The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-12-24
AZ = NEl 4 B
an IN, M Gooti Ilrother =

4
ails7 broken S1G;lr Bowl
ny mother bad q eood deal Of trou.
bic with me. but think she enjoyed II
4 She had none at all with my brother
Henry, who was two years younger
than / and think tllat the unbroken
nionot0ny Of his goodness and truth
fulness and obedience would have been
a burden 20 her but for the RELIEF and
variety, which furnished n the other
/ direction was u tonic. I was yalu-
able to her. never thought Of itSbe-
ForS but now ] see Il. Z never knew
/ Henry to do aVIci0us thing toward me
Or toward any one else, but he fire.
duentIy did righteous ones that cost me
as heavily. 4 was his duty to report
me when needed reporting and neg
lecteu to do It myself, and he was very
faithful I'm diseharging that duty. He
is Sid in. Tom Sawyer. But Sid was
not Henry. Henry was very much
hner and better boy than ever Sid was.
It was Henry who called my moth
er.s attention to the fact that the
thread with which she had sewed my
collar together to keep me from going
in swimming had changed color. NY
mother would not have discovered IL
hut for that. and she was manifestly
piqued when she recognized that that
prominent hit Of ctrcumStlutiaI evil
sIence had escaped her sharp eye. Thar,
detail probably added a detail to, my
punishment It is human We gener-
ally visit orr shortcomings on some
body else when there IS possible ex-
cuise for IT. But 10 matter. took It out
OF Henry There is always compensa-
tion for such as are unjustly used.
often took 1t out Of him-sometlmes as
an advance payment for something
which I hadn't yet done. These were
occasions when the opportunity was
too strong temptation. and had to
draw on the future. did not need to
copy this idea from my mother and
probably didn't. STILL she wrought
upon that principle upon occasion.
If the incident Of the broken sugar
bowl Is in "Tom Sawyer"-I don't re-
member whether 1t is or not-that is an
example of it. Henry never stole sug
mr. He took it openly from the bowl.
His mother knew he wouldn't take sug
ar when she wasn't looking.s but she
had her doubts about me. Not exactly
doubts either. She knew very well l
would One day when she was not
present Henry took suGnr from her
priced and precious old English sugas
bowl which was an heirloom in the
family. and he managed to break the
bowl. 1t was the first time had ev
had chance to tell anything on him (
and was inexpressibIy glad. tol /
him was going TO tell on him, but |.
was not disturbed. When my moth
came In and saw the bowl lying on til !
door in fragments she was speeches
for minute. allowed that silence I,
work judged 1t would increase the
effect 1 was waiting for her TO ask
''Vvho did that?" so that could fetch
ont my news. But it was an error OF
When she got through with
her silence she didn't ask anything
about 1t. She merely gave me a crack
on the skull with her thinible that
felt all the day down to my heels. Then
l broke out with my injured innocence.
expecting to make her very sorry that
she had punished the wrong one. ex-
pected her to do something remorseful
and pathetic. told her that l was not
the one-it was Henry. But there was
no upheaval She said without emo
ton It's all right. 1t isn't any mat
ter. You deserve it for something
you've done that didn't know about,
ana If you haven't done 1t, why, then
you deserve it for something that you
are going to do that shan't hear
about From Mark Twain's Autobl-
oEraphy in North American Review.