Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-02-25
THE RECOGNITION
OF JESSE BADLFIGH
BY II. II. GREEN

JESSE, however preferred TO SIT
with his mother. He had grown into
a well-developed, muscular lad of
between ten and eleven years of age
was making himself very serviceableI
to his mother and general favorite
with the people of the town.
Above the ordinary in intelligence,
of good disposition, amiable and
frank in his intercourse with others,
very gentle toward the weak, ever
ready to lend helping hand where
he might render needed service, it,
is not to be wondered at that this
brave, manly boy won a high place
in the esteem of the villagers.
Perhaps nothing could better illus
trate the nobility of the boys charac-
ter than the part he had taken in one
of those occurrences which OCCASION
ally happen among boys of his age
which serve as key to the ruling
characteristic of the person at the
time it occurs. Jesse, with three 9TH
er boys of about his own age, was
returning home from school one
winter afternoon, following severe
SNOWFALL; the wind had blown the
snow into drifts; many of them from
two to four feet deep. Through these
drifts the children were obliged to
pass on their way to and from school.
There was one little fellow not
more than seven years old, whose
parents lived near the Armstrong;,
the child was just beginning his school
life, he had been placed under the
care of Frances Armstrong, who
loved the little chap as though he
had been her own brother. A very
natural outgrowth was this love OF
Frances of that law Of association
which, all the world over, binds
really lovable people to each other,
often in bonds of affection which en-
dure through life.
The boys had not proceeded far
from the school house before Jim
Cobb-who has already been brought
to the notice vi the reader, under
discreditable circumstances-sud
lily dropped back and sprung to the
side of Frances,-who was following
a few PAGES behind the boys, with
her small charge,-and Selling him
by his ankles lifted him up as high
as he could and dumped him, head
!, first into one Of the deepest drifts,
and then, like the miserable poltroon
he was, ran away leaving the poor
frightened child screaming in pain
and fear, for one of his ankles was
painfully, though not severely injur-
ed, by the rough handling he had re-
ceived
| IT required but a moment for Fran
ces to rescue the child from the drift,
as with endearing words and soft
caress she sought to soothe and com
fort him, while her heart was burn
ing with indignation at the brutality
of Jim Cobb who had been moved to
do the dastardly deed for no appar
ent cause except his own innate
meanness.
Now, nearly all the boys of Jim
were younger and smaller than he,
were afraid of him. He had so Of
ten buIIied them into submission as
much by his domineering swagger-
ing ways as by the knowledge of his
superior strength that they were
careful not to anger him or give him
cause for resentment
With Jesse it was different. Jim
Cobb, whom he thoroughly disIiked,
had no terrors for him. Well, heI
knew that in a personal conflict,
Cobb's great strength would have to
be reckoned with; but then on the
other hand he was no weakling him
self and SO far as intelligence would
be a factor, Jim Cobb would have
the worst of it. Then, too, Jesse was
so much quicker in action as well as
in thought that he really, as it seem
ed to him, had the advantage of the
other. Now all this had been in
Jesse's mind long before he was call
ed to put it to the test. No sooner,
therefore, had the child disappeared
in the drift than with a cry of anger
he sprang at the offending Cobb.
Hold on! hold on. Jess Badleigh;
stand back there an lem me be or
I'll make it hot for YOU" howled
Jim with an oath, backing out of the
way of the irate Jesse. But that
young man was thoroughly aroused,
he had on several other occasions,
either witnessed or he had heard of
so many other acts of meanness per-
petrated by Cobb that he could
stand 1t no longer, let the consequent
ces be what they might. Moreover,
it is quite possible that the interest
Frances had in the child, and SINH
larry the interest Jesse had in Fran
ces may have moved him to prompt
action in this sncfanca