United States or Argentina ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Several people indeed "caught" Will Somers, in that way, that morning, and wondered what he was doing, running bare-headed. He carried his point, though, captured Sid, and led him back to the house. "Now, Sid," exclaimed Will, on his way to Aunt Stanshy's "there has been trouble in the Up-the-Ladder Club, I learn, and I want to fix it up, and you will help me, will you not?"
"I know I can speak for them." "And Miss Barry will teach them what to sing, perhaps?" asked Mr. Walton. "Yes sir," replied Miss Barry. "I'll have my choir to help, but I expect the 'Up-the-Ladder Club' to do the most." The boys were eager in their interest. To encourage them, Miss Barry said, "I'll make a little blue cross to go inside each white shield.
That means purity, honesty, every thing good and fair, and that your beautiful white shield will be your defense against harm. You are my knights of the white shield." The applause following this was almost tumultuous. "You are the Up-the-Ladder Club, that is, boys who are always going ahead in every thing good; climbing up, not lazy or bad, but boys, with an ambition a true Up-the-Ladder Club "
Down he went into as thorough a bath as ever a young rascal got in this world. The water was not over his head, and he was soon on his feet, but the dip had been complete enough to satisfy the most vindictive members of the Up-the-Ladder Club, and Tim was spitting and sputtering, then spitting and sputtering again, trying to clear month, eyes, nose, ears, of the unwelcome, dirty ditch-water.
Miss Barry was talking to her boys one Sunday; "Boys, you have had an Up-the-Ladder Club this past year, and I hope it has not been simply a play-ladder, but while playing you have also done something else. I think you have done a good work for temperance, and you have been kind to another in trouble. I think you have tried to keep your badge clean, and not stain it by bad words.
Then she retreated to her home as quickly as possible lest another salute be tendered her. What a day that was! What liberty! It seemed as if those patriots in the Up-the-Ladder Club had been oppressed by a terrible yoke of bondage, domestic especially, but it was all lifted and thrown off that day.
"There," said Miss Barry, "the Up-the-Ladder Club will put rounds under the feet of boys in heathen lands, and help them climb up into the light of a Saviour's presence." Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives. About the first of the year the weather softened.
"Up The " "It's 'Up The Ladder, sir," said Charlie. "Well, Up-the-Ladder boys ought to be making advances and going ahead all the time." "That is what teacher says." "What do you do in the club?" "We had a grand march yesterday, and we have a pammerrammer next Saturday." "All the boys in your club go to Sunday-school?" "All except Tony." "Who is Tony?"
"O the Tylers all live in the same nest." "Jane and Aunt Stanshy, then, do not speak to one another," reflected Charlie. There is such a thing as a club breaking, going to splinters even. This sad end of a club was experienced by the Up-the-Ladder Club. It was not a strange thing, as all human organizations have their ups and downs, and many have their downs especially. It happened in this way.
The smoke had now shifted its coarse, and rolling away from Miss Persnips's, hung in a dark, sullen cloud above the forest but a little way off. Away went the engine and its allies, sweeping along men and boys, and also every able-bodied member of the Up-the-Ladder Club whose legs could carry him.
Word Of The Day