The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31

and he made low bow anosasid ina manly topsa
7 am building a library at Muiinsville. Nev1
Jersey, WHICH am going to,giye TO the town anda
I needed a pcir OF doors for itNand seeing thati
YOU mus, be Iich or else you wouldn't have ma
hoeany doorswhen black walnut ~ ould do Just
az we'll helped myself to'thcm and didn't sup
pose that you wonld miss them" 4
Didn't suppose that I'D miss them? HoityS4i
toty am so old that ] can'nfee when my
front doors Gre gone? However. l am glad TO
see that you are SO public spirited and II you I
and the ofhcerwil como inside outoi the draughti
I'd like TO tnl; 10 you"
Aminsdab motioned TO the, officer TO 60 in
md then hc> placed tho. door imposition end put
back the scr,-ws Then he cGmo inside and sat
Gown in the old, gcntei,an's drawing room.
Now rec here. young man, where did you
get the reshof the ,mateEInltfor yourliprnryy
Il got the ,stonc from sihc stone walls around
the country"
And did you
why no." said AminAdnb, wonderingiy. 4
What's stone out OF a we'll In re and there"
The policeman looked at MIR. Strawbridge, 1
or Mr. Lippincott or whatever utis name was and 4
shool; his head sadly To hins.:hc hoy seemed (
pretty bad and II he had hisSTy howould havsN
carried him of tothe police station
Blu, the old gentleman smiled, kindly. And
who holpcd you To tGke all this ,ssOne? Didntl
your helpers tell you tina, II is wrong TO stcai'-
Il had no help. sir" said Amipadah Il did,
it al myself" y
We'll. you must be unusually strong. Andy
how were you going to carry'my doors back 10
MullinSvillc?'
On my back" said Aminadnh. simply
a young Samson" said thc.old gentleman
looking over tho tops Of his glasses at tho poA
liccmnn who nodded afahly.
And the glass and timber. whcre,did you goa
thoseT VI
AninAdab told him. Somehow he was not5
afraid in the presence Of this'fnc patridrcha old
mnn He had heard n jails hun he did not bclievaS
that tho gentleman going to,punish,him.
NJ Lippncott-if that was,his namo--hcard
him through and then he said: "0ficer donfS
think that this is a case for you He hasputlhaclS
my door, and VII. deal with hinsin o way tha1pl
seems fit O.,
The officer rose and bowed and wcntout
When Amnadab and the old man were alone !,
together the latter said: MY boy. little fcovl
who has much strength Of body and such kindly
instincts ought TO learn that IL is ncver,knd to
take things that don't belong 10 him. Now, II
believe that you acted thoughtlessly. and ana
not going 10 punish you, although,yopcommtteds
crime in taking down my door Instead, am /
going 10 make you a present ofrhe doors.and wilfa
have them sent out 10 MuInsville. and Twill also
give you 10000 books TO put on tho-.shelves,f
for library without books is like cake rwithouts
sugar. Only first you must go 10 each man from
whom you-er-'borrowed' material and tell hirnl
what you have done and restore hisproperty II no
objects. And will make good any stone OF glass !
or timber that is needed"
Aminadab seized the good mans hand and
wrung Il. and few minutes later heiwas ION his /.
way home. and before nightfall he had visited
every man who had unknowingly contributed to 4
the new library. And 10 the glory Of the inhab- !!
itants Of Mullinsvi!le. only one man refused to
| let Aminadab keep what he had taken. and that
one was an cid fellow who had miles on miles Of
stone fences and from whom the boy had taken i
one stone. He insisted on its being returned to \
him. and as IL was the bottom stone n'he founda- I
sion wall, Dabby had hard time getting it aud
| plenty Of time 10 reflect on his misdoings.
II is q singular fact that after the library was
dedicated there was 10 one who spent so much
time in il as this old man who had refused 10 con-
| tribute single stone toward its erection.
The day Of the dedication was made a holiday
| in Mulinsville and every one in town came TO
! see what ono small boy had been able To do and
| old Mr.. Strawbridge o. Lippincott told them all
that they had ought to be proud of Aminadab.
on the whole, because while dishonesty was a
grievous quality. still IL could b. repcnted OF and
| doubtless Aninadab had already rcpented but
| public spirit was thing so rare that IL ought
| 70 be encouraged by all possible means"
| Then Aminadab got up and said; Il thought
that was going TO give you this library myself
| but since my kind friend here has opened my
eyes sec that had only two things To give you:
| my labor and what taste may possess Tho
rest you have given yourselves and tho books
he has given. So say let's give three cheers.
| for him"
The cheers were given Justify and then much
| 20 AminsdAbs surprise Mr.. Hamcrton, who
| had come in lato and unexpectedly. rose and
said: -Dabby has forgotten that own the ground
on which he built the library. but chccfullyi
give IL TO him To give TO you because think that
he is the most generous and the most public
| spirited boy in New Jersey And after this No
! will trust him with anything"
| And Dabby has proved faithful 10 that trust +.
| A sYSTEM-PLAYER ~ BUSINESS. o,