The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-21
A MORAL BULLY.

When little Silns RIsfick rose. one fine
summer morning he walked through his
well tended garden and smiled almost
glrciully. Tie rubbed his palms Together
from time tu time and murmurcda Dear
ne, We'll, welt" 4 person who did not
know him might Imagine he was rejoicing
because his cahhngcs we're thriving or hc.
cause Some great good fortune had recently
come to him. But that was not the case.
The fact Is thnt ON the previous night
horse belonging To his new ncighbor, Mr..
Slamhnng bad broken into the little gnr-
Gen, tramrlpd through the cabbage bed,
rolled ON the onion bed and torn the grape
vino from its trclls. The damage was not
great, but il was of the annoying sort that
would have sent u citizen of ordinary emo
lions on rrolane mission to the home Of
Slamhang But Mr.. Bostick didn't swear.
That was not his way. He repaired the
damages as best he could, still looking
happy and contcnted His round, smooth
face usually wore u spiritual smile, and
when he liked he could add to it 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 Il 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 injuro the
local bully and got we'll thrashed for it
than do the most trifling wrong to Mr..
Bustick And it was easy to get him start
ed. 1t often happened that people did not
know they had injured him until he came
Sinking around to do them n kindness.
No pugnacious Hibornian ever trailcd his
coattails in the dust, hoping to have them
troddCn upon, so industriously as he did.
On this occasion he was unusually happy
in finding himself wronged, for his victim
was to he u 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 a man of about the
opposite character to Bostck. 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 n
dozen states, and had been thrown every
time. When he moved into the little New
England village where Mr. Bostick prose-
cuted his pious revenges, his temper was
quick and his conduct in keeping with it.
When Mr. Bostick hailed him with a
CHEEKY Good morning, neighbor Slam
hnr, has in, In of grIpl inn he
thumb after having hit it with hammer
while mailing loose board on his stable
door.
Good morningl' he responded as cheer
fully as he could in the circumstances.
at occurred to me that you must be
very busy with your moving, so l thought
| would come over to see If / could help
you in any way. | have nothing in par
ticular to do this forenoon.
"That is main kind of you"
MY name is Bustick and live over
there, he said, pointing toward his house
Slambang looked at him for moment
ara dropped his hammer. He then walked
vi } the little man, and towering over
him snarled aggressvely:
$50 you are one of that kind are youf''
81 beg your pardon" said Mr.. Bostick
II don't understand you"
My morse Drohe lnGO your garuen Eisl
night, didn't her"
Mr.. Bostick backed away uneasily and
replied with his sweetest smile:
ooh, yes But such things are Liable
to happen to any one. He didn't do much
damage"
"You lie!" roarcd Slambang. 81 wen'
over there and got him, and l know how
much harm he did. l was going over just
now to offer to pay you for what he donC
if you hadn't been so all fired quick.
Really, you misunderstood me"
ono, | don'Ul You have come over herr
to heap Goals of fire on my head, and
: 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, p
"Shut up, you driveling little hypocrite
Now go home and send me a bill for TIKI
damage my horse done"
Il couldn't think Of doing such an un
neighborly thing" said Mr.. Bostick, will
a smirk.
t "You couldn't, Ell! Then get off my
lot" and lie helped Mr.. Bostck with
i, kick that joggled his vertebrHe and tum
bled him in heap in the roadside ditch.
That evening Jonas Slambang was sit
ing to be arrested for assault and battery
when II delegation of villagers came troop
ing through his front gate.
After cautious greetings had been ex
| changed, the spokesman of the party said
"Mr. Slambang, we have all heard o
how you used Silas Bostick this morning
and we have come in a body to express oul
thanks That measly little skunk ha.
, simply terrorized this village with his
deeds of kindness for the last 90 years, be
cause no one in the community had the
moral courage to give him the larrupine
he deserved. You have set us 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