Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-07-24
twinkle in her earnest eyes, you

twinkle in her earnest eyes, "you
haven't heard the whole yet, Aunt Sue.
DIR. Cotton was speaking this morning
in his Sunday School about one of the
scholars who died lately, and he said,
And we came near losing three more
of our young friends last Friday And
Lily Roberts, who was sitting up in
front, almost choked herself trying not
to laugh out loud"
At this the boys fairly shouted. For
moment my own gravity gave way, as
the two pictures rose in my mind; the
dear, kind hearted old doctor, with his
benevolent concern; and the four mis-
chievous lads, chuckling over their
SELL" out in the mud and sunshine OF
Washington's birthday. But noticed
that, for all his merriment, Jack
squirmed uneasily in his chair, and
that his eyes avoided mine. I thought
it high time to make some remarks.
"Just think, Jack, said, show much
trouble you have made. Probably
friends of the boys families have read
the paper, and are very much disturbed
about the q cident. And"
Here it occurred to me that circum-
stances had taken Jacks punishment in
hand, and would point the moral for
him without my aid. So I let him
alone.
But circumstances would not let him
alone. When he came home from
school Monday noon he slammed the
front door, stamped upstairs to me, and
cried: "Aunt Sue, I can't go to school
this afternoon, anyhow! There now"
"What's the matter, dear?" asked,
seeing that it was something serious.
"You know that lie 1 told Friday?"
(He does not always put the emphasis
on the right word in this fashion,
Eyes, Jack"
"Well, it's all out in the papers, the
whole thing. It's in the Star, m the
Hera d, the Transcript, the Journal,
N don't know how many more, that l
told lie. M Aunt Sue," speaking
faster every minute, cts all over town.
N they've told teacher. I guess you
wouldn't like it to have everybody
laughing at you and saying, so you
got drowned, did you? Liar! Liar
Liar!'" Here he broke down entirely
and burst into an agony of sobbing,
forgetting even to be ashamed of the
tears.
"But jack" said, putting my hand
on his shoulder, "you don't mean that
the papers say in so many words that
you have told lie?"
Eyes m, they do; the Herald N the
journal n the whole of 'em. Here's
two; you can see for yourself"
He pu led two crumpled and dirty
Iapers out of his trousers pocket, and
pointed to marked passage in one of
them: "Friends of J. c. Roberts,
Esq, of c., will be glad to Learn
that the reported accident to his sons
on Washington's birthday was hoax,
started by one Jack Weston, COM
panion of the two boys" The second
paper contained the same notice.
[ must confess that [ myself won
dered greatly who could have known
enough of the matter to write SUI h a
notice, or cared enough for it to air it
so widely. I found out afterward that
the writer was an idler about town,
who took great pleasure in trying to
collect spicy "local items" for the Bos-
ton press. Doubtless he would have
been much surprised if he could have
seen Jack sobbing in my sewing-room,
feeling that his prospects were clouded
for life, and dreading the sight of hui
man eyes.
Il think your punishment is severe
enough, DEAR" I sad, "and I know
you are sorry now for saying what was
not true, even in fun; so you may do
just as you please about going to school
this afternoon. Only you must face
people some time, you know; and l
think the brave way would be to do 1t
now, and have done with it"
He wiped his eyes on dingy pocket
handkerchief and answered: 81 sup
pose the fellers will talk for long
time; but guess they won't talk quite
SO much tomorrow as they will to-day;
SO 1 think I'd better wait"
AS you may imagine, poor Jack went
through his sorrows again when the
children gathered at the dinner table.
By that time he began to see the anus
ing side of the affair again, and as the
dessert was being brought in he looked
up with an odd mixture of fun and
penitence, and declared that he would
never tell any more lies outside of the
family.
1 am sure that, like all honest hearted
boys, he meant more than he SAID
Marion L. FELTON,, in Springfield
Republican.