Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-28
little story, and you can call it what

little story. and you can call it what
you please:
when I was about ten years old,
my father died, after a lingering ill
ness. He had been unfortunate in
some business ventures and his sickness
had entirely exhausted our funds.
left school, and felt that, as 1 was thu
oldest, | must help mother to support
the family.
"Poor mother! it grievcd me greatly
to see her patiently stitching away on
the coarse work she received such .
pittance for, from the shops. 1 tried
to get a place in some store, but could
not succeed. My efforts in that line
and my many rebuts would astonish
you.
~ concluded would sell papers, but
at first it was very hard work. l did
not mind the fatigue. 1 sold evening
papers, but l could not call my papers
out loud and clear, and then some other
boys would get ahead of me. l was
better dressed than the other 'newsies:'
and so they looked upon me as an in.
terioper, and tried to run me out of the
trade. But l thought of my mother at
work at home, and determined / would
succeed.
Zone evening 1 jumped on a car,
crying my papers in my best style. I
sold several, and was just leaving the
ear, when a gentleman, who was busily
talking with his neighbor, while both
occupied uncertain standing room.
called me: Here, boy, a Chronicle /
gave him one, and he put his hand in
his pocket and drew out and gave what
he supposed was a three-cent piece, but
l saw it was a gold piece.
II jumped off the car in a hurry, and
soon went home. I felt a little uncer-
tain as to how mother would view the
matter, but 1 never had any secrets
from her, so 1 told her all about it, adj
ding that l considered it a rare piece of
luck, for we did need the money more
than you children can imagine.
"But mother argued that morally I
had no right to any more than the
price OF the paper, unless it was given
me; that it was a mistake. But 1 in
sisted that any man SO careless ought
to lose his money, and that it was in
tended to relieve our W necessities.
But mother said: 'Myson, He in whom
l have put all my trust has never de-
serted me yet. and l can not so dis
trust Him now. would rather starve
than have my boy become dishonest
81 believe there comes to every one
some supreme crisis in life, when good
and evil strive for his soul, and that
night was the crisis in nine"
MI. Morton had forgotten his eager
listeners, but was recalled by the ques-
ton:
"But what did you dow
"Well your grandmother finally got
me to promise that if 1 saw the man
again l would return the money. No
fear of my not knowing him; his face
was before me all the time. Next
evening l began my work as usual. I
had been through several cars, and al
most hoped l could not find my gener-
GUS (?) patron. But at last I came
face to face with him. l spoke quick
ly, for fear my courage would fail.
".You bought a paper of me last
evening, SIR [ exclaimed.
Well said he, L suppose I did.
l bought one from some boy. What's
wrong? Didn't 1 pay you?
" / told him what was the matter,
and his astonishment was great; he
looked at me as if 1 was a curiosity,
asked my name and where 1 lived.
Others heard the conversation, and my
papers were soon all sold at double
their price-the gentleman laughingly
telling me that they knew what they
were about. l fairly flew home that
night, and 1 never felt so proud and
happy as when I poured that mon
into my mothers lap, and heard her
say:
"'Thank God, for having kept you
honest, my boy
1.-The next day mother had q call
from the gentleman, and the result
was that my career as a newsboy
ceased, and mercantile life began
very low down, to be sure, but I
worked away. I attended night
school, too, and by degrees l rose, till,
as you know, l am u partner in the
house. Now you may Judge whether
I believe in luck, or the divinity that
shapes our ends, rough hew them how
we will. '"-K1nd Words.