Buffalo Roost: A Story of a Young Men's Christian Association Boys' DepartmentCheley, Frank H. (Frank Howbert)
Religion
Buffalo Roost: A Story of a Young Men's Christian Association Boys' Department
Cheley, Frank H. (Frank Howbert)
Christian fiction; Young men's Christian associations -- Fiction
But I hope the time will never come when we
can forget the good things for which we stand, day by day, in our living.
"Willis, stand up here by the fire. I want to say to you, my boy, that
we are proud to have you as a brother and that we feel confident that
you are a real addition to our number. We want you to be a real, live
member--to enter into the spirit of our organization. Our letters,
O.F.F., stand for a very simple slogan, one that has meant great things
in the lives of every one of us fellows, and one that will mean great
things to you if you take it into your life and let it work. It means
that from this night on you will be more interested in the welfare of
others than of yourself. O.F.F.--Other Fellow First. Give me your hand.
Do you promise that you will live a clean life, physically, mentally, and
morally? Do you promise that you will forget your own interests in
helping others, that selfishness will have no place in your life? Do you
promise that you will not give your support for any reason to anything
that to your mind is beneath the honor of a gentleman? If so, say, 'I
do.'"
Willis lifted his eyes to Mr. Allen's, and, with a pressure of his hand,
he answered in a clear voice, "I do!"
"I take great pleasure," continued Mr. Allen, "in welcoming you as a
brother."
The other fellows arose, and there was a general handshaking, followed by
cries of "Speech!" "Speech!"
"All I have to say, fellows, is that I, too, am proud of every one of you
and of everything for which you stand, and that I'll do my best to be a
worthy member. Thank you for the honor you have shown me by asking me to
be one of you."
They sat a long time that evening, talking and exchanging ideas, for
there was something nearly bewitching in the fire and the view and the
friendship.
CHAPTER IV
Willis Becomes Interested in Gold Mines
The next four weeks passed by very slowly to Willis. Mr. Allen had
gone to the annual summer camp with a large number of the Association
boys. It was a State encampment, held in that very odd and interesting
part of the second range known as Cathedral Park. Willis had been very
anxious to go, for he knew it would be a very new and profitable
experience for him. Mr. Allen had asked him to go as a Leader, to have
charge of one tent of seven boys. He had never been to a camp of any
kind, to say nothing of a mountain camp, so it was a great disappointment
to him when his mother had told him that he had better not go this time.
His aunt had grown worse as the hot weather came on, and his mother
explained that she could not do without him in case his aunt should pass
away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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