FOR YOUNG FOLKS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 618, 22 March 1921, Page 3

FOR YOUNG FOLKS.

THAT HAUGHTY BICYCLE, "Please, sir,'' she sobbed, "will y®» »me and lock a bad man up!” “What’s he been doing?” asked tte nan in blue gently. "Oh, boo-hoo!” wailed Ethel. molten up my looop with his nasSy lieycle!” “Has in*?” replied the policeman, ingrily, M he Saw her tears flow ifresh. "Well, where is he?” "Oh. you'll easily catch him!” said 2thel earnestly, ‘TStey’ve just cashed him into that chemist's ghop m i gate!” , TEE TAJXY-BTICBL Beany and &uth were bv&s&wi sticks and tossing them into the jrate. “They Maze up and make ths®&B ook so shiny,” exclamied Ruth to ler grandfather,

"I enjoy the bright blaze, too,” said p-and father, "and while watching you freak sticks I have thought of the ime when I was a little boy and used to try to make two sticks n exactly the same shape.” “Could you never do it?” Benny tsked. “Never,” grandfather answered. 'ln the long ago days sticks that we •.ailed ‘tallies’ were used for keeping iccounts. The tally was a plain stick, in which notches showed the quantity *f goods sold or the amount of money oaned. The tally-stick was used in justness transactions. "When the marks oh the tally were satisfactory to both the buyer and he seller, then the stick Avas split iovn ihe middle, and the buyer took >ne piece and the seller the other. “Bye-and-bye, when the time for* payment came, whoever had the piece of stick that fitted perfectly o the pie.ee_ held by the debtor was ;.he one who could claim the money. "It is said that there was never any mistake about a man’s claim, because two sticks never break the same shape. If the. two pieces of the broken tally stick tallied, no fuither proof was asked.” “What queer bookkeeping,” Benny said ",t ay as a good Avay,” said grandfa ler. ■ 111 • A WISE BOY. , Mr. Hill ay as busy in his carpenter’s shop one morning. The door' stood open, and he heard a voice outside. He turned, -and saAV a brightfaced boy Avith a brown suit and a .red cap. “Good morning, my little man,” said Mr. Hill. "What can 1 do for you? Do you Avant a house or a bridge built?”

••No,” said the boy. “We’ve got a house, and there s a brioge n.,./ across the brook. My name’s Johnny Jov, and I Avant those if you' do not want them yourself.” He pointed to the shavings Avhich lay under the bench. “You do, hey? And Avhat Avill you do with them, Johnny? Build a bonfire?”

‘No; I’m going to sell them to old Miss Clark. She’il give me a halfpenny for a basketful.” “All right, you may have them then.”

So Johnny brought his basket and picked up the shavings. When he had nearly done he s&ay something bright upon the floor. It ay as a sixpence. Johnny had never bad more than a penny at a time in his life. He looked to see if Mr. Hill had seen it. But he had not. Johnny picked up the sixpence and slipped it into his pocket. He filled his basket and went out Avithout saying anything to Mr. Hill. But as lie wms going away he thought, “This sixpence is not mine. It is Mr. Hill’s. If I keep it I shall be a thief. But I Avant it very much. I s’pose Mr. Hill lias plenty more sixpence?. lie doesn’t know it Avas on the floor.” And very deep into ihe little boy’s heart came the thought, “What Avould mother say? What would God say?” He ran back to Mr. Hill and said: “This is yours. 1 found it on (he floor.” Mr. Hill took the money and put it into his pocket. “Yon are an honest boy,” he said. “You may come every day for .-havings.” Do you 1 hink Mr. Hill ought to have given the sixpence to Johnny? He thought of it, but then he said to himself, "I’m not going to pay the little fellow for being honest.. He Avill find pay enough in doing right for its own sake.” And if you had seen Johnny running away with plenty of litlle skips and shouts you would have seen that Mr. Hill Avas right.