Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1913 — OUR BOYS and GIRLS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OUR BOYS and GIRLS

A Remembered Lesson. > - Nat Brown was not really a wicked boy. He was 1 thoughtless and naughty, often doing things which he would not have done had he taken time to think them over. For Instance, he would stone stray cats that chanced to come in his path. Nor did he do this to be cruel, but for the excitement of seeing the poor animals run. Also he would throw stones at birds in the trees merely to prove his marksmanship to some boy friend. But one day Nat h‘ad an experience which he will never forget, and which doubtless caused him to realize the enormity of his naughtines in more ways than one. He had gone out fishing one afternoon, and after having caught a nice string of fish he hung them in a pool of water and wandered

off through the woods in quest of adventure, intending to return for the fish when ready to go home. As he went along he gathered his pockets full of small stones to be in readiness for any chance squirrel or bird’s nest he might see. And he found them in plenty, too, and hit several the frightened little squirrels, and made sad havoc with the birds’ nests, sometimes demolishing them entirely and laughing at the little eggs which lay crushed on the ground. Presently he saw a strange-looklng nest of some sort —a thing new to him •—and he rumbled about‘in his pocket for a good-sized stone to throw at it. He took deliberate aim, hitting the nest —which seemed made of a sort of clay or mud —directly in the middle. The soil substance, which seemed baked as hard as plaster, broke open, and fragments of it fell to the ground. But as it did so a dozen or more of winged insects swarmed about the destroyer of their nest and began to “get even” by inflicting on him the worst punishment he had ever suffered, even counting the whipping he had got at school for some naughtiness. And as Nat ran screaming and fighting the insects off he realized that he had struck a hornet’s nest. In vain did he throw his hands above his head, in vain did he dodge, duck into the grass, to leap up again and run; he was stung on every inch of his face, neck and hands. And not a few hornets took a nip through his shirt and stockings, leaving their marks on his body as well as pn his face and hands. And for a quarter of a mile did the enraged hornets follow their victim, who, by his own wickedness, had brought the punishment on himself. And when at last they decided they had stung him enough they drew off and returned to their sadly demolished home. When Nat reached home his own mother hardly recognized him, his face was so swollen out of its usual proportion, and his eyes were almost blinded by the poisonous stings, and his hands were so terribly poisoned that he could not help to undress himself Of course, his mother sent for the doctor, and while waiting for his arrival she questioned her son as to how he got into a hornet's nest Then Nat told the story—as best he could with that painful sac ex> plained that he thought the nest belonged to some sort of bird. "Ah,” said the mother, shaking her head. “And so you were the aggressor and were trying to harm'some innocent and defenseless thing! Now while you are suffering the consequences, you may meditate over the error of your ways. For the first time you have been made the sufferer, for while you’ve been destroying the peace and safety of the creatures that were lqss powerful than yourself they had no means of retaliation. But you see, my son, you hit the wrong nest when you hit that belonging to a hornet, and I hope you've learned a lesson which will make you a better boy.” And so it proved with Nat He had ample time to dwell upon his past conduct toward helpless creatures, and he began to see now thoughtless he had been of their health and happipess—not to say of their life. And then the doctor called to see how his little patient was progressing. "Quess I’m getting well about fast as those squirrels are that I hit in the woods the other day,” he said with a blush aftjwhame. “But there’s nothing s 6 good for a guilty conscience as an honest confession, is there, doctor?” "That’s right. Nat And what’s better la to avoid doing that which calls tar an *hooMt oonfesslon.’ Do unto others oven to animals and birds

Nat Ran Fighting the Insects.