The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-10-18


II was a pretty little pocket-knife
forgotten by its owner. who had gone
nome from school and left it alone
ana unprotected on his desk. It had
| however caught the eye of one little
IeioW-James Donnelly, by name
VINO having often borrowed it, was
keenly alive to its merits.
James was staying in after hours,
Mastering an example in arithmetic
winch, during the day, had mastered
MIN; and now, having finished his
| WORK. ne was gathering his few be-
Ionglngs together before going home.
When his eye alighted on the knife.
he picked 1t up and gave each blade
separate and distinct admiration.
How any boy could forget such a
| treasure he did not see. He fairly
| longed for such a knife. with a long
ing that only boy could feel who was
obliged to do the great amount of his
inevitable whiting with one that. in
lts palmiest days, had boosted but a
single blade, and bore, therefore but
sad comparison to the little beauty that
ne now held in his hand, and which, the
longer he held and the more he ad-
mired, the harder it seemed for him to
replace.
The ever-ready tempter was at hand
with suggestions; but James hesitated,
Tor, being in the main an upright little
fellow, he could not deliberately take
it without doing violence to his better
self
No one will suspect you, and the
owner will think he lost it, whispered
the evil voice.
Still he hesitated, and still the desire
to possess the knife was strong upon
him
Right and wrong struggled for the
master, until one more admiring glance.
one more feeling of the bright blades
proved fatal. Quickly he slipped it into
his pocket and hurried out of the class
room without his CHEEKY Good after
noon!" that his teacher was wont to
hear.
But she, being intent on the work of
some other boys, soon forgot the omis-
sion.
He walked down the street with a
feeling of anything but exhilaration at
possession of the coveted knife. He
changed it from one pocket to another,
but somehow it seemed to be at home
in none. Then he took it out and again
looked at it; it certainly was pretty,
but what pleasure would it bring to
him if he must always hide it?
Suddenly his heart beat quicker, for
one of his classmater was coming up
the street, and James, with his burden
of a guilty conscience, felt that his
comrade would assuredly penetrate his
guilt, and therefore he must avoid the |
boy.
Quickly he scrambled to the top of |
an old wood-pile, and rejoiced to see |
that he had not been seen by the boy |
that ordinarily he would have been |
glad to meet.
While on top of the old boards, his |
better angel began asserting itself. He !
had never before been tempted to take
what was not his, and he wished the |
little knife was safe in its resting place
in its owners desk.
The more he thought of it the worse
his action seemed, and the inner voice
Of conscience was whispering:
Return it; school is not yet closed,
and the classroom by this time is
empty.
With an heroic effort he made up his
mind to do So Slowly he climbed down
from his height, and slowly retraced
ais steps toward the school.
He opened the classroom door. How
onely and quiet it all seemed! The
afternoon sun was coming through the
windows. lighting up the walls and
lesks and frightening even the old
BOARD.
He placed the knife where he had
ound it, and again hurried out of the
classroom, but with what different feel /
ngs-with what light heart?
He ran for very joy, and on his way J
Iome in his own boyish fashion, he
i'd much thinking, and made up his {
mind thereafter to be straightforward
nd honest in spite of temptation. s
Long years have passed since that
fternoon and he feels that he has been ,
he better man for his boyhood's reso- ,
ution.