THE LITTLE Truant


N. IS a beautiful town in Massachusetts.

Its streets are neat, its houses good and well

built, its farms highly cultivated, its 

schoolhouses and other public buildings are

 built in the most approved style. The noble

 Connecticut river winds gracefully through

 thousands of acres of beautiful meadows, while

 in the distance Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke rear 

their rugged heads; in fact, if there is a pretty 

town in Massachusetts, N. is one.

A good many years ago a little boy was attending

his lessons in the town above described,

when, at recess, he was plied by an older

boy in a very flattering way to run away from

school in the afternoon, and go hunting bird's

nests in the meadows.

Now the river meadows in the town of N.

are so overflowed in the spring by the floods of

water which make their way to the ocean, that

fences would be swept away, so the whole are

enclosed in one, and the roads passing through

are intersected by gates which are closed after

every passing vehicle or traveler.

This foolish little boy thought he could not

refuse so pleasant an offer to go and see the

beautiful fields and hills and river and meadow,

especially as the birds sang a sweet song, and

the sun shone so brightly, and nature looked

so inviting; so away they went, some large and

some small boys, some bad and some not yet so

bad. They passed the meadow gate into the

broad open meadow, and some skipped about

in the grass, some climbed the trees, and some

hunted for bird's nests; but for all the rest

were so merry, this little boy was unhappy

he wished himself back in school, but he dared

not say so.

Things were thus going on finely when some

one of the truant company cried out, " Here is

a bird's nest!" and all ran to see; and as they

were all looking down into the ground-sparrow's

nest this little boy was startled by hearing

his own father call him in most authoritative

tones. He looked up and saw his father

riding slowly along the road, and at every few

steps of his horse, he would call out his son's

name.

This naughty boy was dreadfully terrified to

see his father there, and yet was glad inwardly

to get away from his bad companions. And as

he was marched back to school and delivered

to his teacher, no tongue can tell his confusion

and mortification; to be led away, to be 

discovered, to be brought back, trotting down 

the dusty road by the side of the old family 

horse, and his father so silent, yet so solemn,

 and then the teacher so mild and forgiving. But

 it taught him a lesson; he ever afterwards 

avoided those bad boys. This little boy tried

to do right after this lesson; he ever remembered

it, and a most severe punishment it was

to be so exposed and so forgiven.

His parents with their family soon afterwards

removed to another State, where the

sons, some of them grew up to manhood, and

their little boy (now a man) lived to see the

one who had led him to go a tenanting, become

an inmate of the prison, and he thanked God

for separating him from such companions at an

early date.

This silly boy who was so unfortunate as to

be led away from school, and then so very

 fortunate as to be led back to school again, is

 now trying to keep the commandments of God

 and the faith of Jesus, and he thinks the 

restraints of early life were most salutary. 

Children and youth, be very thankful if your 

parents are strict and careful and watchful. This

 is your safety to give good heed to instruction. 





J. C.