The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-11-25
ARTHUR AND JAMES.


WIN straight black hair a pleasing ex-
preston, and spectaeles with round glasses
seen with the sunlight on those glasses. he
looked like cross between a rat and a
motor car All the same, he was a good
boy: His last school report said Very
good. Always attentive and industrious.
has won the conduct prize"
Arthur Wilberforce Soames procured
TINS report, had it framed neatly, and hung
1t up by his bedside.
On, Arthur" said his Aunt Agatha, 81
am afraid this is vanity"
We Just put it there, said the boy, "to
remind myself how much more kindly my
Gear n % ers have spoken Of me than have
ever deserved, and to stimulate me to fresh
efforts"
He also decorated his room with photo
graph Of himself as a choir boy, in a sur-
olice, with his spectacles off and the whites
OF his eyes showing Considerably. He had
a bookshelf which was entirely devoted TO
those volume which had been awarded to
him as prizes for pure unremitting goodness.
II that Gear boy is spared to US, said his
Aunt Agatha, che will be an archbishop"
But it is a good proverb which saws that If
you give dog good name you may as well
hang him. Arthur Wilberforee Soames had
a very good name indeed, and a similar fate
betel him. He had made the fatal mistake
OF showing people what he could do when he
mixed; he had provided a milk-white back
ground on watch the slightest error showed
up dead black. Arthur Wilberforee Soames
required that he should startle and surprise.
and be received with enthusiasm; and all he
got was a gentle approval.
he redOubled his effort He went in for
extra-special, high-pressure goodness, with
the safety-valve screwed down He took to
torgiving his schoolfellows openly and osten-
tatlously, until they resented it. He spent a
holiday in committing to memory volun-
tarily hymn Of exceptional length He
said that he wanted to be missionary He
gave his pocket money to beggars when
ever he could be sure of an audience. He
wore himself out in his efforts to find nov
elites in goodness.
Now Arthur had brother called James,
who was untidy, unpunctual and uninten-
tlonal. His life was a long series of rows,
and he never had the faintest idea how he
had got into them. The beautiful example
of his brother Arthur had been held up to
him in vain, though Arthur thoroughly
enjoyed it. Finally, it seemed too absurd to
expect that so bad boy as James should
even attempt to be as good as Arthur, and
the practice dropped. Arthur threw out
hints that James wanted model to 90 by, if
only a boy good enough could be found.
One day when Arthur had been vainly
fishing for little admiration, and was feel
ing particularly detected, James happened
to come in. From pure inadvertenee-for no
boy could have been more unintentional
than James-he had not been whacked for
a whole month. Either he had not given
the occasion, or, which is more probable,
chance had hindered the detection of the
occlsion. He mentioned it-more as one of
those queer condolences that might happen
to anybody than with any idea Of Boosting
A scene of warmest enthusiasm followed
They spoke of James as if he were hero
and a saint; they gave James a shilling;
they said James might keep a dog; they
promised to take James TO the pantomime
at Christmas.
Aunt Agatha said it was one of the hap
piest days in her life. Arthur could en-
dure it no longer; he retired from the
room.
He broke into a violent passion and
neighbor's orchard His methods with
were, from total want of expert
ence, so elementary that he was detected at
once. He pleaded that, owing to his short
sight, he had mistaken the orchard for a
church. An ordinarily bad lie would have
been believed so perfect was Arthur WI
berforce's previous character; but this was
too monumental. 1t made even the mild
Aunt Agatha sarcastic. In justice to Ar
thur, it should be added, that he learned to
tell very much better lies later on. You can
not, especially if handicapped by sanity
nature, expect to become finished criminal
in moment. Memo repente turpissimus
fit. Or, as has been well observed, Rome
vas not built in day.
For a month Arthur Wherefore Soames
was as bad as he could possibly be- 1t was
against his nature, and, consequently, he
showed no originality; he initiated slavish-
" the badness of the worst boys he knew
,r of whom he had read. He became the
despair of his parents, the rage of his school !
masters, the terror of his neighborhood, and
IN object of interest to the police. By this
line he had got the background as black |
Is it could be, and thought he would see
how little white would show up on it. He |
became good again, and the change brought |
aim applause, affection. and presents, all of
which he thoroughly enjoyed He now lives |
IN streaks; when his saintliness is not max |
ng its proper effect he puts in a little black |
And the moral of this is that |
here would be more virtue in the world if 4
,nly we could show more sustained enthusi-
ism for it.-Black and White, London.