The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-10-19
A True Story.

Toggles's Sunday-school teacher had
told him something he did not under
stand very well. AS nearly as he
could remember, some man had said
that the whole world was like two
great heaps, one of the happy things
and the other of the unhappy things,
and every time we took something
from the unhappy heap, and put it on
the happy heap we made the whole
world pleasanter and better.
Then she had told them how the
man who said it had made the world
happier by giving penny to little
girl who had lost hers and was crying
about it. Toggles thought it very I'M
likely that he should ever do a thing
like that, because. even if he should
meet such a little girl, the chances
were he wouldn't have any penny.
Being at grahdpa's on visit, and hav-
ing a new teacher, he just kept quiet,
and put the whole matter carefully
away in the back of his head, to keep
until he had time to think 1t over.
The time came the next afternoon
when he was out by the barn, digging
in the load of new fresh sand that
grandpa had had dumped there on pur-
pose for him. He made two great
piles, as nearly of size as he could,
and the one by his left foot he called
the happy pile, and the one by his
right hand the unhappy pile; and then
he took big trowel full of sand from
the right-hand pile. and let it sift
down on the left-land pile, and re-
smaller, and the happy heap grow big
ger. And all the time he was think
ing how to tell it to Mabel, who was
Toggles's little sister, and who hadn't
been to Sunday-school because she had
torn a great hole in one of her new
shoes, and the shoemaker had not fixed
it yet.
1t was while he was very busy there
that mamma called him to come into
the house. Grandpa had come back
with the wagon, and was all ready to
take him to the big factory where they
made the kind of milk Toggles had
seen the men squirt out of the cows in
to the thick, sticky milk that Toggles'
mamma bought in cans at the grocery
store. Toggles had asked so many
questions about it that grandpa had
promised to take him to see it done.
They were ready to start, and grand
pa had just said, Get up!" to Dobbin.
when Mabel came running to the door,
81 want to go, too," she called.
ooh. mol" said mamma: you have
not any shoes to put on. Why, what
would the men in the big factory say
if they were to see little girl without
any shoes?"
81 want to co." repeated Mabel. Il
want to see them make the thick,
sticky milk"
"No," said mamma, you can go
some other time"
And then Mabel began to cry; for
she was hitler than Toggles, and all
of a sudden Toggles thought of his two
heaps.
II can go some other time. che said.
Mabel can wear my shoes"
Grandpa and mamma did not say
anything while Mabel, with tear
stained cheeks, but as radiant as lit
tie cherub, was pulling on the shoes
Toggles had just taken off; but they
looked at each other, and there were
tears in mammals eyes.
Goodbye" called Mabel, as grand
ma gathered up the reins. II wish you
were going, too"
ooh! never minj," answered Tog-
giles. 81 can go some other time"
And then, hurrying back to his piles,
he fell to digging so hard that, long be-
fore grandpa and Mabel returned, the
unhappy heap was gone, and only the
great round happy heap remained
Frederic Hall, in Sunday School Times.