The Project Gutenberg EBook of Proud and Lazy, by Oliver Optic

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Title: Proud and Lazy
A Story for Little Folks

Author: Oliver Optic

Release Date: January 24, 2008 [EBook #24415]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Riverdale Stories

PROUD AND LAZY

A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS

BY

OLIVER OPTIC

AUTHOR OF "THE BOAT CLUB," "ALL ABOARD," "NOW OR NEVER,"
"TRY AGAIN," "POOR AND PROUD," "THE WOODVILLE
STORIES," ETC., ETC.

NEW YORK
HURST & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

PROUD AND LAZY.

I.

Tommy Woggs was a funny little boy. He was very proud and very
lazy. He seemed to think he was a great man, and that other people
lived only to serve and obey him.

None of the boys and girls liked him, because he used to order them
round, and because he thought himself so much better than they
were.

Tommy's father was a doctor, and a rich man. He could afford to
have servants to wait upon his son, but he was not quite rich
enough to spoil the child by letting him do as he pleased.

There are some things that wealth cannot purchase. It will not buy
wisdom, for all the money in the world would not teach a person
even to perform a simple question in arithmetic.

It will not buy the love and respect of others. Many rich men are
hated and despised by nearly all who know them.

So Tommy's father could not buy an education for his son, nor would
wealth win for him the esteem of his companions. He must study like
the children of poor people if he wanted to be wise; and he must
treat them well, in order to obtain their good will.

Tommy did not like to study, and he did like to command others. He
wished every body to think that he was better than they, be