Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-29
TOM GAYLE'S LESSON.

when 1 ought to, though l s'pose one
ought to be good all the time. But I
mean that when anything goes wrong,
and l ought to stop and think, and BE
patient and all thar, why then's the time
fail. l get mad and do something I'm
ashamed of; and, oh dear, wish I .lldn' t
have such quick temper"
Tom Gayle SAID all this to himself Just
after he had come out of one OF his mad
tits-as he calls them, and he told pretty
much the truth. He was qulck-tempered,
and it took very little to prove it to any
body. If his shoestrings got into knot,
as the best regulated shoestrings will
sometimes get, that fiery temper of his
was ready to explode over even that tri-
file; and the chances were that the shoe
would take sudden journey across the
room, followed by "There! Lie there,
you horrid old thing!" then it wouldn't
take long to show Master Tom that he
couldn't appear at breakfast like "My
son John, with one shoe Oft and one shoe
on" So he would cool of, and after a
good many struggles with the string and
more with himself. would finally con-
quer.
So he managed to be IN what he called
ga snarl'' good deal of the time; for by
some strange reason, boys and-well, yes,
girls, too, are wonderfully fond Of teasing
any one who can be made to show temper
so easy, and Tom had gained the name
of ''Spitfre," "Firecracker" and several
such names as the ingenuity of the school
children can devise, and between you and
me, children, there isn't much that
school-boys and girls can't think Of.
Now, is there?
Well, this morning that I'm telling you
about, Tom evidently got out the wrong
side OF the bed. Little Johnny had man
aged to upset the wash bowl, and deluge
Toms bare feet; and Toms cup of wrath
was full, If the bowl wasn't, and it didn't
take long to empty it on poor Johnny's
little head.
Now, Tom didn't really care anything
about water. Bless you! no; no more
than duck. He'd wade and swim in it
half the summer, and skate On it day and
night in the winter, when it had "gone to
Sleep" you know; but he didn't want 1t
splashed over him that way. And he
stormed and scolded, and having sue
ceeded in making Johnny set up a great
cry, he proceeded to hush him up by Civ
Ing him hearty shaking and, I'm sorry
to say, a wicked blow.
Then his thoughts came back to him,
and he said to himself: "What wild
beast I'm getting to'be." And, being
warm-hearted and quick to repent, he
caught up his little brother and proceed
ed to pet him into happiness again.
Now I've been telling about Toms
faults, or his one great fault, it's only
fair to tel! something abont his good
qualities. Fer he had them plenty. Ev-
cry body has, you know.
He was generous and loving and brave.
His temper could be aroused just as east
ly for anyone else as for himself. So
you see 1t did not have its root IN selfish.
ness wholly. and many the battles he
fought for younger and smaller boys; on
ly you see, boy with such a temper is
only at a disadvantage. He don't always
see the right side clearly. And then
Tom was always ready to confess and re-
pent land made many and honest resolves
10 do better; and so, when he had driv-
en- out the.wild teast,as he said, and wac
himself agaln-and he was then Il very
pleasant ''self," 1ndeed-it was hard not
to forgive him and believe his promises
This morning, after he had made
all this ado about lis unexpected foot
bath, and had confessed that he might as
well give up trying, his 1aother said to
him.
II want to give you something to take
with you today, to help you to keep
sweet tempered"
'.Guess it'll be more than l can carry
round, mother. a whole barrel OF sugaI
wouldn't keep me saeet-tempered,' said
Tom.
1T ism t anything to take in your hand,
child; but something to carry in your
mind.'
mo use not a bit. I've tried all Of
those old wise rules. I've counted ten
that is, I've counted 'em afterwarl--
and I know Let dogs delight to bark
and bite, and BE slow to anger,' and
Let not your angry passions rise, but if
a fellow can't think OF EN- IN time to
keep him from going mad, what Is the
good of EN- all, Id like to know2''
"Tom, my son, know little about 1t
myself"
you, mother? Why, never saw you
get mad
Il don't very often nowadays; but if l
were to tell you that you take your nasty
temper from your mother, what would
you thlnk?"
Tom looked thoughtful for minute,
and then said: "Well, mother, 1 think I'd
be awful glad,-I mean very glad. In the
first place; I'd know that you understand
Just how fellow feels, and then I'd
think, as you got over it, maybe 1 would
sometime, though don't see much signs
of it now. But give us that recipe of years
It's most school-tlme.''
Tom, you admire hel oes. Now, want
you to be one, and 1 think you have the
materia! tor one in you. Here's a recipe
for hero-making:
:"Greater is he that ruleth MS Own spirit
than he that taketh a city.
bible, amt it:''
Eyes, it's Bible
"True anyway, if IT came out OF an al
manac. The man that wrote that knew
what he was talking about, | guess