The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-01-13
MERRICK's COURAGE.

the pasture road?" asked Mr.. Rich |
ards as he drew his chair up to the
supper table.
There was a sudden silence as
three little faces flushed rosily.
Il didn't" suddenly spoke up Mer-
rick, the eldest of the three.
Neither did l." sturdily asserted
Clifford.
Did you do It, Waldo?" Mr.. Rich
ards face was very grave as he faced
mis- youngest son.
"N-n-no, father" replied the little
boy. But his voice trembled and his
eyes dropped guiltily. He must stick
TO what Merrick and Clifford had
said; of course he must.
Mr. Richards eyes scanned the
three rosy faces before him, and then
he remarked as his gaze fingered up
on his eldest son: "At any rate,
am glad that Merrick is not the gull
ty one, for 1t was only the other day
| was cautioning him against setting
such a bad example. / am still puZ-
zled about the matter, though" he
said, as he pushed his chair back
from the table, because l really do
not think the tree could have tapped
itself; and as l came up the road an
hour ago | noticed that the sap was
running quite freely from a little
hole in the trunk near the ground.
1t must have been quite small per-
son that did it."
Again his eyes sought the face of
his youngest son, and again the little
boys face flushed guiltily. He was
sure his father suspected him; and,
although he would have been glad to
have confessed his share in the af-
fair, he kept silent Merrick had de-
MED 1t, so had Clifford; he must do
the same.
, Nothing more was said concerning
the affair that night. 1t was not
Mr. Richards way to nag his boys
To all appearances the three mega
tive answers regarding the tapping
of the maple tree had been salts
factory, as far as they were con
cerned.
He'll find out; he's sure to-" Mer
rick kept saying to himself as he
drew his chair slowly away from the
table.
Clifford and Waldo felt almost a!
miserable as their brother, for they
had all had hand in the tree-tap
ping, although Merrick had been thu
ring-leader.
What made you say you didn'
do it," Waldo at last found courage
to ask when they were well out o
bearing.
81 don't know" groaned the guilt,
little boy, throwing himself down a
the foot of the maple tree, whithe
they had instinctively wandered.
Lets all go back and confess,
spoke up Waldo. who could not bea
to see his brother in trouble.
Yes, let's!" seconded Clifford.
MOI" Merrick suddenly burs
forth, springing to his feet; I'm tn
one that did it. and I'm the only on
to confess! I'm going straight bac1
suspects Waldo, because he looke
sc guilty. | won't be a coward. Com
on, both of you!" he said grasping
hand of each. 81 tapped the tree
and you only did the looking on
and I'm going to tell father So"
mo need to do 1t now, my boy
father has heard all about it land b
is glad to know that he has such
plucky little son." exclaimed MI
Richards. stepping out from benin
the other side of the tree, where b
had been examining the havoc tina
had been wrought. 81 care a thou
sand times more for my boys hoT
esty than I do for this tree, niue
as prize it," he went on to say. 81
makes a difference how and where
maple tree is tapped; and that is VIII
I cautioned you against making an
cuts in the trunk when you asked
you might tap it,
A week later, as the boys stoo
watching the little dark stream {
sap as it trickled along the troug
and dripped into the bucket beneat
it, they all agreed that it Is the wi
est course not to NEEDLE with thing
you do not understand.
Eve might have made leaky hole
over the tree before we struck tt
right spot" confessed Merrick.
course we might" chimed
Clifford and Waldo with a wise nc
of their heads.-The Children's vi
itor.
No grise is too good for sin