The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-01-02


He'll sweep ON tireless wing.
%l@ ,E. .-YontA's CoDspoaioa.
BOBBY ,FENNER'S TROUBLE.
A TRUE TALE FOR BOYS. 4@:
BOBBY was thirteen years old, and
lived in a little seaside village with his
father add mother.r He was . we'll
grown, rather pale-looking lad, with a
very nice face-that is, q face which
looked gentle, honest and sincere, with
no lines of evil passion or cunning be-
ginning to stamp themselves upon it.
Whether Bobby Fenner's face would
be called handsome or not I cannot
tell. think not; butt certainly looked
kind and truthful, and his clear gray
eyes looked out at one without bOldness
aud without shame. + eEtsfa
Bobby's father was sailor, and, con-
sequently, he was often left alone with
his mother. Oncethe father was alb
sent four years, and they sometimes
could not hear from him for months to.
gether, and what the poor mother
would then have done but for Bobby, 1
know not. A great help and comfort
he was to her-doing all he could for
her in the house before and between
school times, and always ready to stay
in and be her companion when she
wished it. In the evenings he would
prepare his lessons and, then amuse
himself with his books and maps (for
his father had once brought him home
q nice atlas), his box OF paints. his at
tempts at carpentering, or any other
simple amusement.
l am not going to praise Bobby for
his cleyerness, for, perhaps on account
OF his parents frequent change of resi-
dence, he was much lower in the school
than many boys of his age. Still his
teachers always liked him and spoke
well of him-they said he was atten-
tive, painstaking and obedient, and you
have often heard that those qualities
will, in the long run, often do more for
boy than mere cleverness without
them. =
From what have told you of Mrs.
Fenner's circumstances, you can under
stand how it was that Bobby did Lot
associate very much with the other
lads of the village. His mother did
not care for him to do so, for there
were many rough and rude and ill-dis.
posed boys about, whose parents did
not seem to mind what sort of boys
they were becoming, so long as they
were not a plague to themselves. So
they turned them into the streets, and
never troubled where they went nor
what they did except they happened to
want them, and then, if they were not
forthcoming, there was generally a
great eommotion. But Mrs. Fenner had
carefully trained her son, and did not
wish him to be corrupted by evil COM
munications.
Now, do not begin to think that Bob.
by was u "milk-sop," who " couldn't
say Bo! to goose" and so on, and
that he was g. little prig who thought
himself better than other people," He
was neither. He could sail his boat
with the rest, liked a good run and a
good game, had his faults, too, for he
could throw stones upon occasions, as
you will see.
One day his mother sent him into
the village on an errand. He had only
to leave something at the shop and re-
turn. Unfortunately, he did not go
straight home, for outside the house
he met Will Bevan, lad much given
to mischief and stone-throwing.
"Let us 90 and see how, they are
getting on with the church," sug-
gested Will. The church was being re-
paired, and was, of course, an object
of interest to the whole village. Hard
ly boy but visited it daily to watch
the workmen, and go home and report
progress. Bob and Will ran off and
had their look, and Bob was about.to
return, when mischievous Will made q
further proposal. "Let us see which
can throw stone over the roof"
sAll right" said Bobby. You will
think my good boy ought rather to
he was a boy and didn't.
So Will chose a stone and Bobby a
lump of mortar. Up they went, and
down they came, with nice clatter
upon the lead roof. You will think
that did no particular harm. 1t might
have done, and so thought the vicar,
who was inside the building and heard
the rattle.
"There are those rascals at it again."
he said, and out he ran, in great anger.
But the boys were already scampering
up the street, ard were soon out Of
sight. The vicar, however, followed
them home. The worthy man HAD been
sadly annoyed and irritated by this
stone-throwing propensity among the
boys. Whether it was that the new
roof. being higher than the old one,
seemed to offer perpetual challenge
and cay. "You can't throw over me as
you used to over the other poor thing"
1 know not; but certain it is that the
windows were broken, work was
spoiled, and the safety of workmen en-
dangered by this perpetual throwing of
stones. And the vicar had declared he
would make an example of the first he
caught. And now he thought he had
caught them, or as good as caught
them, in the very act, and he stood be-
fore Mrs. Fenner.
"Hasn't your boy been down at the
throwing stonesp" demanded
the vicar. o..
Certainly not, sir" said the moth
OF, DolleVlhS Sn0 spoke perIoct tIutn.
81 sent him to the shop but few min.
utes ago, and now he is back playing in
the yard. Here, Bobby!'
This was, quite correct, all had hap
pened within q few minutes.
Bobby came forward, and the vicar
asked, "Were you not throwing stones
at the church just nowp"
To some boys the question would
have presented loop-hole of escape;
they would have thought, ~ can truly
say did not throw stones" You will
remember Bob did not throw 8 stones,"
or even q stone-it was lump Of NOR
tar. But Bob was not one to practice
such evasion; he knewit would be only
lying in another form.
So what he said was this, ~ did not