The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-31
a MATTER OF PRINCIPLE.

We had arrived at one of those occasions which
it becomes necessary and argue with ones
mother to an which would be decidedly burden
were not great principle at stake.
don't see why can't go" the text of the
complaint and. being unvNsed in the polished arts of
o1atory persuasion. down convenient
kicked vicously the fowerpots which
mother placed the floor
Our mother looked her young sons. six, the
other eight wondered whether her first yielding
would start them on the swift perdton Il
seemed unreasonable to that she should have
known that we. who had drank drop in all our
lives anything stronger than cornsiik and
dock would surely not become wholly 6ssoute To be
sure only the day before had climbed over the fence
into neighbors backyard play wheel OF chance.
cluchng in hand bank and savings of thirty cents
and returned after hours play disencunlbered
% my savings my bank flied in exchange with win
nings OF home-rolIed cigarettes But mother did
not know this and all things considered our reputation
morality should have been high with her.
may well that the matter was quite
much principle privilege. That justly famous
drama Uncle Toms Cabin had and
entreaty that we be allowed to become
part of the audience. The matter appealed only
in secondary sense quite remote from the fact that
there Topsys pack of ferocious. trained
bloodhounds whom had in the noon-parade and
knew be billed TO chase sainted Eliza the
pinewood Bob Wilson's all the verisi
Multitude of treadng real ice-cakes- Up this time.
the delights of the aside from performances OF
trained dogs representations Miles
Standish and Hiawatha both of which. though good
enough their way admittedly the thinnest
substitute what regarded the real drama,
had been a closed book All these marvellously
heroic melodramas. these bedizened posted In
spectrum tns upon the east wall OF the Central drug
store fascinating blackface mnsrelsy.
of which knew only by hearsay. Neither
had their enjoyment vouchsafed elder sister
elder brother. until he became of
where he put the stupid task called college and
allowed so by himself in the evening. Our
determination now was to make test case. on mat
personal liberty which threatened undermine
Tho datiop of
Everybody else lets their children CO. James.
convincingly but with the fire which charac-
terized stubborn ancestor who camored loudly for
liberty first and then if necessary. death All That
part of the difficulty I feared. James
lukewarm. ! almost suspected him of wanting quit
the whole gambling
articles. suspected him of cowardce the
of having TO see the person who take the
OF Uncle Tom brutaIiy beaten and logged to a dying
condition, informed by the city newspaper
that he be.
the fallibnity of elder-brotherly Judgment
To think base thing of truly brave James
indeed grievous soon had occasion to
find out But when mother thought of these things
and then looked at her sixyear-od perhaps there
what ones mother will do under such circumstances.
However. the victory Else would have
retired from the conflict with life but empty
for the afternoon be filled with broodng thoughts
OF constitutional liberty hearts with
the remembrance that whole rows of paymates whose
parents take their inalienable rights would be
watching wide-eyed-we could only what.
1t pleasing think o be: and
we galoped OFF to the house. waving
dollars. sobered a little witha uphill fight.
Not when seated of by
courtesy called the opera chairs up
in the pit of Bob Wilson's minute theatre. did
disaster Nothing essened the breahless anticipation
in which sat grinning nervousy friends about
us We watched the curtain which rock vainly
attempting to climb waterfall and did try
conceal dispeasure the hardness the stage
manager I know not which of less COMMUNE
small talk
For the lines and of that first
refer you who looked dispassionatey-bu
James myself. This l remember: that at the
lifting of the curtain, thereafter woman.
strengthening dressed in calico (Which
the rament of the victim of MISFORTUNE and after
her short time strong coarse man in rough boots,
with look of infinite cruelty his face, wearing
knife
At the back of stage. and not far from where
stood the slight figure OF the small, square
wooden window swung open it's hinges and revealed
CHASTITY darkness. which had been arranged doubt
a cunning device hide the machinery within.
but which materially aided the realism without Little
did pride myself a theatrical critic (having
reason) but the horrid significance of the thing all
plain. The frightfu suspense wondering whether
it through that misunderstanding window that thu
fcaming boodhounds TO come-brutes capable of
bounding over footghts easily not lieu
gaping water-seemed at once point where dramatic
taste--even melodramatic taste-was sadly at fault
rs this cowardce?' thought myself.
One look at James quick assurance to the
trary. for not of fear did he show and
I years his senior? James. the edge OF his
chair with eyes all watching the
the heavy villain. Evidently only the reali-
zation such scenes these children
of his tender that horrors;rcken at the
situation. Now the hanne!-shrted villain drew close
the defenseless and his finger -boodcurd
Ih.gly along edge his barbarous knife, Aha
shall this knife cried in horrid vlainy.
1t this point that piucked James gently by
the sleeve and muttered something in his
why. will II you to-" he answered. with duti-
fully concealed regret.
Il think we'd better said
Alas liberty All the way home Jimmy
admitted thst he had been dragged by force Of
brotherly authority. James indeed always wise
his years. mother looked grave. also smiled
would have gathered. almost that she glad
then she had let But what she really
thought would be only useless conjecture. We
did. We could tell what she when
she smiled that way.-Josah Dwight Whitney.
Woman's Enduring Charms.
CFrom The Philadelphia Ledger and Tines3