Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-06-23
GROWING STRAIGHT.
A Lesson Three Little Folks Learned VIII
Walking with Uncle Robert.

ALesson Three Little Folks Learned While
Walking with Uncle Robert.
Uncle Robert is the professor OF botany
IN the state university, and "a man of
science, which means he knows great
deal. Aunt Annie says he is also very
absent-minded: for one day he set the
baby on the parlor mantel during a
romp, and came very near leaving her
there.
We love to have Uncle Robert visit
Us; for he always takes us long walks
into the woods. and tells US all sorts OF
! curious things on the way. He has
told us how the leaves are rolled in
their little brown blankets until the
winter is over: and how the stem of the
dandelion is shut together like closed
telescope, causing the leaves to grow in
4 bunch close to the ground: and how
the stem of the May-apple grows under
the ground: how the snow-drops push
their little blossoms through the ground
before the snow is all gone; and how
the sap runs in the trees. just as the
blood circulates in our bodies.
Walter and Patty and l always go on
these trips. Walter is our big brother;
he is thirteen. Papa says he is ques-
tion-mark in knee pants, because he is
always asking questions. Uncle Robert
says he has IAN inquiring mind"
One bright morning we all walked
out to Bensils woods. back OF the hill.
1t made US laugh to see Uncle Robert
climb the high rail-fence. and tumble
into the grass and weeds.
What bent that tree in that shape?"
Walter asked. as we came to a great
oak, with its trunk bent out of shape.
All" said Uncle Robert, when that
oak was young sapling, broken limb
or rotten trunk of tree fell across it.
and bent it down until it became the
stand up straight and tall like the other
noble trees about it. You remember
hearing: AS the twig is bent the tree
inclines?'
Yes" spoke up Patty Il heard papa
say that very thing to mamma when he
was telling her about Jim Burns being
sent to prison for shooting a man
Poor Jim Burns said Uncle Robert:
Il remember when he was a boy. He
went to the same school with your ia
ther and myself, He let bad habits
ruin him then. He drowned his sisters
pet kitten in the creek below their
houses, and he loved to kill birds with
stones from his sling. l have seen him
jerk off a smaller boys hat, and toss it
up into tree. in spite of the little fell
lows tears. He would push two boys
together, and thus cause a fight. which
he enjoyed more than anything else
So, instead of growing up straight like
the fine trees he became bent and out
of shape like this poor crippled oak l
was not surprised to find that the cruel
boy had grow into the more cruel man,
who must spend the rest of his life IN
prison. Bad ha bits are the weights that
spoil characters
We were all thinking of some bad
habit of our own as we walked through
the woods gathering Johnny-jump-ups
and spring beauties
I'm going to let you nurse Rosetta
whenever you want to-" said Patty to
me that night after we had said our
PRAYERS and crawled into bed
Rosetta is Patty's finest doll, and she.
never lets any one touch her.
l have tried my very best not to
scream und stamp when my hair Is |
combed, even though the Knots hurt |
dreadfully.
Walter never calls me ''turned-up-
nose any more and he don't pinch my |
ears or pull the ribbon off my hair. or
crook his finger at me- as he used to do |
We all want to- grow straigts--BelIe