St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-12-14

tho morning which made me rrsolr.
; firmly (as : child can) 70 ma....-y
task or leave home. 60 NO no ono
! who knew me vos.s. ever see me
. again. and thigh | felt cheercd by
mothers lords. the gloom OF the
last c.use Of my resolution settled
- an on me. i went out behind the
thatchcd stables. and with q piece OF
yellow keel in my hand. sat down by a
long board. and as thought. print
ed. Before knew it had all the let
tiers in long column. ! stood up and
looked at my work and was we'll
pleased with it. This broughttO mind
mothers words OF the night before. I
stood there smiling when all at once I
felt heavy hand on my shoulder. and
as looked behind me to sec whose it
was. father said: You young rascal!
is this the way you've been fooling
mother all this time? and shaking mo
theoretically. I'll teach you to play
the Ounce
He led me by tie shoulder into the
stable to where there hung a long
strap. and said: Why didn't you tell
that you knew every letter. and he
laid tho strap on me heavy and hard
till thought ! should die. then he
said: Now 60 and say your letters to
our mother or I'll give you another
whipping worse than this
Suffice it to say could hardly make
my way 10 the house with my smarting
body and my sense of tho wrong done
me. for realized that father thought
had deceived mother.
Il could not utter a wo I'd. had nos
shed tear just stood Mt the door
looking at mother. as she said. as
pale rs q ghost till father came and
pushed me in. He told mother what
he had seen and done. and then COM
nanded me to say my letters quick
l remember mother grew pale and
spoke low. Jacob. you've wronged
Douglass that is all remember for
several days
AT the end Of two weeks I was up
again. and before long I tended tha
baby and helped about the house.
Still father watched me with distrust.
and / can't tell how desolate I felt
Tho last three months Of the term I
" ent to school. ard the whole of the
next term Of eight months.
The next year we had little. fiery
tempered man for our teacher. who. r,
fancied. took dislike TO me the min
ute he saw my red head and freckled
face. Before the second week was
over he sent me home with note to
father. stating that he would call on
him that evening. to counsel with re-
gard TO his son Douglass. 1t so hap
pened that father was away from home
for few days. and the note fell into
mothers hands.
1.-The teacher came. and learning OF
fathers absence. proceeded to discuss
the individuality Of sending me to-
school any more. He firmly believed
eternity would find me no more book
learned than now was
Mother stoutly held that could
and could conquer all difficulties.
But he sneered at her. having lost.
HE self-controi entirely. that il l did ii.
would be after the pearly gates closed
behind me-
while he was bowling himself out
the door. ran up stairs. and with tho
aid of chair and box went up still
higher TO the dark loft above. there to
hide my grief from mortal ken. How
long lay there. stretched across the
bare joists. can't tell, but presently
l heard some one come up stairs.
1T was mother. ] watched her
through the cracks in the ceiling. She
seemed to look for some one-me. L
supposed. Then she fell on her knees
by her bedside and prayed carneetly.
tcarfully. beseechiDgly. that she might
know how to help me. her own. dear
boy'-and that might be able to fix
the names of the letters and the sounds
they represent
Il slept little that night; in the
morning rose. started fire and went
out about tho barn chores before any
one else was stirring. After breakfast
mother eaid: Douglass. I'll need you
about the work to-day I understood
her kind way OF saying must stay at
home.
AFTER Dru and Phil had gone to !,
school. she said: Now we're going to
learn the letters very determinedly.
and we're going to try new plan.'
She got me her old slate aud a pencil.
now print A. I held the pencil in
position. and before / thought, asked
the old question. which one" She
showed me how to mako it. then said:
Now make me that one letter and don't
make any other. and every time you !;
make it, say A. No difference where
you arc-if you make it with stick
on the ground-soy A.
Il printed a. wrote A. and said A.
and dreamed A. At the end Of a week
/ had it. Then took another letter. |
and another. till had all. but I was
eleven years old before ! had the al
phabet. BY this time ! could sCrite
any Number correctly. Tho conquer
ing OF the alphabet was the hardest
work Of my life. l want to say to ev-
cry parent IL you have q dull scholar.
have faith in him any way, and hold
on to him."
When he was through talking, the