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NEVER TOLD A LIE. The Squibob papers |  |
5. V.
NEVER TOLD A LIE.
Small Joe L— was playing one sunny
morning in a yard at the rear of his residence,
when essaying to cast a stone high in air, he found
he had miscalculated his strength, or the weight of
the stone, as that missile slipped from his fingers,
and taking an entirely different direction from that
intended, went whack through a pane of glass in the
neighbor's window. Mrs. Connolly, who was engaged
in washing in the kitchen, hearing the
smash of glass in her spare room, rushed hastily
to the scene of action, and through the broken
pane beheld Joe in active retreat. Irate and indignant,
the injured matron sought the presence
of Mrs. L—, and straight poured forth the story
of her wrongs. Mrs. L— assumed a dignified
air; the culprit was called to “the presence;”
“Joseph,” said Mrs. L—, with awful solemnity,
“did you break the glass in Mrs. Connolly's window?”
“Yes'm,” replied Joe with promptitude.
“Joseph,” said Mrs. L—, “if you broke that
pane of glass, I shall certainly correct you: did
you break it, Sir?” Joe hesitated, but conscience
was powerful, and he replied that he did. Mrs.
L— took a stick from the mantel-piece: “Joseph,”
said she, “if you broke that glass I shall
correct you most severely: I ask again, did you
break it?” Joe looked at his mother; he looked
at the stick; and hanging his head, he murmured:
“No ma'am.” “There!” said Mrs. L—, triumphantly,
“that boy never told me a lie in his
life. I know'd he never broke no window; 'spect
your little Guster broke it; she hove a stone clear
over our fence yesterday.” That's a good style of
encouraging truthfulness in a child, “we don't
think!”
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NEVER TOLD A LIE. The Squibob papers | |