The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-11-13
"EXACT TRUTH"

by tho table. A closed DOCK, Tile Dlole,
Law on it. Gertrude glanced at it, and
him. She was pretty, kind hearted
young girl.
"Dont you want book to read,
George?" said she. "Alie has nice
Supday-school book, and she has gone
over to her mesion-school, and isn't read
apg it,"
George locked up doubtfully. He had
high, white forehead, and large, serious
blue eyes.
sis it true story?" said he.
Gertrude laughed.
"Why, l don't know. I dou't suppose
it is exactly. Few stories are exactly
true"
81 guess don't want it then. My own
Sunday school book wasn't"
"Why, George Raymond. what an idea!
OF course you don't expect story to be
true-that is, just true. Why, people
wouldn't write them So"
Il don't care, said George, stoutly, 81
don't want to read story that isn't true.
don't like it. The Bibles true, anyhow.
Tn going to stick to that, il can't find
anything else"
Gertrude laughed again at Georges
rather equivocal speech.
"Well, you're safe about the Bible, l
guess" said she.
She went in and told her mother about
George and his true story. The boy had
been in the family only about week,
then, and they were just getting an in
sight into his character. None of them
could have told just how it came to pass,
but in the course of few months they
had nickname for hiln Exact Truth"
Of course, the boy was never addressed
in that way, but it was-"Where is Exact
Truth?' "Tell Exact Truth to put in the
horses"-among the family.
All of them were sincerely good people,
and had profound respect and love for
truth; but there was something In
Georges firm adherence to it which was
certainly SO unusual as to be almost
amusing. Not one book would he look
at which was not pronounced to be true
by reliable judges. This was undoubt-
eddy much to the boys benefit, for thus
he confaed himself to very solid and
select course of reading, including mostly
history and the Bible, and some few
books of travel. Fiction he eschewed al
most entirely. A boy who would not
read story because it was not true was
an anomaly. His regard for the truth
served to make him quite oblivious to
everything else, even to his own personal
advantage. A strong instance OF this ap-
peared on his introduction to the Foster
house. It TRANSFERRED that he had been
employed by gentleman in neighbor-
ing village, and had been discharged.
George told the whole story without a
reserve.
"Dr. Emmons turned me off because l
famed his horse" said he, looking square
in DR.. Fosters eyes. 81 was careless
driving down hill; didn't hold him up"
DR.. Foster looked at him in surprise.
"How do know that you won't lame
my horse in the same way?" he said.
Perhaps 1 SHALL" admitted George,
shut [ shall try not to-"
SO far, DIR. Foster had no reason to
complain of his hired boys services. He
had been remarkably conscientious and
faithful about all his duties. Still, he was
boy, and boy of fifteen, who loved fun
and good time just like other boys, and
there had to be little slip occasionally.
On the first winter of Georges stay
with the Fosters, there was good deal of
excellent skating in the vicinity. George
had skates, and there was nothing he
loved like skating. He could Guido all
the other boys in the neighborhood, and
he was very proud of his accomplish
ment. One day when the skating was at
it's height, DIR. Foster sent George on an
errand about mile out of the village.
you'll have to go on foot" said he,
"and don't go the hill road; go the other
way, that's shorter. 1 want you to be on
hand when get back from Keene with
the horses"
1c6t bdlu OCOISOs
He took his beloved skates with him.
There might be some little stretches Of
ice on the way, and he could travel so
much faster, he reasoned.
He delivered the medicine as he had
been instructed, and started home. A
little below the house where he had
stopped the road separated into two.
One was the road proper to the village,
the other was a longer, almost unused
route, the hill road. just where the road
diverged, he met boy whom he knew,
who was emerging from the hill road, his
skates dangling from his arm.
"Hullor said the boy. you'd better
go down this way; it's splendid skating"
"Is it?" said George, doubtfully.
81 tell you tits. The roads one glare
of ice all the way"
George hesitated. There was the doc
tors command. Still he had a good ar
gument. The reason for making it had
,bes that he might reach home sooner