The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-09
THE MASTER KNEW BEST.

AAG AhAD NM W DEiS
A certain young mastiff being near dogs
estate, his master judged best TO trim and
shorten his ears. This the mastiff thought
hard, and complained accordingly. But as
he grew older and met dogs of various tenn
pers, he was often obliged to fight for HIM
self and his rights: then his short ears gave
great advantage, for they furnished no hold
TO the enemies teeth, while the long-eared
dogs, whom he had formerly envied, came
from the fray torn and suffering. "Ahan'
said the mastiff, ''my master knew better
than L what was good for me. "-OM Fabk.
"But why mustn't Il" said Towser.
TOwser was not dog, as you might sup
pose, but the nickname of 4 boy. Exactly
why his school-fellows should have chosen
this nickname for Tom Kane | don't know;
perhaps because his brown, short-nosed
face was little like a dog s-perhaps be-
cause he was bold and resolute, good
fighter, and tough in defense of his rights
and opinions. l hardly think it was this last
reason, however. Boys are not much given
to analyZlng character, and are apt to Judge
things and people by a happy go-lucly in
stinct, which sometimes leads them right
and sometimes wrong. But whatever the
reason may have been, Towser was Tom 5
school name, and stuck to him through life.
Even his wife called him so--when he grew
up and had a wife-and the last time / saw
him, his little girl was stroking his hair and
saying, Papa Towser,'' in imitation OF
her mother. Towser isn't a pretty name
but it sounded pretty from Baby Mays lips,
and L never heard that Tom objected to the
title, either as man or boy.
But to return to the time when he was a
boy. ~
the fellows are going except me, and I'd
lilo 70 N >,
at isn't question of like,' answered
his father, rather grimly. "It's a question
Of can and can't. All the other boys have
rich fathers; or, il not rich, they are moi
poor like me. It's well enough that theiI
sons should 90 off on camping parties.
Twenty five dollars here and twenty there
isn't much to any OF 'em, but it's a great
deal for you. And what's more, Tom,
there's this: that if they'd take you for
nothing, it isn't good thing for you, any
way you fix it. | pay for your schooling,
and l paid for those boxing lessons, and
may be, another year, L III manage the sub
scription to the boat, for L want you to
grow up strong and ready with your fists,
and your mind, and all parts of you.
You'll have to fight your way, my
boy, and want you to turn out true grit
when the tussle comes. But when its Il
case Of camping out week, or extra holt
DAYS, or spending money for crcuses and
minstrels and such trash, i shut down.
You'll be all the better off in the end with
out this fun and idling and getting your
head full of the idea of always having a
good time.' Works what you're meant
for, and if you don't thank me now for
bringing you up tough, you will when you're
a man, with, may be, a boy OF your own"
Dir. Kane was Il silent, gruff, long headed
man, who never wasted words, and this, the
longest speech he had ever been known to
make, impressed Towser not a little. He
did say to himself in a grumbling tone
pretty hard, / think, to be cut off so at
every turn" but he said it softly and only
once, and before long his face cleared, and
taking his hat, he went to tell the boys that
he couldn't join the camping party.
swell, l say it's confounded shameo
declared Tom White.
81 call your pa real mean," joined ii
Archie Berkley.
YOU'D better not call him anything o
the kind while I'm around" sale
Towser, with an angry look in eyes
and Archie shrank and said nc
more. Tom was vexed and sore enough
at heart, but he wasn't going to let any boy
speak disrespectfully Of his father.
81 say, though" whispered Harry Blake
getting his arm round Tom IS neck and lead
ing him away from the others, ppm rea
disappointed, old fellow. Couldn't it b,
u1dHdSeu! lu ltll you HAL INC biOHcys
Harry's mother was widow, well off, ant
very indulgent, and he had more pocket
money at command than any one else in thu
school.
Towser shook his head.
''No use," he said. "Father don't wan
me to go, for more reasons than the money
He says pve got to work hard all my life
and I'd better not get into the way OF havin!
good times; it'd soften me, and Id not dt
so well by and by"
elbow horrid!" cried Harry, with q shud
der. ''I'm glad mother doesn't talk tina
way"
Harry Blake was fair and tender, will
auburn hair, which waved naturally, and
delicate throat as white as girls.
Tom looked at him with Il sort of rough
plying tenderness.
"I'm glad, 100, - he said. "You'd die i
you had to rough il much, Harry. Pm
tougher, you see. 1t won't hurt me-"
A sturdy satisfaction came with thes,
words that almost made up for the disap
pointment about the camping out.
Still, it was pretty hard to see the boyi
start without him. Ten days later they re
turned. The mosquitoes were very thick
they said, and they hadn't caught so man,
fish as they expected. Joe Bryce had hur
his hand with gun-lock, and Harry Blak,
was half sick with cold. Still, they hat
had pretty good time on the whole. Mr.
Kane listened to this report with a dry
twinkle in his eyes.
"Two hundred dollars gone in giving
twenty young fellows n pretty good time, J
he said We'll, all the fools aren't deaC
yet. You stick to what you're about, Tow.
ser, my boy"
And ToyVSar did stfcl. ,1aa only t},a, b,,,