The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-02-26

sprees, and his wife was so anxious for
fear he'd lain down somewhere on the
track that she sent Johnny out to look
him up. He ran out of the gate, boy
fashion, and made 8 rush for the steps,
never noticing that they were gone till
he pitched down the bank with his foot
twisted under him. He must have
tainted and lain there some time before
he managed to crawl back, and they
didn't send for your father till morning.
1t does seem too hard for that poor WON:
an. Johnny was her only dependence,
and such nice boy"
Poor Bert was fairly sick with horror
at the unlooked-for result of the mischief,
for though he had made a feeble protest,
he had really sanctioned it by his
presence, and he knew that his father
would say he was as much responsible
as any one His father! must he
know itP Could he ever hold up his
head again if such disgrace came up
on him?
"I'll never tell him." thought Bert;
" it would not do the least good now,
and it would nearly kill him. I've done
with those boys, though, and with such
frolics as they are up to-" ife
But it CHANGED that Bert was not to
have his own way about this matter.
That evening when he came home
smarting under the modification of fail
ure in his lessons, and a sense of re-
morse and shame at his own folly, his
father called him into his study. For
the first time in his life Bert really
dreaded an interview with his father,
and when he saw upon a chair the hair
dresser's sign which he had helped to
fasten upon Mrs. McPherson's cow, he
was ready to sink with shame. His
father talked to him quietly, telling him
that for some time the neighborhood
had been annoyed by the mischievous
and malicious tricks of a set of boys,
until some of the residents had deter
mined that they would discover them
and make a public example of them.
''If it could have been done sooner it
would have saved great deal of suffer-
ing to an innocent boy, but perhaps
some serious warning was needed for
those who do not hesitate to sacrifice
their best friends to what they call fun.
This morning DR.. Parker called me into
his garden and, after showing me the
mischief done to his choice vines and
plants by some creature that had tram
pied over them, he told me that he
found Mrs. McPherson's COW in the
grounds with that sign tied to her horns.
The gate had been taken from the
hinges, and the animal had apparently
been driven about to do as much dam
age as possible. 1t seemed almost in
credible that any one would have the
boldness TO avow such a piece of VII
lainy."
Bert sat with his eyes fixed upon the
sign, unable to move or speak, but at
that instant he saw, written in pencil at
the top of the board: i" Compliments Of
Bert AndreWS ~
"How mean," he exclaimed, angrily:
+" That is some of Will Moore's work.
"My boy" exclaimed his father,
looking as if an immense burden had
been lifted from him. 81 shall be the
happiest man in town to know that you
had no hand in this rascally business"
Then Bert's heart fell again. He
thought he had only shared in the fun,
but he suddenly realized that his COM
panions had so contrived that he should
also bear the disgrace and the blame for
the unlooked-for results. -
After all, it was a relief to both IA
Their and son when the whole story was
told. Bert was relieved at having made
a full confession and feeling himself re-
stored to his fathers confidence, while
his father was glad of the assurance that
his boy had not been guilty of malicious
mischief.
Nothing more fortunate could have
to you than this very first adj
venture should bring you into trouble,
for remember, my boy, that the acts
themselves would have been just as dis
graceful if things had not resulted as
they did. The law does not trouble it
self about intentions, but holds us re-
sponsible for the mischief which results,
or which might be expected to result,
from our acts"
Father" said Bert, presently, al
hate to have the boys think l told of
them" ...f
"They seem to have had no scruples
about telling Of you," said his father.
81 shall certainly go to their fathers
and do what l can to save them from
certain ruin. AS for you, Bert, 1 advise
you to go and have talk with Dr. Par
kerr
Bert never reported his conversation
with the good old minister, but they
shook hands very cordially as they
parted, and the Doctor was often heard
to speak of Bert as % fine manly fell
low" lrf +fJ 81. .l...|
Bert likes fun as well as ever, but he
has habit of looking very cautiously at
a frolic, to be sure there are not two
sides to it, before he ventures in-an
excellent habit to form. Emily Hun
t;ngton Miller, in Church and Home.