Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/223

 and it duz become us, Tamer and Tirzah Ann, to try and be patient with these other poor little blunderers, whose mistakes are not so big as ourn, because the consequences are not so mighty. Poor little creeters! It would seem that in pity for our own mistakes we would deal charitable with 'em."

Jest as I wuz sayin' these words two children who wuz boardin' to one of my neighbor's and goin' to school, come to git some dime novels that Tamer had promised to bring to 'em. They lived only a little ways from Tamer's when they wuz to home, and she had supplied 'em with their mental nutriment for some years. They had an armful they had read and got another armful to carry back, for Tamer wuz one to keep her promise, and she had told 'em she would bring some every time she came here visitin.' And they took 'em with deep delight, and couldn't hardly wait till they got out of the house before they commenced to devour 'em. They wuz as blood-curdlin' and soul-harrowin' as any I ever see, and I felt as if I should sink to see youthful mind hunger fed on such pizen stuff. They wuz about fourteen and fifteen years of age, and the girl wuz as pretty as a pink, but beginnin' to put on airs and act like a heroine. The boy looked ruther rough, some like Cicero, and I knew he wuz tryin' to give himself that hauty, overbearin', reckless air that the heroes all had in these novels.

After they had gone with their books I argued with Tamer Ann about lendin' such trash to children, but she said it would do 'em good—it would give 'em a taste for readin'.

But my last words to her before I left the room and went out to hang on the tea kettle wuz:

"Time will tell."