Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-05-07
COMMUNICATIONS.
THE KINDLY DEEDS SOCIETY
BY JAMES NJ. HUBBARD.

THE Register is pleased to publish
another story by Mr.. Hubbard, of the
staff of the Youths Companion, spe-
cially written for our columns.
Philip Baker was one of the few boys
who would not join the Kindly Deeds
Society. He laughed at it, and had less
and less to do with the members, even
giving up playing ball with them after
school, He got into the habit OF gong
down to the village and hanging round
the store, and mixing with the poorest
set of the young fellows. He spent
good many evenings down there, leav-
ing his father and mother alone, for he
was their only child.
1t troubled them good deal, for he
was becoming less and less handy in
helping his father about the chores, and
he kept telling them how he hated farm
life: and how he meant to get place in
a store at Rutland some time, pretty
soon he hoped When his mother re-
monstrated with him and reminded him
of his duty to his father, all he said was
Father can hire a boy to do all | can
do, and better too, and you wouldn t
have me to bother about. I'm sure
that would be a good thing" The
tears came into his mothers eyes as
she went to the stove to look at some
bread she was baking, and she wondered
what she could do for Philip that would
make him like their neighbor's son
Dick. They never went to meeting, so
she never thought of praying for him,
and there wasn't any of the village
people whom she would ask to help her.
They lived some distance away from
everybody and so didn't do much neigh
boring
That evening Dick was standing out
in front of his house watching the sun
set clouds, when he saw Philip coming
down the road Now if there was any
boy he didn't like, it was Philip Baker,
and his first thought was to slip back
into the house till Philip had gone by.
4 IL
of pity over him for the lonesome DO
and a sort Of wonder whether he coulc
do anything for him. He knew that he
was going down to the village to hang
round the store and get into bad com
pany. Wasn't there any kindly deco
he could do for him? Suddenly he re.
membered that Philip liked singing
He had good voice and was by far the
best singer in school. So as he came
down the road Dick went out to NEE
him and said. "Haloa, Philip. Wouldn'
YOU like to come in and hear our gramo
phone?" "What's that" asked Philil
much surprised at Dicks invitation
which he had never had before. "Why
it's kind of machine that plays piano
and band music and sings songs. /
you shut your eyes and listen, you
think some one was right there in The
room playing and singing
Philip hesitated. He didn't like Dicl
and wanted to 90 down to the village
for some fellows had asked him to g
with them to a house and have joll,
time that evening. But the thought o
hearing music attracted him, and any
way he needn't stay very long, so h.
made up his mind to 90 in "Thanl
YOU, Dick,' said ne, I'D like to hea
the thing, and they went into tn
house. The gramophone played seyera
things and Philip became ore an
more Interested and forgot all abou
going to the village. He examined tn
instrument carefully and the record
and said, 81 wish we had one 1t mus
be great fun. you can come dow
here any time you want to, said Die
who was looking over the records to Sc
what to choose next.
1t was with much doubt as to whethe
Philip would like the one he choose, tina
he put it into the gramophone; bu
something, he could not tell what, lie
him to do it. When it began to play
he glanced at Philip and to his surpr,
the boy sank back in his chair an
covered his face with his hands Whe
it was finished he got up and said in
broken voice, THANK you ever so mucl
Dick, but that will DO for now. ! mu
go home. And he went out of II
house and turned mp the road, much
Dick surprise, for he thought Phil
would go down to the village, as he ey
IDENTIFY meant to when he first spoke
him.
MOI the one thing the boy want,
was to get into his room and be by hin
self For the thing the gramophol
played was the hymn, Safe in II
Arms of Jesus, the one hymn whi'
his dear sister Maud loved so niue
She died five years before this, and Oh
of the last things she asked was, tn