Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-02-27
ARP's PHILOSOPHY.
Bill Talks About tho Mischieyous
Little. Ones.
THERE is A WIDE DIFFERENCE, HE
SAYS, BETwEEN MISCHIEF AND
MEANNEss,S BUT THEY ARE
CLOSE KIN, HOWEVER.
[From the Atlanta constitution.l

mischief and meanness.. But mis-
chief is close akin to it., when ii
Injuries any body or hurts their feel
ings, or breaks the rules or the laws
Most all boys love little mischief
I used to love q good deal. / re-
member when we thought it ever sc
smart to slip around at night and
change the gates and the signs, OF
stretch a rope across the sidewalk
or tic a goat in the school house, OF
put one mans horse in another mans
stable. have worked mighty hard
ct such thinge ard I did think it was
just as funny rs it could be, but
somehow or other / don't see n bit
of fun in it now. | wonder what is
the matter with me. My children
inherited mischief, I reckon, and SC
| have to excuse them, but when my
little girl thoughtlessly pulled the
chair away just as I was about to sit
down, and | came down with shock
that Jared the house, and my feet
few up and knocked the lamp of
the table, was mad, very mad,
until | looked at her and saw how
frightened she was, for she hadn't
counted on such a catastrophe. Sc
| tempered down and picked up the
broken fragments and never said q
word, and it was a minute before
anybody spoke. Mrs. Arp was the
first to break the awful silence with
an explosion of laughter, and that
started the children, of coursc-al
but Jessie, poor little thing, who
came to me and said, "papa, / didn't
mean to do it," | knew that she
didn't, but my offended dignity was
at stake, and I got me another lamp
and went to writing. I wanted to
laugh as much as they did, but ]
wouldn't. That was four years ago
and E1rs. Arp is not done laughing
at it yet whenever it is alluded to
| believe it would do her good to sec
me bump the floor and kick over {
lamp about once week.
] was ruminating about this be-
cause my boy came home from
school ahead of time and sat dowr
before the fire looking solemn ant
sad. / was writing by tho window
and wondered what was the matter
For a while he never moved or spoke
but suddenly he looked up at me anG
said, in pitiful voice: "Papa, was
you ever suspended ?" "Suspcnded p
said I. 81 don't understand you
suspended how ?" "Suspcnded from
school," said he. "Why, no." said
|. "What makes you ask that qucs-
ton p lie chokcd up, and said
"Well Pm suspended, and SO is Ton
Miner" "Is it possible ?" said
as I laid down my pen. "Nyhat have
you been doing2"
Then he told as how he and Ton
had got to throwing wafer at cacl
other while the professor was in the
other room and how he missed Ton
and the whole dippcr full struck the
blackboard and put out the sum and
ran down upon the floor, and tho
professor came in just at the wrong
time and asked who did it, and sus
pended him and Tom and told them
to take their books and 60 homo.
felt greatly relieved, of course, for
saw that it was mischief and not
meanness, but I never said anything
and looked solemn and resumed my
writing. Now, it distrcsscs m,
children to sec me distressed, and
that is good sign. AS long as {
boy loves his parents, and is troubled
when they are troubled, there il
hope of that boy. After while he
said: "Papa, what must | do about
it" "1 don't know" said I, "unti
/ see the professor. Not long age
we had up case of suspension, ant
the board refused to take the bo,
back. don't know what they vii
do with you and Tom. expect yo,
have been trying the professor,
patience for some time. You ar,
not bad boys and are very goot
scholars, but your disposition tt
mischief has troubled him and set {
bad example. The other boys arc
talking about you, and say that the
professor is partial to you and Tom
and Pm afraid that he is; am GLAD
that he has stopped your mischief
But it came out all right. The
boys were not suspended, and the,
were back the next morning anG
apologized, and now everything i.
calm and serene. The boys mus
conform to the rules. If one bo,
throws water, all the boys have tho
right to throw warter. and tha'