The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-03-04
TOM GAYLE'S LESSON,

-Etiza Z. Hall IN Scritner.
TON GAYLE'S LESSON,
II can't help it, and what's the use of
my trying any more2 I can't be good
when l ought to, though I s'posc one
ought to DC good all the time. But
mean that when anything goes wrong,
and I ought to stop and think, and be
patient and all that, why thcn's the time
I fail. get mad and do something I'm
ashamed Of; and, oh dear, wish I didn'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-tempercd,
and it took very little to prove it to any
body. If his shoestrings got into knot,
as tho best regulated shoestrings will
sometimes get, that fiery temper of his
was ready to explode over even that tri-
fe; and the chances were that the shoe
would take sudden Journey across the
room, followed by & ''Thcrc! Lie there,
you horrid old thing!'' then it Wouldn't
take long to show Master Tom that lie
couldn't appear at breakfast like MY
son John, with one shoe of 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
"a snarl" a good deal Of the time; for by
some strange reason, boys and--wcll, yes,
girls, too, are wonderfully tond Of teasing
any one who can be made to slew 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 thcre2
We'll, 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 delugc
Toms bare feet; and Toms cup of wrath
was full, If the bowl wasn't, and it didn' It
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 ii had 'gone to
Sleep" you know; but he didn't want It
splashcd over him that way. And he
stormed and scoldcd, and having sue
ceeded in making Johnny set up great
cry, he proceeded to hush him up by Civ
ing him hearty shaking and, I'm sorry
to say, wicked blow.
Then his thoughts came back to him.
and he said to himself: "What a wild
beast I'm getting to be-" And, being
warm-hearted and quick to repent, he
caught up his little brother and proceed
cd 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. For he had them plenty. Ev-
cry body has, you know.
He was generous and loving and brave.
His temper could be aroused just as cast
~ for anyone else as for himself. So
you sec it did not have its root IN selfish.
ness wholly. and many the battles he
fought for younger and smaller boys; on.
ly you see, a 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, and made many and honest resolves
to do better; and SO, when he had driv-
en- out the. wild teast,as he said, 'and was
himself agaln-and he was then a 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
we'll give up trying, his mother said to
him:
~ want to give YOU something TO take
with you to-day, to help you to keep
sweet-tempered."
"Guess it'll - more than I can carry
round, mother. A whole barrel of sugar
wouldn't keep me swcet-tempercd," said
Tom.
ut isn't anything to take in your hand
child; but something to carry in you,
mind"
mo use not bit. I've tried all Of
those old wise rules. I've counted ter
that is, I've counted 'cm afterward-
and know Let dogs delight to bark
and bite, and Be slow to anger and
Let not your angry passions rise,' but il
a fellow can't think Of 'em in time tt
keep him from getting mad, what is thu
good of 'em all, I'd like to know9''
"Tom, my son, know little about II
myself"
"You, mother? Why, I never saw you
get mad.''
II don't very often nowadays; but if
were to tell you that you take your hasty
temper from your mother, what would
you think?"
Tom looked thoughtful for minute,
and then said: "Well, mother, think I'd
be awful glad II mean very glad. In the
first place; I'd know that you understand
just how a fellow feels, and then I'd
think, as you got over it, maybe / would
sometime, though I don't sec much signs
Of it now. But give Us that recipe of yoars
It's most scbool-t1me.''
"T0m, you admire he1 oes. Now, wan,
you to be one, and I think you have the
material tor one in you. Here's a recipe
for hero-making:
"Greater is he that ruleth his own spirit
than he that taketh city,"
''Bible, amt it2''
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, I gucss.'
II think it's very likely. Will you try
to remember it,"
"Ohl yes, I'll try, but there's prcciou:
little use in trying; I tell you," and Ton
started for school, and Mrs. Gayle stood
and watched him lovingly, as only mo
Their can, and was herself glad that out O
her own experience, she. could . sympa
thize with her boy. Only she was sor
~ when she thought how hardly won il
T the victory over ones own spirit.
Tom went along saying to himself
"'Greater than he that taketh q city, =.
call that putting it pretty strong.'
just then Jarvis Brooks caught sigh
OF him from down the street and callet
out: "Hello, there, Nitro-glycerine! O,
your way to school2"
How the blood flew up to Toms face
and the quick anger sprang up in hi
heart. But he did say to himself, just i,
time to prevent an angry reply: "Well