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Show j Jimmy's Lecture. -1 Tress Leaflet' I Here Jimmy smiled; but lie meant what lie said; and pulling out of liis pocket a piece of paper and a pencil, he jumped down to B use the block as a desk, saying, as B "he wrote in big letters: "They B shall have a pledge, and they can B make a mark as people do who can't H write. I'll make it short so they B can understand it, for I shall help W them." 1 M So busy was the boy with his :m work that he never saw a man M steal from behind the pen, where H e a een sing and laughing 9 at Jimmy's lecture, till something H seemed to change the smiles to )m tears; for as he peeped over the lad's shoulder, he saw how worn S the little jacket was, how bruised I and blistered the poor hands were Jfr with too hard work, and how he mm" stood on one foot, because his ics I were out of the old shoes. A month's wages were in the man's pocket, and he meant to spend them in more whiskey when the jug was r empty. Now the money seemed all j too little to make his son tidy, and ho couldn't bear to think hoy much he had wasted on low pleasures that made a worse brute of him than the T3if?s. B "Thero!" said Jimmy, "I guess B that will do, '"We, Tom and Jer- B ry, do solemly promise never to B touch, taste, or handle anything that . B can make us drunk.' . I "Now for the names. Which shall B mark first?" . B "I will!" said the man, startling B Jimmy so much that he nearly 'B tumbled into the pen as he was B climbing up. "The paper fluttered B down inside, and both forgot it as B the boy looked up at the man, say- , B ing, half ashamed, half glad: B "Why, father, did you hear me? B . I was only sort of playing." B "I am in earnest' for your lecture B was a very good one; and I'm not I Sorng 0 be a beast any longer.- B Here's money for n6w shoes and B jacket. Give .me the saw. I'll do B my own work now, and you go tell I mother what I say." M ify Jimmy was about to race away M when the sight of Tom and Jerry eating up -the paper made him clap t ' his hands, exclaiming joyfully: "They've taken the pledge really and truly. I'm so glad!" It was impossible to help laughing but the man was very sober again as he said slowly, with his hand on Jimmy's shoulder: shall write another for me I'll sign it, and keep it, too, if you will help mo, good little son." "I will, father, I will !" cried Jimmy, Jim-my, with all his happy hoart, and then ran in to carry the good news to mother. That was his first lecture, but not his last; for he delivered many moro when he was a man, because the work began that day prospered well and those pledges were truly kept. |