Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1891 — YOUTH’S DEPARTMENT. [ARTICLE]

YOUTH’S DEPARTMENT.

Ike’* New Visitor*. Ike Carlton was such a cruel boy! He would pull off the wings of flies, pin live butterflies to boards, break in the backs of turtles and amputate the legs of frogs. When any one remonstrated with him about his cruelty he would cry, “O pshaw! they can’t feel much,” and then go in quest of another victim. The long summer days* he devoted almost entirely to this wicked sport, and in time all the neighbors spoke of him as “Hard-hearted Ike Carlton.” To be sure the boy had no kind parents to teach him better, and the aunt who was bringing him up cared very little what he was about as long as he was not troubling her. One night Ike had not been in bed very long when a brilliant light suddenly filled his room and he sprang up to see What caused the illumination. There, seated in his best chair, he beheld an immense cat. The animal was actually larger than Ike himself, and by the time Ike had recovered from his- astonishment atseeing this visitor he discovered on another chair a turtle almost as big as the cat. Near by he saw a butterfly of extraordinary size, and when his eyes opened wider •he found that all the seats in his room were occupied by just such strange visitors. In fact there were more than the chairs could accommodate and these were seated on the floor. Presently they all began to talk at once, and they made such a hubbub that the cat rapped on a little stand that hq had drawn up in front of him and said in a very serious manner, “The jneetino’ will please come to order.” Instantly all voices were hushed, and then a frog who Was present stood up on his hind legs and looked so funny that Ike would have laughed outright had not the creature's words struck teror to his heart;•“Mr. President,” began the frog, “as the chairman of the committee for preventing cruelty to insects and animals of all descriptions, I arise to state what the committee has decided to do. We intend to make the last and greatest offender feel what our brothers and sisters have suffered. The culprit is the boy Ike Cari»ton. Mr. Housfe Flv is to pull out his eye lashes and a large bunch of hair. ” “O! but that will hurt!” yelled Ike from the seat which he had taken on his bed. ■ “That is no consideration,” said Mr. President. “You had no thought for the feelings of Mr. Fly’s brothers .when you cruelly pulled off their wings and legs and left them to suffer. That hurt, too. - “Mr. bullfrog,” continued the chairman of the committee, “you are to cut off one of his legs.” . “You wicked thing!” screamed Ike. “You don’t know what a painful operation that is. Besides, I can’t walk without my leg.” “'Neither could Mr. Bullfrog's brother,” answered the cat, “but you cut off his leg and left him wounded and bleeding. It hurt him just as much as it will you.” Ike groaned and wished he had not interfered with frogs. He remembered that he had -thus cruelly treated a poor helpless one that very morning.

“You, Mr. President, are to step on him and kick him all. around the room.” “But I won’t it,” cried Ike. “But you will be compelled to stand it,” calmly replied the president?“ You m ade my poor mother endure your kicks and abuses.” “I'll run out of the room’” thought Ike, and he slipped quietly to the door, only to find it locked and the key gone. Then he sat down in despair, and waited for further developments. “And last, but not least,” said the chairman of the committee, “Mr. Yellow*Butterfly is to pin him to.aboard so fast that he yrill have to Stick there and Suffer till he dies.” Ike was in agony. Could it be possible that these creatures would be -crueTenough to kill him? “Oh, please Mr. Cat, don’t let them murder me!” he cried, dropping on his knees before the president. “I am my aunt’s only nephew, and she would grive very much if I met such a violent death. And then, think how it would hurt to have a pin runthrough my body.” “But you didn’t consider the pain when you stuck pins through the bodies of many of Mr. Butterfly’s relations. Neither did you think of the sorrow of the mourners. We must make an example of some boy, jor these abuses will go on to the end of time. You are the worst offender, and at the last meeting we decided to make an example of you. Our relations are just as as sensive to pain as ■you are, Mr. Ike Carleton, and we have as much right to enjoy the good things of this world as you have." “But I didn’t think how it all hurt,” pleaded the frightened boy, “and I’ll promise never, never, never to do it again." « After that speech the committee had a consultation, and returned to say that they thought it better to show no mercy. If once let loose the boy would be as bad as before, and cruel boys had become the terror of the entire animal and insect world. Still Ike continued his pleadings, but the president turned down his furry ears and said to the members, “Form in line!" First came Mr. House Fly, who was all ready to tear out Ike's hair and eyebrows; next came Mr. Bullfrog with his big knife, prepared to amputate the boy’s leg; then Mr. President, ready to do; his part of .the abusing, and lastly, Mr. "Butterfly, carrying a prodigious -pin

with which he was to fasten the unhappy boy to a board. ‘•Oh. mercy! mercy!” screamed Ike, and with those words his horrible visitors vanished, and he awoke to the fact thsit he had been dreaming. “At any rate,” he said to himself, with a shiver, “I have been taught a lesson, and I’ll keep that promise I made to Mr. President. It will be easy enough, too, for I never again could hurt a living thing without feeling what 1 felt in my dream'. ’ The neighbors wondered thereafter what had caused such a - wonderful change to come over Ike Carlten, for he grew to be so gentle with insects and animals that his companions forgot his old nature, and gave him the name of “Ike Carlton, the tenderhearted.”- -