The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-11-13
HOW MIR. PRESTON PUT |
IT TO THE BOYS. |
By SYDNEY DAvRE.

JH.Es.. .s5. I ! !. Z E.s3.t =: :EE.l
Mr.. Preston had way of giving the
boys in his room a little talk at the
close of school in the afternoon. One
day he began;
"Once, when | was not as old as
some of you, and older than the rest
of you. l played truant to go fish
ing, and | had very bad time of it."
This was a good beginning, the boys
thought, and it is fairly supposed that
they listened eagerly to hear what he
had to say about that days fishing.
81 objected little when Peter Gar
ner proposed it. l knew | ought not
to go, for | had recently been i'll, and
the weather was damp-very good for
fishing, but not good for health, and
1t didn't need two thoughts to tell me
1t would be wrong all round. But
well, why will boys sometimes. in the
face of all such knowledge, go and
do the thing? l suppose | shall have
to leave it with the boys.
'We stole away from school at
the noon recess. Peter had brought
his tackle and hidden 1t under bush
in the strip of woods, one corner of
which came to point close up to the
country schoolhouse. Going through
this woods we came to the little brook
In which were were to fish.
''The sun shone all about the school
house and the yard, but in the woods
1t was cool and damp. We sat on
rock to fish, and | can remember still
how cold and wet that rock was. We
had fairly good sport, though the fish
were very small. But at length a fine
big fellow came swimming along near
Peters hook.
Keep STILL, he whispered. He
stood up and I stood up, neither of
us daring to breathe as we tiptoed to
watch him. He played about Peters
hook, and we thought he surely had
him, when all of sudden he turned
away. l quietly dropped my hook in
and he quickly swallowed It,
I say said Pete, angrily, that
was my fish. You had no business to
put in your hook
Perhaps he was right. l had no
time to discuss the matter; for, as l
raised the fish, just poising myself on
the edge of the rocks, Pete gave me a
little shove. Whether he meant to
push me in is another of the ques-
tions have never been able to settle,
but in went up to my neck in that
cold water. Pete was scared.
Grab hold Of my pole he cried,
holding 1t out to me. | did so and
climbed out, gasping and shivering.
You'd better scoot home as fast
as you can, said Pete. But l didn't
want to go home: l thought l would
like to get my clothes dried first.
went higher up where the sun shone
on the bank and lay down. 1t was
dry, warm place when first did so,
but before long the water dripped
down and made mud puddle under
me.
81 got up and took look at myself,
concluding presently that | was about
as forlorn looking boy as could Of
ten be seen. l called to Pete, but he
was gone, and in his place, some one
else was fishing-a very nice, pleas
ant man. A.i
1t seems to me you had better
hurry home, my boy he said, and
his tone was kind and friendly. | was
cold and miserable, and half whim-
pered as l said:
I wonder what my mother will
say when she sees me-
oh, 1t won't much matter what
she says he said. His tone was so
Indifferent that l stared at him, 1t
seemed such queer thing to say.
DO you think SOP l asked.
Well, it is very plain that you
think so,' he said But there are all
sorts of mothers, you know. just
concluded that yours is one of the
kind that don't count one way or the
other l was angry, as you may
guess.
'Youd-better not talk that way
about my mother l said. She not
count! She's the best mother In the
world. If were as big as you are
you wouldn't dare to talk so.'
oh, come now, my boy he said.
You needn't sputter and bluster about
1t. I'm only taking your own testi-
mony in the matter. If you're going
to put in plea for your mother, you
have no case at ALL
What do you mean,' I asked.
Why, as l understand it, you
would like people to think you have
q good mother
That's what she is,' said hot
".