The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-02-04

> amount to anything.
| She. was widow, with no one to
help her train her sou, and neither
advice, expostulation nor argument had
any effect upon him. He studied no
more than was actually necessary to en-
| able him to keep up with his classes,
had no ambition to be at the head of
any of them, and worked as little as
possible about the house, though love
and consideration for his mother pro
vented him from ever Sinking his regu-
lar duties, such Us milking the COW,
cutting wood and bringing water. But
he stared Mt her aghast when she pro-
posed that he should take entire charge
of the garden, devoting to it his time
before and after school hours, thus saw
ing the expense of hiring help.
go mother, 1 never could" he said,
"the weeds would be higher than my
head in n months time; I'm no hand at
n rake or hoe"
you're no hand at anything, so far
as | can see, said his mother. "There
will have to be radical change in you,
Stuart, if you expect ever to win money
or position"
Il don't know that I care for either"
answered Stuart. 'I'm not one of the
pushing kind. A quiet life suits me
best"
"And you'll be content to see all your
friends get ahead of you, suppose"
snow, mother, don't worry"-and
Stuart looked really distressed. "Iu
come out all right never fear"
''There'll have to be a miracle worked,
then," said Mrs. Willard, signing.
"Laziness is the one fault of your char
acter, and it will keep you down all
your life"
Though adverse to exertion of any
kind, Stuart was a allowing boy, al
ways ready for frolic, and not apt to
think, until repentance was too late to
be of any avail, of the right or wrong of
the good time. And he had three par
ticular friends, who, in boy parlance,
"never stuck at anything" when there
was fun ahead.
They ali considered old Simon Peif-
fer, the richest man in Westville, fair
game, for it was well known that he
hated anything in the shape of q boy,
and never spoke to or looked ut one, lit
tie or big, without growing like the
rough old bear he was believed to be.
lie was an old bachelor, and lived
with housekeeper and half q dozen
servants Ill handsome house in the sub
urbs of the town, and he might have
enjoyed his large grounds.
fine orchards, and well-bred live stock.
but for the boys OF the town, who mis-
MIXED his cows, stole his
fruit, fished in his trout pond, broke
down his fences, left his gates open.
and made themselves generally obnox-
ious.
The culprits always managed in some
way to escape detection. Well did they
know the terrible example that would
be made of the first boy old Simon
caught. He openly declared that he
would show no mercy, and would know
how to deal with the offender.
We never know how our most trifing
impulses, If acted upon, may affect the
lives of others. When Pen Hopper
stopped one May evening at the gate of
the little cottage in which Stuart lived,
and asked if he didn't want to go out to
the old mill on the Creek road to hunt
squirrels, no intuition told him that he
was doing something which was to lead
10 an event that would influence all the
rest of Stuart's life. Stuart accepted
The invitation, of course, and on their
way out of town the boys were Joined by
Tom Halpine and Luke Wright. who
were quite as fond of squirrel hunting
Is were Stuart and Ben.
For at least half a mile after leaving
he town the Creek road was bounded |
IN one side by a pasture belonging to
MIR. Peiffer, and SO generously did it
abound with chestnut. persimmon and