y one of the boys, whose name was Luke, looked up and said,
'Father, you know we send _one good missionary_ among a _great many
heathen_. Now, why can't we bring this _one little heathen_ among a
great many good people? I'll lend Johnny my kite and ball, and we'll
be so kind to him he will never _want_ to be bad. Father, WE'LL LOVE
HIM GOOD.'

"The good old farmer, who tried his best to keep God's holy
commandments, and especially to 'love his neighbor,' thought this an
excellent plan; so he brought Johnny home with him the very next day.

"Sure enough, Johnny was worse than any heathen. He broke the good
little boy's ball, tore his kite all to pieces, pulled little Susie's
hair, pinched the baby, kicked the small children, and butted the
large boys with his head, and, in short, behaved so badly, that they
were all nearly crying: still they would not give up Luke's plan, but
kept on trying to be kind to him.

"But it was all of no use; Johnny was really a dreadful boy. At last
the old farmer said, 'Well, we can't go on so with Johnny; he must
have obedience knocked into him like a nail in a plank of wood. I must
try if I can't whip him into better behavior:' so he beat the bad
boy, and whipped him, and shook him till his teeth rattled in his
head, and his hair was all in a friz about his eyes. But, alas! it did
no good; Johnny was as bad as ever.

"Then the farmer said, 'Wife, this is a very bad business; whipping
does not make Johnny any better; we must try if we can't STARVE the
obstinacy out of him.'

"'I don't like to do that,' said the wife.

"'But it must be done,' answered the old farmer; 'it is our duty to
try to make him a good boy.'

"So they shut him up in the great garret, where paper bags of dried
herbs, and strings of red peppers, and great cobwebs, kept him
company. They gave him nothing to eat and drink but dry bread and a
cup of water.

"Every now and then the farmer's wife would come, tap at the door, and
say, 'Johnny, will you be good _now_?' and Johnny would shout out in a
fierce defiant voice, 'No! no! I won't! You may lock me up forever and
ever, and I won't be good.' So the poor farmer's wife would heave a
sigh and go away.

"All the morning little Susie had been very silent, with the tears
just trembling on her eyelids. She felt very much grieved that Johnny
was such a bad boy, and she could not bear to think of him in the
lonely garret with no company but his wicked thoughts: so, aft