The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-07-17
AN mINTENDER."
Hervey's Great Failing and Aunt Edith's
AdYice-How to Re a Doer

w AS'N WV PAAAlCN ONol 1OUS SA-
amples, as Hervey was doing over one
which had kept him busy, without re-
suit, for an hour, you may, perhaps,
sympathize with him.
Hervey now frowned at the figures,
over at the goldfish in the globe and UP
at the frcscoed ceiling over his head.
He gave a weary sigh, drew long,
idle, discontinued breath. Then he
started up and bent over the slate, and
multiplied, and divided, and did all that
the puzzling example required until the
last figure was down as it should be,
and he leaned back with a gay little
whistle and pleasant face.
Aunt Edith reused up from her bit of
a nap, and looked to see what the boy
was doing. Likely she was thinking,
and signing, saying to herself: whist
ling as usual, instead of working"
but she only closed her eyes again, and
Her7ey came and stood beside her, fold
ing his arms in resolute fashion and
looking-well, not exactly like the
usual Hervey.
"Auntie," he said, glancing rather as
the floor than at Aunt Edith's face,
which now lighted up with half
waking, loving smile, which belonged
to Aunt Edith herself and to nobody
else--for who had smile like Aunt
Edith's sweet smile Auntie, it is
mean and miserable to be an intender. "
"a what, dear?" inquired Aunt
Edith, not understanding. 4a
"An intender." 4. t...... "a
"And what is an intender, dear?" in
quired Aunt Edith again. ts.- lu.
Gan intender is somebody who means
to do things, but does not do them"
"What kind of things?"
"All kinds of right things"
Poor Hervey. How sorry Aunt Edith
was over him every day. He intended
to be early at breakfast; he intended to
say his verse before eating, punctually
and promptly; he intended to be dill
gent at school, patient with his school
mates, observant of rules; he intended
to be studious at study hour, obedient
at all times. No one ever heard Her.
vey refuse to promise to do right, but
Aumtie could not help knowing that
Hervey himself was an intender.
Ito do is better than to intend to do,
dear" replied Aunt Edith, little sadly.
"You do not say an intender is mean
and horrid, because you know I am
one"
"You are young, dear; you do
seem likely to be an 'intender, but
have faith in you to believe you will be
doer." .'
"What makes you think so, Aunt
EdithP ! disappoint you every day.
81 think SO because you are not
happy as an intender, and because you
can not honorably serve our dear Father
and be anything else than doer."
"But, Aunt Edith, it is so hard to
keep doing, and I dom keep on" Her
vey half stamped his foot with the last
words; he was 80 in earnest.
"No, you do not keep on"
Then what makes you think I ever
willp" D..sl..s - ~
cit is impossible to love our Father
and not do His will " XII. ...-..
But may be [ do not love Him. ~
Heryey's eyes were bent to the floor
and his lips quiyered as he added ::
!" How you believe in me-" straighten-
ing up again and folding his arms
tighter over his breast 5asI
Eyes, ] believe in you,'' said Aunt
Edith; ''you will not continue to be an
intender."
81 have made you great many
promises if | could think of them half
the time / would keep them. Do you
think will ever get to remember them
betterP"
"Oh, yes; l am very sure of it.
"Do you know, Aunt Edith, can not
see how you can be sure of anything
about me except that am miserable
intender.' t.t
Aunt Edith was looking on the floor,
she did not raise her eyes, she seemed
to be deep in thought. .....
"How do you think will get out of
it all?'' inquired Hervey, still standing
with his arms crossed and a resolution
showing in the whole boy, which Aunt
Edith had prayed for every day, but
had never seen before.
"Out of what. dear?" she inquired,
with one ofaher loving smiles which
told, without words, how dear he was
to her. ..t ...F
"Out of all the 'intender' business. Z"
''You will start by remembering one
promise better, and after you have
practiced upon that awhile you will re-
member another"
''What else?"
"You will overcome one troublesome
habit, and then you will overcome an
other, and so on until you get to be a
Door,
II would like to be ono all at once"
"a tree never grew to be a tree in
one night; an 'intender' never grew to
be doer in one day." r.u
but l can try"
''By all means try to do right every
minute of every day, but do not be dis
couraged if you only get along slowly
for awhile "
"And you think I can be 'doer?'"
II never said 500 Aunt Edith smiled
at his puzzled face 81 said you would
not continue to be an irtender.'
''Tell me how to begin; how to start
to get out of it all"
care you ready to really begin?"
II think so, Aunt Edith"
''Hang your clothes in your closet
when you retire presently, instead of
casting them upon the floor, and arise
in the morning at the first call; pour the
water from your basin after bathing,
and leave nothing about your room
which you should put away"
'.But, Aunt Edith. that is such funny
place to begin; tell me some greater
thing to do"
eve will come to greater things after
awhile Starting the day correctly has
a great influence upon our ways all day
long. You will, at night. feel the bene-
fit of having begun in this funny place.
''But, Aunt Edith, tell me more
things"
keep to these things strictly and
perfectly for one week, and then tell
me if the very effort to try to do them
has not helped you overcome something
else which you may think to be more
important y
s'Then you will give me something
alo "a. rfrcTs9i'