The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-05-06


noisily and with the usual question,
"Ain't dinner ready yet 7"
Dinner was ready. So was the
father with his catechising.
'Have a good sermon to-day,
boys 7"
eyes, SIR was the double reply,
neither culprit having the courage to
confess the truth.
"Parson Hicks preached as usual,
I suppose?"
Eyes, SIR"
"What was the text?"
"'Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, answered Lennie glibly. He
had been to Sunday school ever since
his third birthday, and could repeat
many passages of scripture.
"Greyson and his wife there p
eyes, sir.
MANY out? ~ asked the mother.
"Yes'm."
Both boys were naturally truthful,
and they tried tolesson the blackness
of their falsehood by putting them
into as few words as possible. At
last the ordeal was over and the boys
left the table, hot and uncomfortable,
yet with a feeling of relief. They
had at least gained a respite, and per-
haps the subject would never be
brought up again.
But hidden sins have disagree
able way of coming to the sdEfaee.
Scarcely had they gained the sitting
room when neighbor Greyson himself
appeared.
'You lost a great treat today,
Brother Dunn" were almost his
first words. ''Old Elder Phinney
preached, and it was preaching, tell
you Pity you and your wife had
to miss it, but we all have our cross
es to bear, ,''h he added by way of con-
ISOLATION, land yours is rheumatism. F"
Lennie, who had listened like one
stricken dumb, glanced at Ben Frank,
and wondered if his own face looked
as red and guilty as his brothers.
Their father never noticed them in
any way, but gave his whole atten-
ton to his caller while he stayed.
When the family was again alone,
he said sternly, 81 thought all the
time you boys were lying. You
didn't go near the meeting house, did
you?"
"No, SIR" The double reply was
very weak and shaky.
"Played around the brook, or
somewhere, I suppose r.
eyes, sir, !" still more family.
s'I thought so. Well, you know
what you deserve. 1 shar't break
the Sabbath by furnishing you now,
but you know what to except in the
morning"
eyes, SIR
The Dunns lived in fishing vii
lage, and every family kept supply
of salt Goldfish stacked in some con-
venient place about the premises.
The Dunns kept theirs in shed cham
Der.
When the boys awoke. the next
morning, bright idea struck Lenny.
"I say Ben Frank" !" said he, I'll
tell you what we'll do. I'll fasten a
Goldfish under your shirt and you fas-
ten one under mine; then when dad
straps us it won't hurt hardly any,"
This scheme was received with Joy
and promptly carried out and the boys
appeared at the breakfast table thus
armored.
After the meal was over, the father
said nothing of punishment, but in
stead ordered them to take their hoes
and go to work in the garden. They
went, but were afraid to take off the
fish, expecting every minute to be
summoned to the barn to receive their
just dues.
1t was sultry June day, and the
garden lay unshaded beneath the di-
rect rays of the sun. The salt in the
fish combined with sweat from their
bodies acted like mustard plaster and
caused an almost unendurable itching
and burning. Their sufferings increas-
ed every minute until the strapping
would have seemed welcome relief
compared to the punishment they had
brought upon themselves. They were
about to surrender Internationally
when they heard their fathers voice
call:
"Well, boys, you may as we'll come
in and take off the fish. You look as
if you had had punishment enough. -
They had for days their backs
were inhamed and blistered, and Ben
Frank, now grandfather, never tires
of telling the story of his first Sab
bath breaking, and the self-inaicted
punishment which followed it.