St. Landry democrat., 1883-12-29
A LITTLE BEHlNDHAND:
" a Good Resolution For the New Yea

Grandpa, wien does a man have
three hands,"
This question was put by a child to
her grandfather, in the midst OF the
family circle on Christmas evening.
They were ali merry with innocentffun
and chit-chat. Giving and guessing
riddles was one of the entertaining
pastimes of the hour. The grandfath-
er repeated the childs question slow
lv. and. after thinking q moment, he
said: 81 give it up" The bright child
in great glee cried out: "a man has
three hands when he has a right hand
and a left hand and gets a little behind
hand. .
i All hands laughed heartily at grand
fathers failure to guess, and he looked
SO grave over it they laughed the more
merrily. s.ss
But the "head of the house. did
not seem to join very heartily in the
amusement, and they rallied him by
asking if it was not a fair conundrum
Certainly: not only fair, but excel
lent the play on the word is very neat,
but it has set rue thinking of what comes
of getting a little behindhand, and some
other time, when you want to hear, 1t,
will give you a little sermon or lecture
on the subject"
Now-now-let us have it now!'
| they all exclaimed; but he knew chill
| dren too well for that, and, saying
that his sermon would keep, he told
them to 90 on with their riddles and
| stories.
'Fhe next Sabbath evening, when they
were all in the parlor the bright little
| Girl, who had puzzled her grandfather
/ with the conundrum. looked up from
the book she was reading, and said, with
smile:
| ..Grandpa, are you not getting
| little behindhand with that sermon you
promised us?
s'You shall have it now, if you wish; :
and all sat still and attentive while the
good man began:
s.To-morroW will be the first day of a
/ new year, and good time to take q
/ fresh start. To begin we'll is half the
doing, whatever it is. The habit of
/ being on time, never a minute behind
/ hand, is one of the greatest helps to sue
cess in life. While, on the other hand.
to get into the way of delaying, keep
inc others waiting, not being prompt,
| punctual and ready, is the secret cause
| of failure in ten thousand cases. many
| of which have seen in the course OF
nv life. We notice it in children.
What YOU are in the morning. you will
be at noon, and probably at night.
The child is father OF the man., gust
| as the twig is bent, etc. The family
meet in the morning for worship and
/ breakfast one child is late She is
usually late, the same one. She was
behindhand in getting herself ready !;
the rest waited for her few moments
and then went on without her, and pres
entity she came, disturbing all and
making herself disagreeable and them
uncomfortable The boy with such a
disposition is late at school, not pre-
pared with his lessons, always just a
4 little behindhand in everything. Per-
haps he goes to college or into business.
trade OF profession, and if he is depend
ent on his own eXertions he makes a
failure in everything.
..Forty years ago I knew two smart
boys, helpers in a grocery store. They
:. were brothers. They seemed to be
made of steel springs, SO quick. prompt
and decisive were they in filling every
order. They were poor boys, appren-
tices then. But they worked as It athe
concern was their own, and success de
pended on their energy, push and faith
fulness. Now they live on one of the
fashionable avenues Of Nsw York in
their own large mansions, retired from
the grocery business in which they
made their fortunes. Holding impor:
, tant trusts, they are useful and respect
ed citizens and Christians. They owe
their success solely, under God. to thei,
own promptness in performing every
promise, in being always ahead rather
than behind time. And there are me
chanics and tradesmen with whom
, once had dealings and now have de
serted, because they would never
fulfill an order in season, would not sen.
a thing home to me when they promisee
!, and invariably kept me waiting Whateve
, might he my distress to be served
This vice runs in the blood sometimes
) and whole families are distinguished b,
!, taking it easy. time enough yet be
: ING their motto and rule. They drol
! behind in the race of life. They woult
be run over if some one did not picl
: them up and help them on. Half th
world has this work to do, besides do
inc its own In the absence of positlv
. crime, this habit Of taking it eas..
: causes the poverty and failure OF tn
i greater part of the human family. Wit
:. the same chances, with equal healt
: and wits, in the same field, one ma
. succeeds and another makes a dea
: failure. And why9 Because one too
: time by the forelock. was ever prompt
and therefore prosperous. The othe
/ was always a little behindhand, and BY
! and-by 50. far behind as to be counte
out as of no account.