, but somehow it
made the boys ashamed of themselves,
just the seeing that this sturdy blue
eyed Scotch boy must tell the truth.
1t was putting the clean cloth by the
half sOiled one, you see; and they felt
like cheats and "story tellers." They
talked him over, and loved him, if they
did nickname him "ScOtch Granite" he
was finn about promise.
Well, at the end of the term Wille's
name was very low down on the credit
list. When it was read, he had hard
wurk not to cry, for ne was very sensi-
tive, and he had tried hard to be per-
feet. But the very last thing that day
was a speech by the teacher, who told
of once seeing a man muffied up in a
cloak. He was passing him without a
look, when he was told the man was
General -, the great hero. ''The
signs of his rank were hidden, but the
hero was there just the same," said the
teacher. "And now, boys, you will see
what | mean when l tell you that |
want to give little gold medal to the
most faithful boy-the one really the
most conscientiously perfect in his
department among you. Who shall
have it?n
'Little Scotch Granite ~ shouted
forty boys at once for the child whose
name was so Glow" on the credit list
had made truth noble in their eyes,
Selected.