American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-05-15
Dawes PANTS.

Dawes PANTS.
The other day picked up the report
Of one Of our city charities, and among
the list of contributors and their contri-
buttons read these words: Little Dave;
six pairs of pants for poor boys" Then
didn't read any further, at least not
for long time, and sat and wondered
and wondered who ''little Dave was,
and why he had given his six pairs OF
pants to the poor little boys instead OF
keeping them for his own little legs,
how studied it all out.
Dawes father was q broker. He
bought and sold money and stocks, and
he did it honestly, too, as many Others
do, Notwithstanding some foolish peo-
pie think that . man can't deal in these
things and keep himself free from dis
honesty. Mr.. Falconer, that was Dave
fathers name, had an office in Wall
street, and q home in Fifth avenue. and
he had horses and carriages, and so
many servants that they were always
getting in each others way and giving
Dawes mother no end of trouble. And
Dawes father gave splendid dinners,
and had . great deal Of company, and
spent money as freely as water, and
was rs happy as q man can be who has
no time to do good. He gave away a
good deal of money, to be sure, and his
name figured on all the subscription
lists, and no beggar went away from his
door empty handed; and yet this rich
man used to come home, and sit by his
library ire, and say when he read of
want and misery:
"Oh dear me! wish could do some
thing for somebody; something that I
could know and see made somebody
better and happier" Then he would
say to Dave: "Don't ever get so busy,
Dave. that you can't have time to do
good, 1t il what we can do for 9TH
ers, my boy, that goes to make US
happy"
So it was that Dave got to long to
''do good, for somebody" He used to
give away his pennies and his dimes to
anybody that wanted them, but he said
That's nothing-it isn't doing any,
thing-because, you see, l have so many
that don't want them. I want to do
something. Something that l shall feel
myself"
This was when Dave was nine years
old And wasn't he q splendid fellow!
He was pretty big of his age, could
pitch . bali with any boy of his size and
pace, and was rosy and strong and
healthy. He was handsome, too, with
his great dark eyes, and his cleanly cut
features, and his wavy brown hair. He
was fine fellow; and his mother was
very proud of him, and told me in con-
fidenoe that people used to turn round
and take q second look at Dave when
they passed him in the street.
A few times Dave did have a real no.
mistake-about-it chance to do good.
Once he spent the best part of an hour
In helping an old and half blind peanut
woman to gather up her wares, that
some careless driver had knocked over,
and once he thrashed street-boy for
abusing his little sister. He came home
that time with his clothes torn, and his
eye black, and bruised a good deal
about his head and shoulders, and his
mother almost scolded him, but Dave
said:
II couldn't help it.. She was a little
pale-faced thing of girl, and he was a
big boy and he struck her, and SO took
her part, and he gave it to me, and
gave it to him, and I'm glad of il, and
I'd do it again. Didn't do right,
mother?''
"Well," said his mother, "rve al
ways heard that fighting was wrong,
but, perhaps, in such q case it isn't SO
very wrong. And you whipped him,
Dave, SO he'll remember it? / hope it
will do him good" And she kissed her
boy and forgave him.
That night Dave told his father about
1t. and asked:
"Are you ashamed of my fighting in
the street, father?''
And Dawes father took him on his
knee, and said, well, it isn't best to
fight as long as one can help it, but on
the whole think I should have been
more ashamed of my boy If he hadn't
done it."
And Dave, boy as he was, couldn't
help but think that he had done some
good.
So Dawes time was spent in looking
about for special opportunities to do
good don't think he had quite the
right ideas about the matter, because it
isn't alone in special opportunities that
we may do good but in every detail of
our daily lives, and to all that are about
Us. The ordinary opportunities are
just as great, If we look at them Alright.
- bfiO CANAnOt1in6h
just now 1 come to the tenth birth
day in Dawes life. 1t is q birthday
that he will never forget, and one that
his mother can't speak of with I'M
dimmed eyes. They had party for
Dave, and it was as jolly party as
ever was planned by loving parents.
There were IS many as a hundred chill
dren invited. and they were given the
freedom of the house. They had such
games and such refreshments! And
there was a coDjurer who conjured, and
= magic lantern the pictures of which
kept the company in a chronic state of
crying, "O-o-h myr' And there were
acted charades SO good that nobody but
preternaturally smart children could
guess what they meant. And they had
in Punch and Judy show, and Punch
was never 50 queer or Judy SO pcrverse
or Toby so excrutiatingly funny before!
And they had a telephone. an acoustic
telephone, which stretched its mrsteri-
Gus thread from the top landing of the
front stairs, through the wide opening
about which the stairs wound, through
four stories, to the very parlor floor;
where dainty little maidens whispered
pretty messages to nice boys in the
attic.
Everybody had tried it but Dave, and
now he ran up stairs as hard as he
could to whisper a message down to
his cousin Edith, who sat on the stair in
the hall. Whether the telephone was
" orn out with SO much using or wheth-
~ it had been too much Investigated