Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-05-18
Careless Tommy.

Tommy Lee was a very careless little
| boy. His mother often told him that
he must not leave his playthings about
the room, but must put them away in
the closet when he had finished playing
| with them. But Tommy did not mind.
| He would run off to Iiay in the yard,
leaving his toys on the floor or the table
for his mother or sister to pick up and
put away. Thus he caused his busy
mother and sister to waste much time.
owe must cure Tommy of this fault, y
said his mother, '.but do not know how
to do it. He doesn't seem to mind be-
ing punished in the least" I.
On his birthday Tommy's father gave
him box of lead soldiers, with little
cannon, and handful of small peas for
cannon balls. His mother gave him q
pretty silk ball, and his sister gave him
a china mug with a wreath of flowers
painted on it. Tommy was very happy.
He had fine time shooting down the
/ soldiers and bounding the bali, and he
liked to drink out of his pretty mug. He
kept it by his plate at every meal, and
said that his milk tasted sweeter than
when he drank from tin cup.
At first he was very carefal to put his
new toys away as soon as he grew tired
of playing with them. But one day,
when he had all his soldiers out of the
| box, and was shooting them down, a
little boy came to ask him to help make
a snow man in the yard, and off ran
Tommy, leaving his soldiers on the
table, his ball on the floor, and his pretty
| mug ON q chair.
When he came back an hour later it
was almost dark, and the table was set
for supper. Under the table lay Towser,
the big dog, gnawing something that
had once been bright and pretty, but
was now all in pieces and very wet.
"What have you there, Towserp'
asked Tommy, and he crawled under
the table to see. He began to cry when
he saw that it was the silk ball which
Towser had.
"Why didn't somebody put my ball
away?' he asked.
THAT is something you must always
do for YOURSELF said his mother, who
was busy cutting the bread for supper.
81 have no time to spend in picking up
your toys.''
AS Tommy came out from under the
table he stepped on something hard. 1t
was a relocated soldier. All the rest
of the soldiers were on the floor. too,
and all were broken except a General
on horseback.
You have all been treading on my
soldiers said Tommy, crying harder.
81 can't ever play with them again. !"
1t is your own fault, Tommy said
his sister. I'VE have often told you to
put your toys away. You are big boy
now, and must not expect US to take
care of your things as if you were
baby
Just then Tommy's little sister
crawled over to the chair on which lay
the mug. She grasped it with her baby
hands, and before Tommy could spring
to take it from her it fell to the floor,
and with loud crash broke into twenty
pieces.
Poor Tommy! He cried until he had
no tears left to shed, and he felt too
badly to eat his supper. But he had
learned a good lesson, for he never
again left his toys about the room. He
was SO careful to put them away, that
on his next birthday he was given an
other box of soldiers, another ball and
another mug. And these he kept for a
good many years.--Houselsold.