St. Landry democrat., 1882-11-04

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little boys do She made up her mind
that to-day Johnny should be either sick
or well in good earnest.
You really are too i'll to 90 to school?''
she asked.
Yes. mamma, think 50, said John
nv, holding out his plate for pancakes.
II Just want a good rest
'.Oh no, my DEAR she said, "you
cannot eat pancakes when you are sick.
You must max" your breakfast OF oat.
meal or dry toast
Johnny looked blank He liked pan
cakes and maple sirup very much, and
he hated oatmeal. He found the drv
toast rather poor breakfast, but he
knew there We're plenty of apples and
pears out of doors, so he had no fear OF
suffering with hunger.
When the other children had gone to
school, his mother led him to a small
bedroom which opened off her own.
"You must keep very quiet, dear"
she said. LET me help you umdress,
YOU will be more comfortable so. Now
| will dlaW the curtains. SO the light
will not hurt your head. If it doesn' t
get better soon. l must give you some
medicine.
And before Johnny bad time to think,
he was lying in a dark room that sun
shiny morning. He felt as if he could
turn dozen somersets. climb the tall
esttree in the yard, run five mile race,
wrestle with boy bigger than himself
even study! But to lie here,
Can't read little?' he asked.
"No, dear. it might make your head
worse'
Please let me have my Chinese puzzle,
mamma
"No, [ want you TO have good rest -
Poor Johnny tossed and tossed, and
thought that resting was the hardest
work in the world AS the long hours of
the morning dragged on. BY the dim
light he counted the flowers on the wall
papering, and watched the slow moving
of the little bar of sunshine which came
through the blinds. He said the multi
plcation-table as far as he knew it,
counted thousand, and said the alpha
bet backwards. After a while, he
begged his mother to bring his two
year-old brother to him, but she was
afraid it might disturb him.
Noon-time came, and with it the
merry troop from school. Johnny
waited anXiously for his dinner, re-
membering with horror that Dr. Tanner
had tasted eighty times as long as he
had.
But no roast veal and tapioca pudding
came to him. Only Y bowl OF Cruel and
an amazing pile of bread and butter.
Tobpp,r tr,rnaJ oyoy.pl n,.;,d ,,J +I,,,,
ate up every morsel.
He thought he was well enough to go
to school in the afternoon, but his moth
er thought not She felt sorry for her
little prisoner, and came and read to
him. This put him to sleep, and when
he awoke, the sun was low.
His sisters came and peeped into his
room, but his mother hushed and sent
them away. He wondered where the
boys were. When his mother brought
his supper of toast and little currant-
jelly, she told him they had gone out
for ride. AS it grew dark, she took
him to his own room, and soon after
they came rushing up, tired out, they
declared, but fairly running over with
fun and frolic.
80 Johnny, such time! The Chirp
boys grandfather old Mr.. Merriface,
came round at recess with his big wag-
on and begged them of, and begged as
off! He sent word to mamma by the
girls, and took us out to Chestnut
Grove. and it's just been splendid.
There was grapevine swing, and we
found snail-shells and such funny oak
balls. And such q Splent!ad supper the
old gentleman took along! We pic
nicked under the trees, and we've
brought home lots of nuts; but you're
not to eat any tonight, mamma says.
for it might be bad for your head. And
they were all so sorry you couldn't 20,
too! 1t was jolly, l tell you!'
Poor Johnny!
The bows who had studied hard and
played hard were soon asleep, but
Johnny had ia ken no exercise all day,
and his bed was no place of rest to him.
He felt much worse than he had felt
in the morning, and lay awake a long
time, thinking what miserable day he
had spent. Conscience was busy, too.
He felt in his very heart that he had de-
ceived his kind mother. A flush of
shame rose to his face as the thought
came that perhaps she had
guessed how very little foundation
there had been for his COM
plants Of the morning. He had tried
to deceive himself, but now, in the
darkness and quiet of the night, his
meanness and wickedness stood out
plainly before him, and he got out of
bed and prayed for forgiveness for the
past, and help to better doing in the
uture.
The next morning he sprang up,
feeling as we'll as ever, ate just what
he wanted for breakfast, and started to
school on a quick run, only turning
aside to jump over everything a lively
boy cou'd Jump over.
His mother looked after him with