Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-04-01

| ureat lump stuck IN tommy tHTOdts
and made it ache, and. his eyes smart
ed. =,
| other side of the fire, as she laid down
her knitting and took off her glasses to
wine them. Last year there was a
| dear. good father to come home at
| NIGHT with comforts that his strong
| hands had earned, and who never left
| MS in the morning without kiss and a
! kind word; but he went up to Heaven
| Don't YOU remember how he told his
bow. lust before he went, to be sure and
| serve the Lord, and be a comfort to
| mother. and gre, ready to come and
| live with father some day.?
Tommy wiped away the tears, but
! sat still without replying.
"rll tell YOU" said grandma. after a
| little pause; '.let's have grumble-
| meeting"
"a what?" said Tommy, looking up
| with wide-open eyes.
ga grumble-meeting. You don't see
what we've got to praise God for; lets
see what we have to grumble about.
We've seen trouble this year that s
sure; we're not the onl y ones. but then
we feel it more than we do other pco-
| pies troubles. Now, l know a little
boy who hasn't lost his father by
death as you have. Oh. no! but one
cold day last week. he and his mother
and little baby sister were all day with
out any fire or food, because every cent
that the poor, crazy thing that he calls
father earns goes over the bar of the
saloon for drink. Once he beat the
mother black and blue, and kicked
Freddy till they were afraid that he
would never get over it. The neigh
bors had him arrested, but he was
worse than ever after he got out.
''Oh-h!' said Tommy, drawing
long breath, and looking a little fool
ism.
''Shan't we complain little because
you haven't such a father, instead of
one waiting to welcome you in
Heaven? No? We don't seem to get
started well on this meeting. Let's
take something else We are poor;
that's a fact. You can't have fine
clothes, nor half the playthings you
want. Mother has this little home
that father bought, and she has steady
wC-k. and l turn in my little income;
but what is that? What did you have
for supper"
Nothing but bread and milk" said
Tommy, the whine coming back into
his voice.
'.Now we've got good start. If
you only had the nice, light meal that
saw two little folks have. there might
be something to be thankful for. They
were standing outside an old shanty,
and the older one was eating snow,
but the younger one was crying Bit
terly. l stopped and asked what was
the matter, and she said: Use so
hungry The older one said: We've
had nothing to eat since morning. l
eats snow. but she don't Don't you
think you might have something to
praise God for if you had been in their
place?'
Tommy hung his head.
''Then these two little girls had on
some old shoes that grown folks had
worn out, and l saw their bare toes
through the holes, and the blue skin
through the ragged stockings. Now.
mother don't keep you dressed in any
thing but good, thick fannels aad
stout, warm clothes, though they are q
little patched. Shan't we grumble
over that?"
"N-no,' said Tommy. family, and
turning red, for that very morning he
had fretted about those very patches.
Then grandma went on cheerful
ly, ''there's mother. It's shame, the
oh ;s j. Cd
mothers, you might have something to
be thankful for-like Billy McGrana-
hans, for instance, who lets him run
the streets. and never sends him to
school nor Sunday-school. nor mends
his clothes, nor washes him, nor acts
as if she loved him. Why, all the little
mother does is to work all day for her
little son, rs bright and cheerful rs
though her heart wasn't sore with her
sorrow, and tuck him up in warm
bed at night, with a kiss and PRAYER,
and teach him and train him so that he
may grow up to be good man. Don't
you think we had better have bio
grumble over her?'
80 grandma" and the sorry tears
came into the little boys eyes.
iHtH, thcfe > tne great, gO0u fatner,
who has given you all these blessings,
who knew what was best when He
took father away, who loves us, and
cares for us every day, WHO is prepar-
ing home up there for US Shall we
grumble, Tommy
''No. nor cried he, jumping up to
throw his arms around her neck and
kiss her; ':don't. l don, wonder
mother wanted to go to praise-meet-
mgr
BLESS me-" said mother, coming in
that moment. her cheeks pink and her
veil frosty; ''what bright faces! You
must have been talking about some
thing pleasant.
We've been holding a grumble-
meeting said grandma.
'And we turned it into a praise-meet-
ing said Tommy.-D. II. Hayes, in
S. S. Times.
A Minutes Anger.