The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-04
A MORAL BULLY.


from time to time and murmured: Dear
mel Well, wellr' A person who did not
know him might imagine he was rejoicing
because his cabbages were thriving, or be-
cause some great good fortune had recently
come to him. But that was not the case.
The fact is that on the previous night
horse belonging to his new neighbor, Mr..
Slambang had broken into the little gar
den. trampled through the cabbage bed,
rolled on the onion bed and torn the grape
vine from its trellis. The damage was not
great but it was of the annoying sort that
would have sent a citizen OF ordinary emo
lions on profane mission to the home OF
Slambang But Mr.. Bostick didn't swear.
That was not his way. He repaired the
damages as best he could, still looking
happy and contented- His round, smooth
face usually wore a spiritual smile, and
when he liked he could add to 1t an ex-
preston of exasperating goodness On the
morning in question the look Of goodness
was there.
While repairing his garden, Mr.. Bostick
was thinking very hard He was trying
to think of some way in which to heap
Goals of fire on the head Of Slambang. In
his youth he had been taught that man
should never be violent, but that he should
heap Goals of fire on the heads of his enc
mics. The good people who taught him
this noble principle had no idea of its pos
sibilities as a vehicle of revenge They
did not know how CALLING it can be made
Years of practice had made Mr.. Bostick
expert in handling the hottest and most
lasting kind of Goals In fact, there was
no one living within miles OF the good lit
tie man who wouldn't rather 1nJure the
local bully and get we'll thrashed for it
than do the most tridtng wrong to Mr..
Bostick. And it was easy to get him start
ed Tt often happened that people did not
know they had injured him until he came
Sinking around to do them kindness
No pugnaciOus Hibernian ever trailed his
coattails in the dust, hoping to have them
trodden upon, so industriOusly as he did
On this occasion he was unusually happy
in finding himself wronged, for his victim
was to be a new man. As he finished re
pairing his garden he assumed his kindest
air and trudged over to visit his offending
neighbor.
Now Slambang was man of about the
opposite character TO Bostick. He was tall
and angular-his chief angles being his
knees. his nose and his Adams apple-and
his path through life had not been smooth.
He had wrestled with mortgages in half a
dozen states, and had been thrown every
time. When he moved into the little New
England village where Mr.. BOstick prose
outed his pious revenges, his temper was
quick and his conduct in keeping with it.
When Mr. Bostiok hailed him with a
CHEEKY Good morning, neighbor Slam
bang" he was in the act Of sucking his
thumb after having hit it with a hammer
while mailing a loose board on his stable
door.
Good morning. he responded as cheer
fully as he could in the cireumstan noes.
1T occurred to me that you must be
very busy with your moving, so I thought
I would come over to see il could help
you in any way. I have nothing in par
ticular to do this forenoon.
THAT is main kind Of you. -
''My name is Bostick, and live over
there, = he said, pointing toward his house
S1ambang looked at him for a moment
and dropped his hammer. He then walked
up to the little man, and towering over
him snarled aggressively:
$50 you are one of that kind, are yOuf''
Il beg your pardon. said Mr.. Bostick,
81 don't understand you
My horse broke into your garden last
night, didn't he?''
Mr. Bostick backed away uneasily and
replied with his sweetest smile:
'sOh, yes But such things are liable
to happen to any one. He didn't do much
damage
You Hel" roared Slambang ST went
over there and got him, and I know how
much harm he did. was going over just
now TO offer to pay you for what he done
if you hadn't been so all 6Ssd quick"
Really, you misunderstood me-
ffNo, I dOn'tl You have come over here
to heap Goals of fire on my head, and I
want you to understand that the man who
tries to heap Goals of fire on Jonas Slam
bangs head is going to get his fingers
burned -
Really, T.
"Shut up, you driveling little hypocritel
Now go home and send me a Dill Tor the
damage my horse done"
u couldn' think of doing such an IN
nei ghborly thing" said Mr. Bostick, with
a smirk.
You couldn't, chi Then get off my
lot and he helped Mr.. BOstiok with
kick that joggled his vertebrae and uum-
bled him in a heap in the roadside ditch.
That evening Jonas Slambang was sit
ting on the front steps of his house, wait
ing to be arrested for assault and battery,
when a delega ton of villagers came troop
ing through his front gate
After cautious greetings had been ex-
changed, the spokesman OF the party said
.. Mr. Slam bang, we have all heard OF
how you used Silas Bostick this morning,
and we have come in a body to express our
thanks That measly little skunk has
simply terrorized this village with his
deeds of kindness for the last 20 years, be
cause no one in the community had the
moral courage to give him the larruping
he deserve You have set Us a noble ex-
ample that we won't be slow to follow,
and we want to assure you that on the first
opportunity we are going to elect you
mayor. -
Slambang brought out a bottle Of whis-
ky, passed it around, and the fall of Mr.
Bostick became an assured fact. The spell
of his all pervading goodness was at last
broken, and his neighbors were able to
live without having the fear of his blister
ing kindness hanging over them.-P. Nc
Arthur in Truth.
Too Natural.
E7rddr- Va, 1-r,o,r That Colder, told rs