Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-04-05
JONATHAN AND THE JACK-KNIFE.
Make Your Own Application.

From the York Evening Post
Jonathan, an uncommonly well-grown lad of
fifteen one day found his small neXt-door neigh
Dor, Juan, fighting with Carlos, little boy
from across the street, over jack knife which
each of them claimed. Jonathan, after pre-
tending to examine the grounds of the quarrel,
beloved out that the knife belonged to Juan,
and, come what might, Juan should have it,
Then, as an evidence of good faith and disn-
terested friendship, he began stripping off his
coat to join the fray,
AT this moment along came Prof. Morton
aud the Rev. Dr.. Cabbott, with the approval of
the other excellent clergymen. Prof. Morton
was such silly old man that he didn't believe
in the strenuous life, and he actually tried to
persuade the two lads to give up their manly
sport of pummeling each other, and to settle
their difference peaceably. Prof Morton was
soon reproved for his error, however, as the
Rev. DR.. Cabbott, with the approval of the
other clergymen, explained to him that 10y
who would fight for the rights of his little
friends had reached pitch of moral subimity
hitherto unknown among the boys. The cler-
gyman, therefore, urged Jonathaa to "go for"
Carlos, and meanwhile, they stood by to watch
this sublime moral spectacle.
The struggle continued till Jonathan drove
Carlos home with bloody nose. Then the
sublimely- moral Jonathan sat down with
little Juan, to put some court-plaster Oh their
fingers and wi pc the mud off. "In the mean
Lo1J l. ife for
thai ''for Pm afraid you'd drop it." Juan
was not over-eager to accept the generous offer,
but ne couldn't be so suspicious OF the sublime
ly-moral Jonathan as to refuse him the knife
for just few minutes.
Jonathan turned it over, opened all four
blades, and examined the corkscrew and nail
file. Then he remarked, with sigh, that, al
though he could't think of taking such
handsome present from Juan, still Juaan ought
to remember TO whom he owed the knife. JON
athan added ingeniously that four.bladed
knife with corkscrew and a nail-fle was the
very thing in all the world that he wanted
most.
Juan, however, didn't take the hint. He
politely thanked Jonathan for his trouble, and
added that he should now like to have the knife
and whttle little.
"Im very much afraid, JUAN" said the
moral Jonathan, very solemnly, "that if you
have this knife to take care of all by yourself,
Johnny Bull or some of those big boys across
the street will steal it from you. Rather than
have them guilty of theft, and have you suffer
the loss, III keep it in my own pocket little
while longer--of course, remembering that it's
really yours, and that l must give it back to
you when you're old enough"
"But you've always said you'd lick any boy
from across the street who interfered with us.
Besides, just before you began to fight, you
thought was plenty old enough"
"ro be sure! be sure!'' answered Jona-
than, "but you're rather clumsy for your age,
aud should hate to have you cut your fingers.
Then, too, after I've helped fight for it, the
knife is really as much mine as yours"
''But it isn't yours at all. :"
owe won't talk about that point just now.
Suppose however, you jot down on piece of
paper your plan of using the knife. If like
the pan-if you'll keep the biggest blade, the
lit:lest blade, and the corkscrew for my special
use. mustn't let you get them dulled or
broken.'