The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-05-21
AND JAMES.
BY BARRY PAIN,

Arthur Wilberforce Soames was a boy
with straight, black hair, pleasing ex-
preston, and spectacles with round glasses
Seen with the sunlight on those glasses, he
looked like cross between rat and a
motor car. All the same, he was good
boy. His last school report said: very
good. Always attentive and industrious
Has won the conduct prize"
Arthur Wilberforce Soames procured
this report, had it framed neatly, and hung
1t up by his bedside
'Oh, Arthur said his Aunt Agatha, 81
am afraid this is vanity"
I've just put it there" said theSoy ito
remind myself how much more kindly my
dear H. . 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 choir boy, in a sur
dice, with his spectacles off and the whites
of MS 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, "he will be an archbishop"
But it is good proverb which says that if
you give dog good name you may well
hang him. Arthur Wherefore Soames had
a very good name indeed, and a similar fate
befell him. He had made the fatal mistake
OF showing people what he could do when he
liked; he had provided milk-white back
ground on which the slightest error showed
up dead black. Arthur Wilberforce Soames
required that he should startle and surprise,
and be received with enthusiasm; and all he
got was gentle approval.
He redoubled his effort He went in for
extra-special, high-pressure goodness, with
the safety-valve screwed down. He took to
forgiying his schoolfellows openly and osten-
tatiously, until they resented 1t. He spent
holiday in committing to memory yolun
tarily a 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 a brother called James,
who was untidy, unpunctual and uninten-
tional. His life 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 heen held up to
him in vain. though Arthur thoroughly
enjoyed it. Finally, it seemed too absurd to
expect that so bad a 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 go by, II
only boy good enough could be found.
One day when Arthur had been vainly
fishing for a little admiration, and was feel
ing particularly detected, James happened
to come in. From pure inadvertence-for no
boy could nave been more unintentional
than James-he had not been whacked for
whole month. Either he had not given
the occasion, or, which is more probable,
chance had hindered the detection of the
II Cd Cnf 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 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; be retired from the
room.
He broke into violent passion and a
neighbor's orchard. His methods with
orchards were from total want OF expert
ence, so elementary that he was detected 1t
once He pleaded that, owing to MS short
sight. he had mistaken the orchard for
church. An ordinarily bad lie would have
been believed so perfect was Arthur Wa
=
too monumental. It made even the mild
Aunt Agatha sarcastic. In justice to Ar j,
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 10 become a finished criminal
IN 8 moment Memo repente turplssImus
fit Or. as has been well observed, Rome
vas not built in day.
For a month Arthur Wherefore Soanes
vas as bad as he could possibly be. 1t was
against bis nature. and, consequently, be
showed no originality; he initiated slavish
" the badness OF the worst boys he knew
n of whom he had read, He became the
despair OF mis- parents. the rage of his school
masters, the terror of MS 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
now little white would show up it. He
became good again. and the change brought
him applause affection, and presents, all OF (
which ne thoroughly enjoyed. He now lives j
n streaks; when his saintliness Is not max
ng its proper effect he puts in little black |
And the moral OF this is that
here would be more virtue IN the world II |
My we could show more sustained enthun-
rn for it.-Black and White, London.