Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-02

hair. over which Mag spent great
deal of unnecessary time trying TO
make it curl we led him trnmphantls
into our fathers study. Little child
rem are so much al ke tho world overl
No wonder our dear father started.
and for the moment forgot his mission
airy sermon. as the small apparition. so
startling like aud yet unlike, his lost
baby boy met his eyes. But he took
Johnny on his knee and kissed him,
and we knew his consent was gained.
Then we told him stories, and showed
him pictures. and played games till we
were tired, and Mag took him ont in
tho garden, while Rue and | drew one
long breath and looked around On our
dsordered sitting room. "A child
ALWAYS makes work; we must expect
that" said Rue. as she picked up the
blocks and the tern papers. and put the
chairs straight that hal been tied to-
gether to represent IA train of cars. Ten
IN nutes passed in quiet Then we heard
a scream from Mag, and frightful
cutlery from Johnny. TIE water butt
had beea left carelessls half-covered
and JOHNNY had fallen in.
We fished him out more frightene d
than hurt. but misgivings began to
steal over us. III therto we had looked
on johnny in the light of budding
cherub, but before the day was over
we felt more as # we had a young
babboon on our hands. for he kept us
in continual state of anxiety. He
fell from Ii oh places. and he fell from
low places; lie crawled into the pig pen;
he scared the brooding hen from her
nest. Ho developed an enormous sweet
tooth; he stuck up his face and hair
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 tn
last oifense upsetting Rue S equanimity
so far that she administered a mild
SHAKING. he assumed the offended role
known so well to baby tyrants, and
cried and screamed. and called us
naughty old hateful things and
So ii he did not want to stay with us
any longer. besides 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 10 the alms-house, aud thank our
stars that we had not committed our
se,ves to keeping him more than this
one dreadful day. 20 girls!' said
Mag. half-crying, I'm 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 work.
! had no idea johnny was SO mis-
chievous aud had such temper And
poor Mag ended with regular boo
hoo behind her pocket-handkerehief
We'll Mag said l, ii am sure that
am not quail fed set to be the head
of an orphan asylum. but still don't
like to put my hand TO the pillow and
look back"
Now girls, just listen to me-" put
in Rue. grave-eyed. earnest-souled
Rue. while she stood up in midst like
a Sibyl. the trouble is we expected
Johnny would behave like little
angel with Wigs. and he is not an
angel Ga responsive groan from Mag),
nor. | 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 steaii-"
Then we shall have just third of
vote apiece" laughed MAJ; 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. Dom
you remember that dreadful story of
the Jukes family?
How one little eli Ia grew up ia
poverty, aud ignorance. and vice, all
because no one was willing to do this
very thing that we are trying to do by
Jollnpy; teach it the difference between
right and wrong. be patient with 1t
when IL was naughty. and ALWAYS love
| it whether it was naughty or good;
aud how the defendants of that one
poor, neglected chill are almost all m
! prisons and almhouses to-day? And
q what If it should be SO with little
Johnny. just because we lacked cour-
are patience and love! Wouldn't il
be awful to think we might have pre-
vented all that sin and misery? CAM
child for Jesus sakep . 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
! il unto me p
Sues voice had dropped low with
| the solemniiy of her closing. The
tears were standing in Mays eyes. our
bright impulsive Mag. and know my
own were wet. Then came Il patter
of little feet beh nj us. and some very
sticky fingers grasped my dress.
What 90 kyin' for? Johnny good
now. johnny won. be naughty any
more"
We caught the little fellow up and
smothered him with kisses, all the
naugItlness forg often; for now that
common sense had come to the front
aud we began to realize how foolish
we had been in treating Johnny like a
mere toy, things began to smooth out
wonderfully. And tho whole story
| how we learned TO bear with his CHI Id
Z. I'll III.