St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-01-28


And % is faishfully.
For sssppiaesssess 70 gIesser shinss
nese little aeeds shall be.
In this big world q oars, ny boy.
There's work for I'll 70 do.
Just measure By the soadsa rule
That which h set for yoa;
And ~ is with the square of truth.
And with the line q hsht;
In every ct and thought Of yours.
Oh, keep your honor bright!
-YsskAs CempasieA
HOW ! LOST nv FOOT.
3As Oss n1s WAsa Yssgs& ssa WhAs ls
This is how it happened: Father and
mother had gone to Grandma Smith
sons to stay over night When they
left, their last words were: MARY.
take good care Of the children"
l am Mary, and although Hattie IS
two years older. it was always l who
received the last word Of admonition.
1t seemed enough for Hattie to simply
look pretty; nobody expectsd any thing
else Of her. She would smile and
shake her curls and say she could not
bear responsibility; she had no time tor
it But what she did all the day long no
one ever knew; IL was enough that she
made sunshine wherever she went
But l was different Twas not pretty;
was not bright, and I am afraid l
was not always gooi-natured. The
boys used to say that I could not take
a Joke like Hattie; but / have some
times thought l might have done 70
had received the same kind Of jokes
Hattie did. Many . night I would
turn my Taco to the wall. after she had
fallen asleep. and cry softly TO myseli
because I WAS not like hes. Bat l have
learned since then that Il Is best We an
/, not all made alike. II father or mother
told me to remember any thing. ! usu-
ally remembered; il Hattie was told.
! she WIS sure to forget. But she would
be 80 sweetly penitent that she was n
ways forgiven. And 80 Il was that q
we bade them good-by. father patted
/ Hsttie's curls and called her his gay
little sunshine. and mother turned Ia
me with the warning about the chill
dren. Us. now my hesrsucAs& lur -
bright pet name and the caressina
hand Oh my head. even il my hair did
not curl. l was simply dark-haired
Mary. Irejoiccd In Hattie's beauty as
much rs any one. but l could not 80
why. when there was 50 much beauty
in the world, / could not have had q
little. too.
Besides Hattie aud me. there were
the twins. Fred and Frank. fused t0
wonder. if they were capable Of doing
50 much mischief at six. what they
would be at twelve. and trembled n
the thought. The hot, weary trsmps
have taken over fields and meadows ID
search of those two boys arc too mum
erous to mention; the number of tme.
l have rescued them from what seemed
imminent peril it is impossible to tell
But l must tell about the time I did
not remember, and what il cost me.
We stood on the front porch, watch
ing father and mother drive away. un
til they disappeared At the turn in th'
road. Then the boys started for tn,
barn at full run. with many warning
words. all unheeded. ringing in thei
ears. while Hattie and l took the book
which father had given us the day be
fore, and made ourselves comfortabl'
for long days reading. Hattie swunl
herself in the hammock. while wan
dered OF to my favorite seat in Ii
gnarled old apple tree ut the farthe
end of the orchard. I climbed u]
where the twisted branches made ID
most delightful seat ever sat in. an
with my feet swinging over the ittl
brook that washed its roots and gave
life. / opened my hook and con
menced to read The Old-fashione
Girl" I think that the reason fathe
selected this one for mo was b
cause he thought the title suited me
but he little imagined the absorbin
pleasure would find in It Is it An
wonder that forgot every thing
mothers warning. the mischief-lovin
boys. the old apple-tree and the riI
pling brook-every thing save Toa
and Fannie and dear 0ld-fashi0ne
Polly:
The sun mounted higher and higher
end the shadows began to lean towar
the east. and still read on As hear
the long whistle Of the afternoon trai
1t the curve mile away. I look up fro'
my book with dreamy eyes and far acro'
the sloping meadow down to the ri
road track. winding its serpentine W
through the valley. I started. asd n
wandering gaze was fixed with horro
- saw two tiny forms sitting o. q
white sand between he giitterisg rail
Instantly my hook was iorgotten q
Auns from me. Ispaag from 4
tree. bounded over The brook. q
sta. ted - fast - could run dow
through the meadow. raised one vi
cry for help-I had no brea'
tc spare for Doee-and bar
" thought that woah b heard
seemed to me that I scarcely moved
J I heard the train approaching nsar
and nearer, and ssw thoee two hahal
all unconscious of daagsr. sitting thss
absorbed in digging in tAe white ~
and piling It in heaps beside tAsn.
thought q the horrible homo coming
father and mother Il I sAoulA Be
late. snd ON I lew. There was . ~
ssaes ssd . sleep subsakns.t . eall