Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-01-28
Dear Children

Although | have regularly sent my
letters and yours through the mails
to Industrial Freedom, they have for
several weeks, for some unknown
reason, failed to reach the editor.
We shall have to pick up the threads
as best we can, therefore, and start
afresh. The letters may present
themselves later, but while we wait,
we will try not to have any more
missing columns.
How many of you ever heard of
poetic justice? And how many of you
know what it means? | am not go
ing to tell you what it MEANS but |
am going to tell you a story that was
once told to a little boy who asked
his papa what poetic justice was.
| read the story ever so long ago, in
paper called "Our Dumb Animals,
and have always remembered it,
Once there were half dozen boys
the story doesn't say there were any
girls, and l don't know whether l
ought to be glad or not-who had
started off with their pals for a rasp-
berry opening.
Before they had gone very far they
met a poor, halfstarved dog, who
took them for friends at once, and
trotted along with them. They
thought it was fun to have dog to
play with, and they patted his head
and began to try different names to
see if he would show in any way
which one was his.
But the poor lost doggie was only
too glad to be called by any name
and he would run eagerly to whoever
spoke to him and look up in his face
trustfully, but very hungrily.
Soon they remembered that they
had their dinner pals with them, and
each one found something he could
spare, till their four-footed protege
had made the "squarest' meal he had
known for many a day.
After this those six boys had de-
voted slave They were six young
gods in the eyes of that forsaken and
homeless cur" and there could be
nothing within canine possibilities
that he wouldn't do for them.
They had decided upon Carlo as the
best name for their new play fellow,
and after they reached the raspberry
patch, and separated among the
bushes, Carlo was very much at a
loss what to do. He wanted to be
with them all, but that being impos-
sible, he dashed about from one to
the other until he was SO tired and
warm he had to lie down.
Soon, however, one ofthe boys grew
tired of picking berries, and called
Carlo to run into the stream after
sticks. Carlo was very tired, but he
would have run at the call of any of
those boys as long as he could move
He was just bringing back the first
stick when a shout came from another
part of the opening:
"Oh, say, boys, I've thought of some
Jolly fun with Carlo
what is it,"
In a mnment they were all gathered
about the boy who had thought of
the Jolly fun" and Carlo was jump
ing about, eager to help i'll anything
that was going on.
"There'sa hornets nest in the stone
wall down there at the foot of that
slope; let's get big stone and roll it
down there and send Carlo after it. !"
Hell get stung." one of the boys
ventured.
"Oh, pooh! run home to your man.
ma, sissie, :" said the boy who had pro-
posed the fun. 'TwOn't hnrt him any.
It'll be fun to see him jump around
lively and holler when they come out
after him.
There are only a few boys who are
brave enough to be called "sissie" and
keep on saving what they think, and
this little boy WASH one of those few.
He kept still, and the stone was
brought and carefully aimed,
Down the slope it went, Carlo close
after it, till it crashed right into the
hornets nest at the foot of the wall
Out rushed the furious hornets, and
swarmed about poor Carlo i'll revenge
for their shattered home and injured
comrades,
At first the poor dog was utterly
bewildered; but just as the boys on
the safe hilltop were preparing to
double up with laughter at his antics
he plunged, yelping with PAIN, up the
hill, right into their midst. These
were his friends he thought; they had
sent him after the stone; they would
save him from these terrible creatures
that were almost killing him.
The cloud of hornets followed, and
soon there were other bowls OF pain
beside those from Carlo. This was
fun of different kind from what they
had planned. Anyone with a spy