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Read Ebook: Proud and Lazy: A Story for Little Folks by Optic Oliver
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Ebook has 828 lines and 24540 words, and 17 pages
"Now, Thomas," said Miss Dale, as she put the stick in the desk, "when I tell you to do anything, you must obey me."
"I won't, either."
"You must not say you won't to me."
"Yes, I will."
The teacher opened the desk and took out the stick again.
"Will you?"
"Yes, I will."
Tommy felt the stick once more; and this time blow followed blow till Tommy, of his own accord, promised not to use the naughty words again.
"Now, Thomas, if you will be a good boy you will not have any more trouble. You must do what I tell you to do, and not be saucy to me."
"I'll tell my mother of you. She don't whip me," muttered Tommy.
"You may tell your mother, and if she does not wish you to mind, she must not send you here. But I think she wants you to be a good boy, obey your teacher, and get your lessons."
"No, she don't," said Tommy, who was not quite willing to be good yet.
"Well, it does not make any difference whether she does or not; you must mind all I say if you come to school here."
Miss Dale then heard him read; but he did not do very well. He was thinking all the time what he could do that was naughty; but as he kept one eye on the little stick, he did not venture again to disobey or to be saucy.
When he went home that day he told his mother he was not going to school any more; and perhaps she would have let him have his own way. But his father, when he heard what Miss Dale had done, said he was glad she had made him mind, and that he should go to school in the afternoon.
To make the matter sure, Dr. Woggs went to school with him himself, and told the teacher to make a good boy of him, if she could, and above all things to make him obey her. So Tommy got the worst of it, after all.
Tommy Woggs learned to obey while he was in school. That little stick produced a great change in him; but after the first week, Miss Dale did not have occasion to use it again.
He found that he must mind, and he had sense sufficient to see that it was just as easy to obey before he was whipped, or even scolded, as it was afterwards.
It was the next year after Tommy began to go to school that he went to New York. It was a great thing for a little boy like him to go away so far, and see so many wonderful things; and his companions, for a time, thought he was a real hero.
When he came back he told ever so many stories of what he had seen--of the fine buildings in New York, of the great crowds of people in Broadway, and the sights he saw at the Museum.
But the children soon grew tired of it, and did not want to hear any more of Tommy's stories. I think it quite likely that, if Tommy had not been so smart about it, they would have been glad to hear a great deal more about New York.
But I have another story to tell about Tommy; and I hope it will convince all my young readers that it is better to obey their parents, even if they are not punished, than it is to disregard what they tell them.
I have said that Tommy was proud and lazy. He was so proud he did not like to mind; and so lazy that he did not like to go to school, because he had to study there, and learn his lessons.
One fine morning in June, when the birds were singing on all the trees, and the grass looked bright and green on the hills, Tommy left his father's house to go to school.
He did not want to go to school that day. He told his mother it was too pleasant to be shut up in a school room all day, and he begged that he might be permitted to stay at home.
"No, Tommy, you must go to school. Your father says that you must not stay at home a single day, unless you are sick."
This was about an hour before school time, and the lazy boy sat on the door stone, for a while, and then came back and told his mother he did not feel very well.
"What ails you, Tommy?" asked his mother.
"I'm sick."
"Not very sick, I think."
"Yes, I am; real sick."
Just then his father came in, and heard his complaint.
"How long have you felt sick, Tommy?" asked his father.
"Ever since I got up," replied Tommy, placing his hand upon his stomach.
"You ate your breakfast very well for a sick boy."
"I feel worse since I ate my breakfast," said the little boy, trying very hard to look sick.
"What ails you?"
"I feel sick at the stomach."
"Well, I think you will feel better by and by," added Dr. Woggs.
"But I can't go to school, father."
"O, you can't?" said his father, with a smile.
"I don't feel able to go."
"Then you needn't go."
Tommy was much pleased to find he had gained his point; and he did not think of the wicked lies he had told. His father said he might stay away from school that day, and this was all he wanted.
He had a pair of rabbits in the wood shed, and without thinking that he was sick, he was going out to play with them.
"Where are you going, Tommy?" asked his father.
"Out in the wood shed to see my rabbits."
"I thought you were sick."
"So I am, father."
"Then sit down on the sofa, and I will attend to you in a moment. Do you feel very sick?"
"I'm real bad, father," replied Tommy, quickly, for he was afraid his father would send him to school, after all.
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