Faithful Jimmy | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jan 24, 1878

Faithful Jimmy.

An eccentric old gentleman of wealth, named Morgan, invested a sum of money, the income of which he designed to be used for the liberal education of the most deserving lad in town.

He made his plan known to five gentlemen, requesting them privately to make observations and report to him in six months.

Had the boys known this, many of them might have used every means to gain his favorable opinion, but as the matter was a secret, he had an opportunity to watch them without their suspecting his motive.

At the end of six months the five gentlemen met at Mr. Morgan's and discussed the question in all its bearings. Each had his favorite whom he considered most worthy.

"There is Johnny Ingalls, who is a most exemplary lad," said one. "What fault can you find with him, Mr. Morgan?"

"I will tell you," was the reply. "I once hired him to take some important letters to the morning mail, but he met a companion on the way, and was so anxious for his own amusement that he neglected to mail the letters till it was too late, and they were delayed a day, and a gentleman overheard him say to a companion that 'he did not care much, so long as the old fellow did not find it out.' But the delay caused the loss of quite a sum of money."

"Gentlemen," continued Mr. Morgan, "I have tried in one way and another all the boys you have mentioned, but none of them satisfy me."

"Then you have to give up your project," said one; "for I think we have discussed the merits of nearly every boy in town."

"I believe Jimmy has not been mentioned," said Mr. Morgan.

"What! Jimmy, the cow-boy?" asked one, with a smile.

"Yes, I believe he drives cows to and from pasture."

"Surely, Mr. Morgan, you must be joking now."

"I never joke; and had I any disposition to, I should not take a poor little boy for a subject."

"But, Mr. Morgan, do you know any good of this boy?"

"Do you know any harm of him?"

"Nothing special; but does he amount to anything, except to drive cows?"

"He never has had an opportunity, but I intend he shall have. I am fully decided to give him the benefit of my project."

"You will tell us the reason for making him your choice?"

"Certainly, with pleasure. You call him a cow-boy. Well, that does not signify to me one way or another. It is simply because I know him to be a good and faithful cow-boy that I give him the preference. It seems a small thing to drive cows to pasture, but he is the only one who has always done it faithfully every day, the season through, the same in my absence as when I was at home, while others loitered on the way, and allowed them to stray into other inclosures for the day, thinking it would never be known. It is evidence to me that if he is so strictly faithful in small things, he has the right spirit in him to make him trustworthy in greater things."

Jimmy, gray-shirted and barefooted, just then was driving the cows slowly down the road; he guided them into the yard, put up the bars, saw that the gate was all secure, and was about to trip away, when Mr. Morgan called him into the house, where he told him something that made him dumb with glad surprise, and sent him home the happiest lad in town.—Ex.