Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-01-09
AN ADVANCE PAYMENT.
Mark Twain. HIS Good Brother nad
the broken Sugar BOWL.


Mark Twain. Ills Good Brother naH
the Broken Sugar Bowl.
My mother had a good deal OF frou-
bic with me, but l think she enjoyed 1t.
She had none at al with my brother
Henry, who was two years younger
than /, and think that the unbroken
monotony OF his goodness and truth
fulness and obedience would have been
n burden to her but for the relief and
variety which l furnished In the other
direction. l was a-tonlc was valu-
able 10 her. l never thought OF it be-
fore, but now see Il. I never knew
Henry 10 do vicious thing toward me
on toward any one else but he fire.
quently did righteous ones that cost me
as heavily. II was his duty to report
me when l needed reporting and neg
lected 10 do it myself. and he was very
faithful In discharging that duty. He
Is Sid in Tom Sawyer" But Sid was
not Henry. Henry was 4 very much
finer and better boy than ever Sid was.
1t was Henry who called my moth
er's attention TO the fact that tho
thread with which she had sewed my
collar together 70 keep me from going
In swimming had changed color. Ny
mother would not have discovered IL
but for that. ed she was manifestiv
piQued when she recognized that that
prominent bit of eircumstantlal evil
dence had escaped her sharp eve. That
detail probably added a detail to my
punishment 1t IS human. We gener-
ally visit our shortcomings on some
body else when there is Il possible ex-
cuSe for It. But no matter. took II ont
OF Henry. There is always compensa-
ton for such rs are unjustly used.
often took it out of him-s sometimes as
an advance payment for something
which I hadn't yet done These were
occasions when the opportunity Vvas
too strong n 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 SawyeT'-I don't re-
member whether it is or nOt-that is an
example OF it. Henry never stole sug-
ar He took it openly from the bowl
His mother knew he wouldn't take sup-
ar when she wasn't looking. but she
mad her doubts about me Not exactly
doubts, either. She knew very we'll l
would One day when she was not
present Henry took sugar from her
priced and precious old English sugar
BOWL which was an heirloom tn the
FAMILY, and he managed to. break
bowl It was the first time I had o or
had 4 chance to tell anything on hun.
and ! was inexpressibly glad. told
him | was going to tell on him. but no
was not disturbed When nv mother
came IN and saw the bowl lying on tho
noor In fragments she was sDeecbless
Tor minute. / allowed that silence To
work. | judged 1t would increase the
erect was waiting for her 10 ask
WHO did tiat?" so that | could fetcb
out my news. But it was an error of
Evacuation. When she got through with
her silence she didn't ask ANYTHING
about It, She merely gave me n crack
on the skull with her thimble that
Ielt all the day down to my heels. Then
1 broke out with my injured innocence
expecting TO make her very sorry that
she had punished the wrong one ev-
pected her TO do something remorsefui
anu pathetic. told her that I was not
1he one-it was Henry Bot there vos
no upheaval. She said without ono
tioh; IT'S all right. 1t Isn't any mat.
ter You deserve. IL for sometime
you We done taat didn't know about
ana II you haven't done 1t. why. then
you deserve il for something that Won
are going to DO that shan't hear
ABOUT; From Mark Twain's AutohI-
ography IN North American Review