The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-11-27
tBIackwood's Magazine.l
TONY Y.

My dear father, one OF the best men
that ever bleathed, but also one Of the
dullest, and least successful in life
when he lay on his deathbed calico
me to his side, and pressing my hand
said: Bob, | have nothing to leave
you but my example and advice. b.
honest, be upright, strive to do good
in your generation. and the reward Of
an approving conscience will be yours
Remember Tommy"
When he had said this, thinking he
had said good thing, he shut his
mouth with snap, and said nothing
more in this world.
When | say that he thought he had
spoken a good thing" do not mean
a witty thing. OF that my dear fathe,
was incapable; and | do him nothing
but Justice when | say that he had a
very humble opinion Of his own pow
ers. He did what he thought was
right, and he said what he believed
was true; but his most brilliant corus-
cations Of wit were secondhand fire
words from Joe Miller, and his moral
sentiments were taken from copy book
slips. | say nothing but the truth
when | add that he ruled his life by
these copy-book slips. He was every
thing that the most advanced copy
book would have a man be-except
that he was unsuccessful in life.
After his funeral, when | returned
to the house, | went to the study, a
lucus non lnceiado-there was no
studying done there except the perusal
of novels-and took down az old illus
trated Reader for Children and
opened it at the ''History of Tommy ~
Then [ pulled up the blind, and re-
read the well-remembere tale, with
full resolution to impress its lessons
deep into my heart.
This is what | read:
Tommy was good boy. But
Harry was bad boy. Tommy and
Harry were one day playing with a
round ball. Then the ball went through
a window of a good mans house, and
Tom=my and Harry We're afraid
Harry ran away. But Tommy stood
still. Then the good man came out of
his house and said, Who broke my
CLASP Then Tommy said, Sir,
did, with my ball Andsthe good man
said, You are good boy to tell the
truth. Here is half-a-crown, to show
you that virtue is its own reward
But when Harry father saw this, he
took Harry over his knee, and
smacked him, and he said, "You have
not got half-a-crown, but you have
got a whipping. Learn that vice
brings to ruin
"One day Tommy saw that bad boy
Harry with little dog, He had put
a string round the neck of the dog,
and tied a heavy stone to the dog by
the string. He was going to drown
that poor little dog. Then Tommy
said, Take my half-a-crown and spare
the dog So Harry gave up the dog,
and took the half-a-crown, and he said
to Tommy, You are an ass! But
Tommy was above mind-ing such
vulgar words.
THAT night bad men, called Rob-
bers, came to Tom-my's house to break
in and steal his half-a-crown, But the
little dog bark-ed. and that woke Tom
my's father, and he lit a candle, and
drew on his trousers, and the robbers
were so frightened that they went
away. Then they went to Harry :
house, to steal his half-a-crown. And
there was no dog there, so the bad men
got in, and they killed Harry, and
his father, and his mother, and his
grandfather and grandmother, and
his brother and sister, and his uncle
and aunt, and cousins, and his nephew,
and niece, before they could light a
candle, and fright-en the robbers
away. They also took the half-a-
crown. Were they not wicked men
So you see, my dear children, that if
you are truthful, and kind, and good,
virtue will bring its own reward" "
am not ashamed to say that the