Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-02

he hated oatmeal He found the dry
toast rather poor breakfast, but he
knew there were 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 undress,
you will be more comfortable so. Now
[ will draw the curtains, SO the light
will not hurt your head. If it doesn't
get better soon. must give you some
medicine
And before Johnny had time to think,
he was lying in a dark room that sum
shiny morning! He felt as if he could
turn dozen somersets, climb the tall
stree in the yard, run five-mile race,
wrestle with a boy bigger than himself,
even study! But to lie here!
Can't read a 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
of the little barfof sunshine which came
through the blinds. He said the multi
plication-table as far as he knew it,
counted thousand, and said the alpha
bet backwards After a while, he
h l. L.
year-old brother to him, but she was
afraid it might disturb him.
Noon-time came, and with it the
waited anxiously for his dinner, re-
Numbering with horror that DIR. Tanner
had tasted eighty times as long as he
had.
But no roast veal and tapioca pudding
came to him. Only bowl of cruel and
an amazing pile of bread and butter.
Johnny turned away and cried, and then
ate UP every morsel.
He thought he was well enough to 90
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 a 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.
40 Johnny, such a time! The Chirp
boys grandfather, old Mr. Merriface,
came round at recess with his big wag-
on, and begged them off, 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 a grapevine swing, and we
found snail-shells and such funny oak
balls. And such splendid 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 CO.
too! 1t was jolly, 1 tell you!"
Poor Johnny!
The boys who had studied hard and
played hard were soon asleep, but
Johnny had taken 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 long
time, thinking what a 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
suddenly 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
future.
The next morning he sprang up,
feeling as well as ever, ate just what
he wanted for breakfast, and started to
school on a quick run, only turning
aside to jump over everything lively
boy could Jump over.
His mother looked after him with a
smile, saying to herself:
You had pretty hard lesson
yesterday, my little man, but think it