The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-07-01
THE MASTER KNEW BEST.

A certain young mastiff being near dogs
estate, his master judged best to trim and
shorten his ears. This the mast,ff thought
hard, and complained accordingly. But as
he grew older aud 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
10 the enemies teeth, while the l0ng.eared
dogs, whom he had formerly envied, came
from the fray torn and suffering. ''Ahav'
said the masliff, my master knew better
than what was good for me."-Ud Fable.
"But why mustn't I2'' said Towser.
Towser was not dog, as you might sup
pose, but the nickname of boy. Exactly
why bis school. fellows should have chosen
this nickname for Tom Kane don't know;
perhaps because his brown, shOrt-nOsed
face was little like q d0g's-perhaps be-
cause he was bold and resOlute, good
fighter, and tough in defense of his rights
and opinions. hardly think it was this last
reason, however. Boys are not much given
to analyZing character, and are apt to judge
things and people by happy go lucky in
stinct, which sometimes leads them right
and sometimes wrong. But whatever the
reason may have been, TOwser Was Toms
school name, and stuck to him through life.
Even his wife called him s0-when he grew
up and had a wife-and the last time saw
him, his little girl was stroking bis hair and
saying, g Papa Towser,'' in imitation Of
but it sounded pretty from Baby Nays lips,
and 1 never heard that Tom objected to the
title, either as man or boy.
But to return to the time when he was q
"Why mustn't I?'' he said again. "All
the fellows are going except me, and I'd
like to, ever so much.'
t. - 80
his father, rather grimly. ''It's q question
of can and can't. All the other boys have
rich fathers; or, if not rich, they are not
poor like me. It's well enough that their
sons should 60 of on camping parties.
Twenty five dollars here and twenty there
isn't much to any OF 'em, but it's great
deal for you. And what's more, Tom,
nothing, it isn't good thing for you, any
way you fix it. pay for your schooling,
and I paid for those boxing lessons, and
may be, another year, IN manage the sub
scription to the boat, for ] 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
when the tussle comes. But when its a
case of camping out week, or extra holi.
days, or spending money for circuses and
minstrels and such trash, i shut down.
You'll be all the better of in the end with
out this fun and idling and getting your
head full Of the idea Of always having q
good time.' Works what you're meant
bringing you up tough, you will when you're
q man, with, may be, boy Of your own"
Mr.. Kane Was silent, gruff, long -headed
man, who never wasted words, and this, the
longest speech he had ever been known to
make, impressed Towser not little. He
did say to himself, in a grumbling tone,
"Pretty hard, think, to be cut of 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.
"Well, 1 say it's q COMPOUNDED shame"
declared Tom White.
81 call your pa real mean," Joined in
"You'd better not call him anything Of
the kind while Pm around" said
TOwser, with an angry look in eyes,
and Archie shrank and said no
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,
ing him away from the others, Ppm real
disappointed. old fellow. Couldn't it be
managed? I'd lend you half the money"
Harry's mother was a widow, well of, and
very indulgent, and he had more pocket
money at command than any one else In the
school.
Towser shook his head.
ssNo use," he said. "Father don't want
me to go, for more reasons than the money.
He saws Tve got to work hard all my life,
and I'd better not get into the way Of having
good times; it'd soften me, and I'd not do
so well by and by"
"How horridr p cried Harry. with shud-
der. ''I'm glad mother doesn't talk that
way"
Harry Blake was fair and tender, with
auburn hair, which waved naturally, and a
delicate throat as white as q girls.
Tom looked at him with sort of rough.
plying tenderness.
aI'm glad, 100, =" he said. ssYou'd die If
you had to rough it much, Harry. Pm
tougher. YOU see. 1t won't hurt me-"
A sturdy satisfaction came with these
words that almost made up for the disap-
pointment about the camping out.
Still, it was pretty hard to see the boys
start without him. Ten days later they re-
turned. The mosquitoes were very thick,
they said, and they hadn't caught so many
fish as they expected. Joe Bryce had hurt
his hand with . gun-lock, and Harry Blake
was half sick with cold. Still, they had
had pretty good time on the whole. Mr..
Kane listened to this report with . dry
twinkle in his eyes.
1.-TWO hundred dollars gone in giving
he said. IS Well, all the fools aren't dead
vet. You stick to what you're about, Tow
And TSwser did stick. not only then. hui