Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1877 — The Borrowing School-Boy. [ARTICLE]

The Borrowing School-Boy.

The boys were out on tbe play-ground one day when a man came along with pencils to sell. They were a very good sort of a pencil, with a knife blade attachment, an eraser, and several other combinations, which looked very handy fe lie boTft. ■ _. .. , - Ned Archer bought one, as he always had plenty of money, and Charley Frazer took his last quarter for the purpose. Louis Meade hesitated a little, but concluded he did not need it, as he had plenty of pencils, so he declined to purchase. “ Lend me a quarter, Ned ?’’ asked Will Pine, in a great hurry; “I do want one of those pencils so bad, and I’m all out of money." Will generally was out. Nea handed out the quarter, and Will was in great delight over bis pew possession all the forenoon. He tried it in all its points, over and over again, and fully tested them all, much to his satisfaction. It was nearly noon before he was satisfied to let it rest awhile in his pocket. As he was sitting at his desk in the afternoon, he began to have a little misgiving as to how that quarter was to be paid. He had very few of them to spend on common occasions, as his parents found it pretty hard work to pay his regular bills. Then he thought, with a twinge of conscience, that he had not yet paid up the twenty cents he borrowed of James.

" I wish I had not bought the old thing," he thought, impatiently. " I had enough pencils. I wish I could sell it to some of the boys.” But he could not. All had bought of the man who cared to invest. He even offered it for twenty cents, so he could pay np James, but was not successful in making a trade. Those two debts worried bim constantly, because he saw no means of paying any more than he would if they had been twenty and twenty-five dollars. “Then I owe five cento to Bob for candy 1 bought down town one day—fifty cents in all, and I should like to know how I am ever to pay it." There was but one resource, the old one Of borrowing. He button-holed one of the day scholars, and prevailed on him to lend him a quarter, as they were walking along down to thePostoflice after school. “ I will pay the five and twenty with that.” he thought, quite restored to good spirits. He almost tell that be had earned a quarter. It was such a satisfaction to have a little money in his possession once more, he congratulated himself as he walked along on his good luck. Just then his companion bade him good night, and Willie walked on alone. A beautiful toy-shop, brilliantly fitted up for the holidays, attracted him for a long time. A tempting display of sweets in one wndow drew him almost unconsciously inside, and almost before he knew it, fifteen cents were gone, and! he was walking along munching a paper es cream chocolates.

‘ I can’t pay James, anyway, now,” he thought, “so I’ll just have a few seftshelled almonds. I never do have any of those things hardly, and other boys can get their pockets full,” and he felt himself rather hardly used by the world generally. Will ought to have gone on the plan of a young man who called at a Postoffice to get a money-order to send to a certain place. He wished it addressed to

nimseif at that distant city.^ “ Why don’t you take it yourself, if you are going there ?" he was asked. “ That is just it,” he said. “If I take it with me I shall not have it when 1 get there. If I send it, I can draw it out to use after I arrive.” As Will had found out how untrustworthy he was in money matters, he should have taken pains to circumvent himself, and place it out of his power to spend money, particularly when it waa not his own to spend. This borrowing went on all through the term, keeping him in metaphorical “hot water” about his payments, uutil at last he sold out his pretty wri.’ing-desk, a gift from his aunt, and paid off ms scores. He felt bad enough to lose his desk. He knew his folks would not like it; but the ease of mind it gave him with regard to these little borrowed sums was a luxury. He ought to have profited by the lesson, but he did not. He became known as the “ borrowing young man,” and many people would go around a block to avoid meeting him. He was almost sure to ask tor a small loan, so small they could not •veil rcluse, though it was likely to be a milier permanent investment. Will was employed in a store, and generally locked up at night. One evening, when exceedingly pressed for money, he borrowed a litue from the drawer, intend, ing to pay it back before it was missed. People always do intend that. But he did not, and the ram did not seem to be missed, so he bmrowed again. O. how easy it is to go down mil! The end of it all was a felon’s celi, and a term of years ont of the best portion of his life spent in State Prison.— Preeibyterian.