Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1889-04-24

But the strings Of this apron tho years have
They hold US more firmly each day they are tiedi
~. II. 1eEtroy.
Hanks Lesson.
Farmer Long was feeling poorly, and
thought he ought to reduce the num-
Der OF his "hands.S He was one who
always liked to have a crowd around
him in the field. How was he going to
arrange things? He settled it BY going
to the State Reform School and picking
out the "ikeliest" boy that he saw
there. Possibly he thought that by
this act he was helping himself, and
doing missionary work too.
Hank Wilson was in clover, Most
boys of seventeen would not have found
much fun in the work on a farm, even
If Mr.. Long was the good-natured, lazy
man he was generally reported to he.
The change, however, from stone walls,
prison atmosphere, and almost prison
treatment, to the absolute freedom Of
three hundred acres of field, wood, and
pond, was welcome, and Hank pitched
into work as If the first sixteen a
Of his life had been years Of running
errands, driving COWS and loading hay.
instead Of loafng around the streets Of
q large seaport town. He had learned
there, besides other worse things, q
good deal of shrewdness.
"Guess q TELLER don't find a place like
this every day. I'm going to stay, for
the summer, anyway"
Such was Hanks thought after his
first dinner at Mother Longs table.
So it happened that all were charmed
at the way he worked. Farmer Long
had not expected much from the bow,
IF you can make him q better boy,
Jeanne and Mabel, you will be doing
WELL" he said to the fifteen-year-old
twins. Il know he used to smoke, and
am afraid he may swear"
Thus it came about that Hank was
closely watched. The twins, captivat-
ed by his wonderful tricks and stories,
500 made friends with him. Hank,
on his part, was greatly pleased by the
attention shown him by the little girls,
and vowed to himself in knightly fash
ion not to give them q chance to be
ashamed of him. In his eagerness to
please them he made use of . vivid i'm
agination for his stories. Once or twice,
! am sorry to say, he drew on this i'm
aginati0n to up acts which he
thought it best the twins should not
know. He must have felt it was not
just the thing to lie, but . boy who had
been kicked around the way Hank had,
comes to agree with him, that "every
TELLER must look out for himself, and
what's . tongue for, il it isn't to use
whom you need it,"
Meanwhile, a great trouble came up-
on Mother Long. Her hens began to
stop laying. For q week Mabel had
not found y half-dozen eggs. Although
the PlymoutlfR Rock cackled Justify and
Jeanie's White Leghorns were seer
every morning going toward the mows
. most diligent search failed to disclose
any new eggs. The mystery would
have remained unsolved had not Mabel
one day noticed . yellow stain on the
Of Hanks coat. This set all
the detective powers In her ct work.
you haven't found any eggs, Hank,
have you?" she asked in . careless
manner, after another fruitless search.
3No'm; hain't seen none since the last
you brought in"
The next day the stain on the coat
had suddenly disappeared.
what shall we do, mother? I'm
almost certain he takes them; but Jean
watched in the barn all the morning,
and I have all this afternoon, and no
Dne came near"
I'VE can't catch him, that's sure"
said jeanne. Il say, let's give him .
Hanks moral training had, be-
lore this, been attended to by 4
Bible lesson every Sunday evening.
The next Sunday the story Of Ananias
and Sapphire was studied, and Mr..
Long made some pointed remarks on
The subject. Hank showed not . trace
IF emotion, but answered his questions
n calmly as the others. He even
asked some himself.
Monday morning, however, he came
IN white as . sheet, and trembled from
head to foot. In his hat he carried .
lozen OF more of eggs. His voice was
70 full Of tears that he could hardly
Mis- Long, here they are, what's
eft. It's me that's been sucking your
sggs and lying about it. I'm sorry,
but I'm done for now. Look ct that.
Zee what the hens laid!" And he held
up the topmost egg Of the basket.
Mrs. Long started back - she took
Z, and saw plainly marked on the shell
Ihese words: "Au liars shall hsve
heir part 10 the lake which burneth
with fire and birthstone
Il don't. know, Hank, how this hap
pened. Tho hen couldn't have laid It,
quits true, Just the same. All liars
sooner OF later, be punished for
heir sin. That is what the verse
And then, out Of her motherly heart,
told him how God wants al His
to be true and honest, and
how He watches over and helps us.
Hank rushed from the room still sob
hing.
Five minutes later Jeanne and Mabel
,ome in.
well. has be learned the lesson,
mother -
3What do you mean?"
why, just this: Mabel and / read
4 the paper that If you cover an egg
With wax, and then scratch : word
the wax aud boil in vinegar,
he word will be eaten into tho she'll"
Say, mother, must We tell him the
len didn't lay it-that way, / mean?
We never thought he'd feel quite 90
bAd,s said Mabel, moved by the suc-
Bess d the experiment more than her
ltstsr.
q told him II couldn't have besn the
han. but that II was true, Just the
1900. think ~ had bstteE not say
my more
That night Hank came TO Mn. Lang
When shs was a1one, and told her he
Intended 10 turn over . new leAi. and
- was true 70 hs word. 80 well did
- ~ thAt ~. Long kspt him Through