Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-03-29
Berthe Wilson.

prize at school; II was a beautiful book Of
travels, profusely illustrated. He put il
with his other books and started for home
but for some reason he did not appear TO be |
very happy He stopped after his COM
panions had parted from him at the turn of
the road and opened the volume and ex-
amined IL inside and out very carefully.
On the title-page his name was written In
very legible characters, but there was no ex-
preston of pleasure on his face. After a
few minutes he put it into his satchel again,
and continued his walk homeward.
Why was BERTHE so dissatisfied with him
self ? This was the cause About two
weeks before the teacher had offered prize
to the boy who would write the best COM
position.
Now BERTHE wrote pretty we'll, but he had
fault very common with boys-to put off
doing his work until he was in some way
forced into action. When he went home he
would catch up the paper and read it in
stead of attending TO errands. 1t was not
because the paper had interesting things in
it, but for want of energy to lay it down.
If his mother saw him sitting on the fence
and told him to do an errand, he would not
stir until she called him again and yet he
wanted to be good and obedient boy. The
truth is, he had bad habit and it con-
trolled him.
He felt when the teacher promised the
prize that he would try and win it. But
then, he put off writing day after day. One
morning he came into school earlier than
usual. He opened the desk of playmate
for dictionary he needed and there he saw
a paper covered with writing. Being curl
Gus, he read it; it was evidently a compost
ton intended for the prize competition,
written by Henry Sanford.
Henry was about his age, and a very stu
dious and good boy he possessed habits of
plodding industry. As soon as it was an
nounced by the teacher that priz, would
be given, he selected subject and wrote
| upon it. He thought and wrote upon it
every day, copying it over with much pains
The subject was The Value of Education"
After reading it Bsrtie felt quite sure it
would win the prize--it was so well ex.
pressed; he felt it was hardly worth while
for him to try, especially as only three days
were left After little while he deter
mined to write on " Education" and be
fore the day closed he had finished his COM
position. He did Indeed feel ashamed, but
kept saying to himself, al meant to write
on that subject myself" he knew that he
had derived his ideas from the points made
by his psinstaking schoolmate, aud that he
had thus done a wrong act. The prizs was
awarded to him, and he was congratulated
! by his teacher and schoolmates.
Harry and BERTHE were good friends.
Nearly every Saturday they went up to the
farm owned by Mr.. Sanford and played
together. After winning the prize BERTHE no
longer wanted to visit Harry he neglected
him in way that was painful to those who
had seen the once-existing friendship be-
/ tba
lad, having no confidence in his abilities
whatever. He had tried hard to write
good composition because his father had
promised to take him to New York if he
won the prize. He wanted to succeed and
had failed, and rashly concluded that he
had no genius for study, and began to try
to persuade his father to take him out of
school and put him in business.
There was factory in that vicinity, and
many boys were employed in it, and so he
applied to the manager for place. 1t is
curious how wrong-doing pai1s the heart.
The very day that Harry applied for place
BERTHE also applied. He had felt so I'M
pleasant in meeting his schoolmate day by
day that he had persuaded his father to let
him get work in the factory. And so it
turned out that both were employed, and
very near each other, too. The steady in
dustry of Harry won him promotion, aud he
was greatly liked by the manager.
All of this troubled Berthe, and he left
the factory after staying only two months.
The struggle in his mind had affected his
spirits. He was no longer the happy, care
less boy he had been. His mother saw some
thing was on his mind he never displayed
his prize; and quickly turned from the sub
ject if it was adverted to. She determined TO
| toll tbu TOR ha in
"What is the matter with you and Harry :?
He never comes here, nor do you go to see
him. And why don't you like to show your
prize-book 2"
BERTHE started he wondered if his mother
knew it all. Just then the teacher came in
to urge that BERTHE should come back to
school. After greeting him the boy slipped
out of doors. His mother told her anxiety
at her sons unhappiness. The teacher had
marked at the time the fact that the two
compositions resembled each other; now he
saw how matters stood.
BERTHE was sent for and he confessed his
wrong-doing. But he thought he could
never face his schoolmate again.
~ must tell him and give him the prize !;
| don't want it; cannot bear TO look at it.
1t has made me miserable"
Harry would not consent to receive the
| prize lie declared that Bertle's composition
was far better than his own, and he will
ingly forgave him. The old friendship was
revived, and BERTHE started on new career ;
the past seemed forgotten. He, however,
missed the presence of his schoolmate, and
felt that he had been the means of driving
him from school; nor was he satisfied until
he left the factory and they sat side by side
in school again.
OF all the lessons learned at that school
none did BERTHE Wilson as much good as
this. He felt ever after that right-ioing
even in small things pays well but wrong
doing brings unhappiness, no matter what
pecunisry reward comes with it. Many a
man gets things wrongly, gets things he is
not entitled to, and he wonders he is not
happier in the possession of them. Look,
then, well to the way in which you get
the desirable things of life Scholar S
Companion.