The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-03-20
Just One Boy.
BY SYDNEY DAYRE.

"Do you think it is good likeness p
Herhert stood by his mother and
waited for her verdict on the photo
graph he had handed her. 1t had
lust been sent home from the artists.
| Eyes, l think it is," said mother,
gazing at it with loving smile. Eyes,
the eyes are good, the hair has it's own
wave, and I like the expression"
Father, examining it, agreed with
her opinion, and she took it again,
looking at it more closely. 1T is
very evident that your mother thinks
/ it a beauty, Herbert" said father,
jestingly.
She would not have liked to say
| how beautiful to her was the face from
which looked out the eyes, 80 dear to
her, so true in their straight, frank
gaze.
"Of course there is no picture like it
to Herbert's mother" she said, with a
smile. "There are his eyes, his mouth
and his hair-his own and no ones
J else."
"Sure enough, that's so," said Her.
bert, a graver expression falling over
his face. Just my eyes, just my
nose: Just my mouth-and nobody's
else."
"No; just think of all the millions
of faces in the world-and among them
all, although some may be very much
alike, none are exactly So" =.
"How could God make 80 many all
different?" asked Herbert. "But,
mother, my one pair of eyes are just
for me to do with. No one else can
make them move except me-"
mo they are your own to use, be-
cause God has given them to you.
Just one pair of eyes, one pair hands,
ears, feet-all belong just to Herbert
Lee. Through all his life he will
have the moving of them. They. will
act at his command. If his heart
dictates to them brave, good, upright
deeds, such as bring honor to the Lord
who gave them, the world will be bet
ter for his having lived in it. Other
wise-well, it il sad to think how
many feet and hands and eyes are used
only for evil; and fearful to think how
much evil they may do"
"Oh! 1 never thought how much
there was to it BEFORE" mused Her
bert. az a few moments later he walk
ed down the street to order dozon of
the photographs his mother liked so
we'll. They're going to send the
pictures to grandmother and uncles
aud aunts. They'll like them because
there're mine. They'll think they're
good ones. I wonder if they always
will be-"
Later be strayed down by the bay
beside which some of his boy friends
were at play. Boats for sailing and
rowing were tied to the dock, and IN
one of them he saw boy Of his oun
age.
Eyes if you will 60 with me. come
on"
"You don't mean that you're going
out without your father, or some
one ?'-
"Yes, do" said George, fretfully.
"Falher said he'd take me over TO the
other side to-day-they say there's
lots of fine shells washed up by the
storm yesterday-but man came TO
see him, so he couldn't go. I'm going
without him, but don't want to go
alone. You come"
"Ill go home and ask mother"
"That'll take too long. Some OF the
boys have gone already and they'll get
ahead of us on the shells. You don't
need to ask"
Herbert had stepped into the BOAT
and felt under him the gentle heave OF
the water. 1t was beautiful day, the
sun sparkling on the smooth waters OF
the bay. How safe it looked, and how
delightful. A.. ,oo
He was we'll accustomed to the use
of oars, having often been out win
his father. What harm could there pe
in such delightful row?
"Ifyou'd just wait till l ask" ne
said again. r :.
II can't. There's no need OF it.
Here's pair of oars apiece"
George slipped them on the oar JOCK,
and Herbert, without as yet any hxea
purpose, laid his hands on them.
Then his eyes fell on his two hands.
They wereIthe hands shown in the pic
ture-the one pair belonging to him,
the pair of which he had the moving,
either to good or ill. In his very
heart he knew it would be wrong Tor
him to 20 on the water without the
knowledge of his father or mother.
"Here hands, drop those oars! reef,
skip out of that boat Eyes, you
needn't look so longingly over that
bay ~ Laughing to himself az ne
mentally issued the commands, he
sprang out of the boat.