Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-11-22

just think of that contemplate old
reprobate refusing to pay that boy for
his hard work It's shame for any
one to act so" said the shop.keeper, in.
dignantly. "The boy she speaks Of is
a good, working fellow; scarcely
ever leaves the farm, and when he
does, attends to his business without
any fooliDg. His father better be gen,
erOus, or at least humor him once in
while, or maybe he'll lose his services
altogether, just as he did Joe's. The
old lady reasoned pretty well about
humoring childs fancies OCCASION
ally"
"Do you really think so, james,"
asked his wife, cycling him keenly as
she spoke.
"Why, certainly l do, Julia ! What
makes you look at me so queerly"
said Mr.. Peterson, beginning to look
uncomfortable under steady gaze.
81 was just thinking how natural it
was to see the mote in our brothers
eye and yet not pluck the beam out of
our own eye" was her quiet answer.
"What under the sun do you mean,
Julia2 don't understand your CO..
nundrums," said Mr.. Peterson, holly.
"What have l done to my children
that bears a resemblance to old Still
mans treatment Of his boys?"
"The cases are not parallel, but that
the principal involved is much the
same, you must admit when you think
it over. Did not Clara beg us to dis
charge Jane this summer that she
might earn the money, and didn't she
do the work to your entire satisfaction?
Did she not do it so well that you have
never been quite so well satisfied since
with James cooking? She wanted a
guitar and expected to spend her earn
ings for it; you regarded it as only a
whim and thought it was needless
expense and refused her; and just only
moment ago you endorsed all that
Mrs. StiIlman said about humoring
our children's fancies occasionally.
Then, perhaps you didn't notice, all
though | did, how the disappointment
hurt Clara. She worked on, but all
the sparkle and life was gone out of it.
She knew if it had been Jane, you
would have paid the wages without
word, and she began to suspect you of
being unjust. Then like poor Joe
Stillman, she left home to work for
others where she would be sure to get
her pay. You have never objected to
pay ing Jane since Clara's departure,
but there is never day passes that
you do not draw some uncomplimenta-
ry comparison between her methods of
serving up your meals and the way
Clara did. Stillman drove off his own
son by his injustice and had to fill his
place by stranger who cared nothing
for his interests and consequently was
not so valuable to him. | only hope
the analogy ends there" she added
with slight tremor in her voice.
"Joe never returned to his fathers
house-he became alienated and as the
old mother said, altho' they made it
all up. his heart will meyer feel just the
same toward his father. If you do not
see sOlu0 TSS6luU IuuC6 DSIM6Su Lu6 IMO
cases, james, it is because you will
not"
1t would be difficult to describe the
various emotions experienced by Mr..
Peterson during his wife's speech.
First, hot with anger, he could with
difficulty restrain sharp reply; but
as she went on, his feelings softened,
recognizing the truth of her words,
until at last when she touched trem.
blingly on the hope, implied rather
than spoken, that Clara's absence from
home would not be lasting one as in
the case of Joe Stillman, he turned
away with half groan. Retiring to
the back end of the store, he seated
himself in his old easy chair and gave
himself up TO such self searching as
he had never done before; his wife
meanwhile had quietly slipped out,
wisely leaving the leaven to work.
"Stillman could afford to get his