Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-10-27

deal OF unnecessary time trying u
make it curl We led him triumphantl'
into our fathers study. Little child
rem are so much alike the world over
No wonder our dear father started
and for the moment forgot his mission
airy sermon. as the small apparition. Sc
startling like and yet unlike, his los
baby boy met his eyes But he tool
Johnny on his knee aud kissed him
and we knew his consent was gained
Then we told him stories. and showed
him pictures. and played games till WI
were tired. and Mag took him ont il
the garden. while Rue and drew one
long breath and looked around on our
disordered sitting "a chile
alwaNs makes work; We must expect
that" said Rue. as she picked up the
blocks and the tern papers, and put the
chairs straight that had been tied to.
gether to represent train ofcars. Ten
minutes passed in quiet Then we heart
a scream from Mag. and frightfu
cutlery from JOHNNY. The water butt
had been left carelessly half-coveree
and JOHNNY had fallen in.
We fished him out more frightene d
than hurt. but misgivings began to
steal over us. Hitherto we had looked
on Johnny in the light of a budding
eherub. but before the day was over
we felt more as if we had young
babboon on our hands. for he kept us
in continual state of anxiety. He
fell from high places. and he fell from
| low places; he crawled into the pig pen:
he scared the brooding hen from hel
most. He developed ap enormous sweet
tooth; lie stuck up his face and hait
and our own dresses with huge slices
of bread and molasses; he introduced
his Little. round, fat fingers into The
jars of black berry jam that had been
placed in the sun TO harden; and ia
last offense upseEting Rue S equanimity
so far that she administered a mild
skaking, he assumed the offended role
known SO we'll to baby tyrants, ana
cried and screamed. and called us
naughty old hateful things and
said he did not want to stay with us
any longer, besides q good many
other expressions of similar tenor,
which probably Johnny did not mean,
any more than some grown folks mean
all they say when they get into
passion.
What should we do? Send johnny
back to the alms-hOuse, and thank our
stars that we had not committed our
selves TO keeping him more than this
one dreadful day: 20 girlsr' said
Mag. half-crying, Pm afraid we did
wrong ever to think of such thing at
all. We don't know enough and we
aren't patient enough for such a work.
had no idea Johnny was so mis-
chievous and had such a temper And
poor Mag ended with regular "boo-
hoo behind her cket-handkerchief.
''Well Mag, said |, II am sure that
| am not quail fed ct to be the head
of an orphan asylum. but still dom
like to put my hand TO tho plow aud
look back.
Now girls just listen to me, " put
in Rue. graye-eyed, earnest-souled
Rue. while she stood up in midst like
Sibyl. 'Tne trouble is we expected
Johnny would behave like q little
angel with wings. and he is not an
angel "a responsive groan from Mag),
nor. 1 am afraid. very near one. He is
just little. untaught, unframed
human child, and somebody must love
him and teach him to be good. or
what's to hinder his going to the badP
Now we can't cast our ballot against
the saloon, because we are women,
but if we bring up Johnny to vote the
temperance ticket in our steadi-"
Then we shall have JUST a third of
vote apiece, laughed Mag; but per.
haps third of loaf is better than
none.
Not so fast" answered Rue.
Bring him up to hate drink, and his
children and his children's children
will be brought up to hate it too. Don't
you remember that dreadful story of
the Jukes family?
How one little child grew up in
poverty, and ignorance, aud vice, all
because no one was willing to do this
very thing that we are trying to do by
Johnny; teach it the difference between
right and wrong. be patient with it
when it was naughty. and always love
it whether it was naughty or good;
and how the defendants Of that one
poor, neglected child are almost all in
prisons and almhouses to-day9 And
o what if it should be so with little
Johnny, just because we lacked cour-
age, patience and lovei Wouldn't it
be awful to think we might have pre-
vented all that sin and miseryp Can't
we receive and bear with this one little
child for jesus sake? o girls. which
is best? little more leisure for read
ing and dressing and company, or to
hear Him say at last, Because ye did
it unto one of the least of these, We did
it unto me P'
Sues voice had dropped low with
the solemnity of her closing. The
tears were standing in Mays eyes. our
bright. impulsiye Mag. and know my
own were wet. Then came patter
of little feet behind US. and some very
sticky fingers grasped my dress.
what 90 kyin' for? Johnny good
now Johnny won't be naughty any
more"
We caught the little fellow up and
smothered him with kisses, all the
naughtiness forgotten; for now that
common sense had come to the front
and we began to realize how foolish
we had been in treating Johnny like a
mere toy, things began to smooth out
wonderfully. And the whole story.
how we learned to bear with his child
ish follies, something as real mothers