The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-07-09

lhe h9ndrail, gets aboard and pulls
lllmsNf safely up on the piazza. With
like manoeuvre he gets through the
door. Watching his chance, he gains
he lowest step of the inside staircase
ana painfully makes his way up the
swaylng and uncertain structure. lie
mas almost reached the top when in
ii sudden lurch he catches his toe and
fails back, rolling to the bottom. At
TINS momcn, his wife, rushing out into
the upper hall, hears coming up from
The darkness below, from the discom-
1lted figure sprawled on the floor
with his arms around The newell post,
the fervent, appropriate and pious
ejaculation, Cod help the poor sail
ors out at sca!'
- trust this matter of my arrest
Will not cause my friends to turn from
me. 1T Is true that, no matter what
may be said Of American public NOR
ais, the private morals Of Americans
as whole are exceptionally good. |
do not mean to say that in their pri-
vate lives all Americans are faultless.
L hardly like to go that far, being 4
man Of carefully weighed words and
nndcr IA pecr!liarly vivid sense Of
the necessity Of moderation in state
mcnt. | should like to say that we
are faultlcss people, but | am re-
strained by recollection. know sew
eral persons who have erred and
trans"ressed-to put it plainly, they
have done wrong. | have heard of
stIll othcrs--of Il number Of persons,
IN fact, who are not perfect. | am not
perfect myself. l confess it. I would
have confessed it before the lament
able event Of yesterday. For that was
not the first time | ever did wrong.
No; | have done several things which
fill my soul with regret and contri-
ton.
Story of a Watermelon.
81 remember, l remember it so
well, | remember ii rs if it were YES
terday, the first time | ever stole
watermelon. Yes, the first time. at
least | think it was the first time, or
along about there. 1t was, it was, must
have been, about 1913, when [ was
13 or II years old I remember that
watermelon we'll. | can almost taste it
now
eyes, [ stole ii. "; "h' use so
harsh il word? Ii was the biggest of
the load on Il farmers warren stand
in" in the gutter in The old town Of
Hannibal. Mo. While the farmer was
busy with anothcr-another-custo-
mer, | withdrew this melon. Yes
'stolc' it is too strong. | extracted il.
| retired it from circulation. And I
myself retired with it.
"The place to which the watermcl-
on and | retired was il lumber yard. |
knew nice quiet alley between the
sweet smelling planks, and to that
scquestercd spot | carried the melon.
lndul2ing few moments contcmpla-
ton of lis frcacklcd rind, | broke ii
open with a stone, Il rock. Il durnick,
in boys la3 3ru:,oc.
"It was green. Impn$>ihly, hope
lcssly green! | do =: IA :: why this
circumstance should lave affected
me, but it did. 1t affected nc deeply.
II altered for me the moral values Of
rhc universe. 1t wrought in me NOR
al revolution. I began 10 reflect. Now,
recollection is the beginning of re-
form. There. can be no reform with
ont reflection.
81 asked myself what course OF
conduct | should pursue. What would
conscience dictate? What should Il
highminich yonng man do after re-
firing 4 Green watermelon? What
would George Washington doe Now
was the time for all the lessons IN
cu~atcd .at Sunday school TO act.
"And they did act The word that
came to me was 'reslitution.' OBJ
viou.:.v lh'lc way the pa!', af dr. I
reasoned with myself. | laborcd. At
last WAS fully resolved. I'll do
it, said |. II take him hack his ELL
melon. Not many boys would have
been so heroic, would so clearly have
seen the right thing and so stcrnly
have resolved TO do it. The moment
| reached that resolution | felt
strange uplift. One alw lys feels an
uplift when he turns from the. wrong
TO Righteousness. I arose, spiritually
strengthened. renewed and refreshed,
and in the strength Of that refresh