it was a rainy sunday afternoon, and four boys were trying tospend it quietly in the "liberry," as jamie called the room devotedto books and boys, at aunt jessie's. will and geordie weresprawling on the sofa, deep in the adventures of the scapegracesand ragamuffins whose histories are now the fashion. archielounged in the easy chair, surrounded by newspapers; charliestood upon the rug, in an englishman's favourite attitude, and, iregret to say, both were smoking cigars.
"it is my opinion that this day will never come to an end," saidprince, with a yawn that nearly rent him asunder.
"read and improve your mind, my son," answered archie, peeringsolemnly over the paper behind which he had been dozing.
"don't you preach, parson, but put on your boots and come out fora tramp, instead of mulling over the fire like a granny.""no, thank you, tramps in an easterly storm don't strike me asamusing." there archie stopped and held up his hand, for apleasant voice was heard saying outside"are the boys in the library, auntie?""yes, dear, and longing for sunshine; so run in and make it forthem," answered mrs. jessie.
"it's rose," and archie threw his cigar into the fire.
"what's that for?" asked charlie.
"gentlemen don't smoke before ladies.""true; but i'm not going to waste my weed," and prince poked hisinto the empty inkstand that served them for an ash tray.
a gentle tap at the door was answered by a chorus of "come in,"and rose appeared, looking blooming and breezy with the chillyair.
"if i disturb you, say so, and i'll go away," she began, pausing onthe threshold with modest hesitation, for something in the elderboys' faces excited her curiosity.
"you never disturb us, cousin," said the smokers, while the readerstore themselves from the heroes of the bar-room and gutter longenough to nod affably to their guest.
as rose bent to warm her hands, one end of archie's cigar stuckout of the ashes, smoking furiously and smelling strongly.
"oh, you bad boys, how could you do it, to-day of all days?" shesaid reproachfully.
"where's the harm?" asked archie.
"you know as well as i do; your mother doesn't like it, and it's abad habit, for it wastes money and does you no good.""fiddlesticks! every man smokes, even uncle alec, whom youthink so perfect," began charlie, in his teasing way.
"no, he doesn't! he has given it up, and i know why," cried roseeagerly.
"now i think of it, i haven't seen the old meerschaum since hecame home. did he stop it on our account?" asked archie.
"yes," and rose told the little scene on the seashore in thecamping-out time.
archie seemed much impressed, and said manfully, "he won'thave done that in vain so far as i'm concerned. i don't care a pinabout smoking, so can give it up as easy as not, and i promise you iwill. i only do it now and then for fun.""you too?" and rose looked up at the bonny prince, who neverlooked less bonny than at that moment, for he had resumed hiscigar just to torment her.
now charlie cared as little as archie about smoking, but it wouldnot do to yield too soon: so he shook his head, gave a great puff,and said loftily"you women are always asking us to give up harmless little thingsjust because you don't approve of them. how would you like it ifwe did the same by you, miss?""if i did harmful or silly things, i'd thank you for telling me ofthem, and i'd try to mend my ways," answered rose heartily.
"well, now, we'll see if you mean what you say. i'll give upsmoking to please you, if you will give up something to pleaseme," said prince, seeing a good chance to lord it over the weakervessel at small cost to himself.
"i'll agree if it is as foolish as cigars.""oh, it's ever so much sillier.""then i promise; what is it?" and rose quite trembled with anxietyto know which of her pet habits or possessions she must lose.
"give up your ear-rings," and charlie laughed wickedly, sure thatshe would never hold to that bargain.
rose uttered a cry and clapped both hands to her ears where thegold rings hung.
"oh, charlie, wouldn't anything else do as well? i've been throughso much teasing and trouble, i do want to enjoy my prettyear-rings, for i can wear them now.""wear as many as you like, and i'll smoke in peace," returned thisbad boy.
"will nothing else satisfy you?" imploringly.
"nothing," sternly.
rose stood silent for a minute, thinking of something aunt jessieonce said "you have more influence over the boys than you know;use it for their good, and i shall thank you all my life." here was achance to do some good by sacrificing a little vanity of her own.
she felt it was right to do it, yet found it very hard, and askedwistfully"do you mean never wear them, charlie?""never, unless you want me to smoke.""i never do.""then clinch the bargain."he had no idea she would do it, and was much surprised when shetook the dear rings from her ears, with a quick gesture, and heldthem out to him, saying, in a tone that made the colour come up tohis brown cheek, it was so full of sweet good will"i care more for my cousins than for my ear-rings, so i promise,and i'll keep my word.""for shame, prince! let her wear her little danglers if she likes, anddon't bargain about doing what you know is right," cried archie,coming out of his grove of newspapers with an indignant bounce.
but rose was bent on showing her aunt that she could use herinfluence for the boys' good, and said steadily"it is fair, and i want it to be so, then you will believe i'm inearnest. here, each of you wear one of these on your watch-guardto remind you. i shall not forget, because very soon i cannot wearear-rings if i want to."as she spoke, rose offered a little ring to each cousin, and theboys, seeing how sincere she was, obeyed her. when the pledgeswere safe, rose stretched a hand to each, and the lads gave hers ahearty grip, half pleased and half ashamed of their part in thecompact.
just at that moment dr. alec and mrs. jessie came in.
"what's this? dancing ladies' triumph on sunday?" exclaimeduncle alec, surveying the trio with surprise.
"no, sir, it is the anti-tobacco league. will you join?" saidcharlie, while rose slipped away to her aunt, and archie buriedboth cigars behind the back log.
when the mystery was explained, the elders were well pleased,and rose received a vote of thanks, which made her feel as if shehad done a service to her country, as she had, for every boy whogrows up free from bad habits bids fair to make a good citizen.
"i wish rose would drive a bargain with will and geordie also, fori think these books are as bad for the small boys as cigars for thelarge ones," said mrs. jessie, sitting down on the sofa between thereaders, who politely curled up their legs to make room for her.
"i thought they were all the fashion," answered dr. alec, settling inthe big chair with rose.
"so is smoking, but it is harmful. the writers of these popularstories intend to do good, i have no doubt, but it seems to me theyfail because their motto is, 'be smart, and you will be rich,' insteadof 'be honest, and you will be happy.' i do not judge hastily, alec,for i have read a dozen, at least, of these stories, and, with muchthat is attractive to boys, i find a great deal to condemn in them,and other parents say the same when i ask them.""now, mum, that's too bad! i like 'em tip-top. this one is a regularscreamer," cried will.
"they're bully books, and i'd like to know where's the harm,"added geordie.
"you have just shown us one of the chief evils, and that is slang,"answered their mother quickly.
"must have it, ma'am. if these chaps talked all right, there'd be nofun in 'em," protested will.
"a boot-black mustn't use good grammar, and a newsboy mustswear a little, or he wouldn't be natural," explained geordie, bothboys ready to fight gallantly for their favourites.
"but my sons are neither boot-blacks nor newsboys, and i object tohearing them use such words as 'screamer,' 'bully,' and 'buster.' infact, i fail to see the advantage of writing books about such peopleunless it is done in a very different way. i cannot think they willhelp to refine the ragamuffins if they read them, and i'm sure theycan do no good to the better class of boys, who through thesebooks are introduced to police courts, counterfeiters' dens,gambling houses, drinking saloons, and all sorts of low life.""some of them are about first-rate boys, mother; and they go to seaand study, and sail round the world, having great larks all theway.""i have read about them, geordie, and though they are better thanthe others, i am not satisfied with these optical delusions, as i callthem. now, i put it to you, boys, is it natural for lads from fifteento eighteen to command ships, defeat pirates, outwit smugglers,and so cover themselves with glory, that admiral farragut invitesthem to dinner, saying, 'noble boy, you are an honour to yourcountry!' or, if the hero is in the army, he has hair-breadth escapesand adventures enough in one small volume to turn his hair white,and in the end he goes to washington at the express desire of thepresident or commander-in-chief to be promoted to no end of starsand bars. even if the hero is merely an honest boy trying to get hisliving, he is not permitted to do so in a natural way, by hard workand years of patient effort, but is suddenly adopted by a millionairewhose pocket-book he has returned; or a rich uncle appears fromsea just in the nick of time; or the remarkable boy earns a fewdollars, speculates in pea-nuts or neckties, and grows rich sorapidly that sinbad in the diamond valley is a pauper compared tohim. isn't it so, boys?""well, the fellows in these books are mighty lucky, and very smart,i must say," answered will, surveying an illustration on the openpage before him, where a small but virtuous youth is upsetting atipsy giant in a bar-room, and under it the elegant inscription,"dick dauntless punches the head of sam soaker.""it gives boys such wrong ideas of life and business; shows themso much evil and vulgarity that they need not know about, andmakes the one success worth having a fortune, a lord's daughter, orsome worldly honour, often not worth the time it takes to win. itdoes seem to me that some one might write stories that should belively, natural and helpful tales in which the english should begood, the morals pure, and the characters such as we can love inspite of the faults that all may have. i can't bear to see such crowdsof eager little fellows at the libraries reading such trash; weak,when it is not wicked, and totally unfit to feed the hungry mindsthat feast on it for want of something better. there! my lecture isdone; now i should like to hear what you gentlemen have to say,"and aunt jessie subsided with a pretty flush on the face that wasfull of motherly anxiety for her boys.
"tom brown just suits mother, and me too, so i wish mr. hugheswould write another story as good," said archie.
"you don't find things of this sort in tom brown; yet these booksare all in the sunday-school libraries" and mrs. jessie read thefollowing paragraph from the book she had taken from will's hand" 'in this place we saw a tooth of john the baptist. ben said hecould see locust and wild honey sticking to it. i couldn't. perhapsjohn used a piece of the true cross for a tooth-pick.' ""a larky sort of a boy says that, mum, and we skip the parts wherethey describe what they saw in the different countries," cried will.
"and those descriptions, taken mostly from guidebooks, i fancy,are the only parts of any real worth. the scrapes of the bad boysmake up the rest of the story, and it is for those you read thesebooks, i think," answered his mother, stroking back the hair off thehonest little face that looked rather abashed at this true statementof the case.
"anyway, mother, the ship part is useful, for we learn how to sailher, and by and by that will all come handy when we go to sea,"put in geordie.
"indeed, then you can explain this man uvre to me, of course " andmrs. jessie read from another page the following nauticalparagraph"the wind is south-south-west, and we can have her up four pointscloser to the wind, and still be six points off the wind. as she luffsup we shall man the fore and main sheets, slack on the weather,and haul on the lee braces.""i guess i could, if i wasn't afraid of uncle. he knows so muchmore than i do, he'd laugh," began geordie, evidently puzzled bythe question.
"ho, you know you can't, so why make believe? we don'tunderstand half of the sea lingo, mum, and i dare say it's allwrong," cried will, suddenly going over to the enemy, to geordie'sgreat disgust.
"i do wish the boys wouldn't talk to me as if i was a ship," saidrose, bringing forward a private grievance. "coming home fromchurch this morning, the wind blew me about, and will called out,right in the street, 'brail up the foresail, and take in the flying-jib,that will ease her.' "the boys shouted at the plaintive tone in which rose repeated thewords that offended her, and will vainly endeavoured to explainthat he only meant to tell her to wrap her cloak closer, and tie aveil over the tempest-tossed feathers in her hat.
"to tell the truth, if the boys must have slang, i can bear the 'sealingo,' as will calls it, better than the other. it afflicts me less tohear my sons talk about 'brailing up the foresail' than doing as they'darn please,' and 'cut your cable' is decidedly preferable to 'let herrip.' i once made a rule that i would have no slang in the house. igive it up now, for i cannot keep it; but i will not have rubbishybooks; so, archie, please send these two after your cigars."mrs. jessie held both the small boys fast with an arm round eachneck, and when she took this base advantage of them they couldonly squirm with dismay. "yes, right behind the back log," shecontinued, energetically. "there, my hearties (you like sea slang,so i'll give you a bit) now, i want you to promise not to read anymore stuff for a month, and i'll agree to supply you withwholesome fare.""oh, mother, not a single one?" cried will.
"couldn't we just finish those?" pleaded geordie.
"the boys threw away half-smoked cigars; and your books must goafter them. surely you would not be outdone by the 'old fellows,' asyou call them, or be less obedient to little mum than they were torose.""course not! come on, geordie," and will took the vow like ahero. his brother sighed and obeyed, but privately resolved tofinish his story the minute the month was over.
"you have laid out a hard task for yourself, jessie, in trying toprovide good reading for boys who have been living on sensationstories. it will be like going from raspberry tarts to plain bread andbutter; but you will probably save them from a bilious fever," saiddr. alec, much amused at the proceedings.
"i remember hearing grandpa say that a love for good books wasone of the best safeguards a man could have," began archie,staring thoughtfully at the fine library before him.
"yes, but there's no time to read nowadays; a fellow has to keepscratching round to make money or he's nobody," cut in charlie,trying to look worldly-wise.
"this love of money is the curse of america, and for the sake of itmen will sell honour and honesty, till we don't know whom totrust, and it is only a genius like agassiz who dares to say, 'i cannotwaste my time in getting rich,' " said mrs. jessie sadly.
"do you want us to be poor, mother?" asked archie, wondering.
"no, dear, and you never need be, while you can use your hands;but i am afraid of this thirst for wealth, and the temptations itbrings. o, my boys! i tremble for the time when i must let you go,because i think it would break my heart to have you fail as somany fail. it would be far easier to see you dead if it could be saidof you as of sumner 'no man dared offer him a bribe.' "mrs. jessie was so earnest in her motherly anxiety that her voicefaltered over the last words, and she hugged the yellow headscloser in her arms, as if she feared to let them leave that safeharbour for the great sea where so many little boats go down. theyounger lads nestled closer to her, and archie said, in his quiet,resolute way"i cannot promise to be an agassiz or a sumner, mother; but i dopromise to be an honest man, please god.""then i'm satisfied!" and holding fast the hand he gave her, shesealed his promise with a kiss that had all a mother's hope andfaith in it.
"i don't see how they ever can be bad, she is so fond and proud ofthem," whispered rose, quite touched by the little scene.
"you must help her make them what they should be. you havebegun already, and when i see those rings where they are, my girlis prettier in my sight than if the biggest diamonds that evertwinkled shone in her ears," answered dr. alec, looking at herwith approving eyes.
"i'm so glad you think i can do anything, for i perfectly ache to beuseful; everyone is so good to me, especially aunt jessie.""i think you are in a fair way to pay your debts, rosy, for whengirls give up their little vanities, and boys their small vices, and tryto strengthen each other in well-doing, matters are going as theyought. work away, my dear, and help their mother keep these sonsfit friends for an innocent creature like yourself; they will be themanlier men for it, i can assure you."
