Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-01-25
HOW A GOOD LESSON WAS
SPOILED.
BY MARION HARLAND.

A darkened room, spacious and hand
somely turnished-being, in fact, the
chamber of Mrs. Wilcox, the mother OF
the little fellow who occupied the wide
bed. He lay there in lugubrious state,
the rosy face stained with much crying,
Just showing above the edge of the coun-
;erpane; his tangle Of yellow curls
crushed upon the bolster. Below these
was a white mound, stretched along the
middle of the bed, Just the length Of Bob
BY Boy, aged seven-and-a-half, the
youngling of the Wilcox family. Two
big blue eyes, glazed with tears, wan
dered from one TO another OF the two
faces gazing at him from opposite sides of
the horizontal pillory. Both were kind
", both loving, both sad. They belonged
to the parents Of Bobby Boy, and he had
been conyiced, sentenced and punished
for telling lie.
His mother had sent him TO fruit
store with twenty-five cents and an order
for two lemons. The temp;er. in the
form of a street boy, waylaid him at a
corner with a challenge TO a competitive
show of tops. The silver quarter was
in the same pocket with Bobby Boys new
air-top and card, the pride Of his soul.
Or, he may have drawn il out with his
handkerchief when he wiped his face aftei
the game. The tempter may have known
more about it than the tempted suspected,
At any rate, the money was not to be
found, and he was close by and ready
with his proposition when Bobby Boy
discovered the loss.
Mamma will certainly scold me this
time" he subjoined, turning every pocket
inside out, and staring distractedly up
and down the street. II lost ten cents
last week, and she told me to be more
careful"
"Don't tell her, And don't pay for
the lemons. When the bill comes in,
your mamma will have forgotten all
about sending you for them, or she'll
think the -feller made a mistake.
| know lots of real gamey.fellows who
get out of scrapes hathaway. It's milk
sops wot runs to Nanny with every
little bother.
The experiment, thus suggested and
urged, was a success until mamma de-
manded the change.
"He said there wasn't any. faltered
the errand-boy.
"No change! out oftwenty-five cents -
Then, with searching look at the scarlet
face painfully averted-"Bobby Boy p
The "milk-sop' bethought him Of
the "gamey fellers.'
Honest true, mammal - he plucked
up courage to say,
"Put on your hat, my son, and go with
me to the store where you bought the
lemons. There is something wrong when
nv boy cannot look me in the eyes,
Thus came about the tragedy that
darkened the June day for the whole vii.
cox household. 1t was at nine O'Clock
on Saturday morning that the falsehood
was detected. At two p NJ, Mrs. vii
cox brought up the prisoners dinner
Only bread and water. He had smelled
savory soup and roast lamb, and the cool
had limited at strawberry shortcake wher
he passed, whistling, through the kitchen
turning the silver quarter over in hi
pocket. That was an eternity OF suffer.
ing ago. Almost five hours, and he wa.
TO lie here until supper-time, alone
When he had eaten the bread of affiiction
seasoned with tears Of self-pity and re
morse, mamma reappeared with papa.
"My son. said the latter, 81 woult
rather have you die in your innocent boy.
hood than grow up lar Tell the