The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-17
WASHINGTON. ID. Z.
For the National Era.
WILLAR AND Ii N N q
BY ALICE CAREY.

By ALICE CAREY
Abont the middle of the month OF July 1t
cos and intensely hot scarcely breeze
't;rred the russell gold of the wheatheld, In
..h;cb two men were at work-the one paus-
w. now and then to wipe the great sweat
Ans from his forehead, and push back his
,.ar hair. while he surveyed the heavy swaths
,Soi Law driving in the sun ; but the other kept
rcbt on. the steady rush of his cradle sending
IN from the falling grain thin wave of dust,
Rsndinr under the burning heat, and laying
.uath after swath of the ripe wheat beside
him he moved along the field, hour after hour,
No whstling, nor singing, nor surveying the
rork that was done, nor the work that was to
do
willard, called the old man, as for the
third time the youth passed him in his round,
and there vas something more impatient than
Kindly in the tone, willard what in the
name Of sense possesses you to-day! | can
generally swing my cradle about as fast as you,
old as am. Leave working for half hour
you will gain in the end and let us cross over
CT way of the spring and rest in the shade of
.he locust for while"
81 am not very tired" answered the boy,
Sithout pausing from his work 60 on, and |
will join you when come round again"
The old man hesitated cut few vigorous
strokes, threw down his cradle in the middle of
the field, and turned back. And well might
he he had need of rest the grasshoppers
could not hum, it was 80 hot and the BLACK
beetles crept beneath the leaves and under the
edges of the loose clods, and the birds hid in
the bushes, and dropped their wings and were
sill only the cold, clammy snakes crawled
a;o the full warmth.
One side of the wheat-fed lay the public
Dad, heaped with hot dust, fetlock deep and
now and then heavy wagon plowed along,
lrawn by five or six horses, their necks orna-
mented with bear skins and brass BELLS the
latter sending their tinkling music far across
the fields, and cheering the Transfers heart as
beneath his broad brimmed straw hat he trod
through the dusty fennel beside his stout
| horses
All day the narrow foot-path kept the print
G naked feet left by the school children a.
they went and came to and from their tasks.
Ordering the fields edge, opposite this dusty
way was a wooded hill, at the base of which,
beneath clump of trees, burst out, clear and
cool, spring of the purest water.
To the north lay other harvest-felds and
the white walls of cottages and homesteads
;hmmered among the trees and to the south,
nestled in the midst Of little cherry orchard,
the brown walls and messy roof of an old
farmhouse were. discernible. A cool, quiet
shady place it looked and most inviting to the
tired laborers of the wheatfeld; but it was
toward the spring, and not the house, that the
old man bent his steps when he left off work,
as we have recorded.
Having drank from cup of leaves the tired
man stretched himself in the thick shadow
that run up the hillside from cluster of sas-
sairas and elms that grew in the hollow But
be seemed not to rest well for every now and
then he lifted his head from its pillow of grass,
and looked toward the field where the young
man was still at work
More than an hour had elapsed, when the
reaper for the third time neared the shadows,
and seeing, perhaps, the anxious look directed
toward him, threw down his cradle, and stag
sered rather than walked down the hollow to-
ward the spring and throwing himself fat on
the ground, drew in long draughts of water
rom among the cool messy stones.
AS he rose, his checks were pale from ex-
hanstion, and his long black hair hung in
heavy wet masses down his neck and forehead
Well, my SOD, said the older man, rousing
i"m his slumberous revery, "you have come
st last The young man made no reply, and
be continued IF | had been as smart. we
should have had the field down by sunset but
can't work as used, ! am getting old" And
the blue eyes of the old man grew moist, as
toopng them on the ground he silently pulled
he grass and white clover blossoms that grew
at big feet, and scattered them about.
Ono, father, you are not old" replied Will
lard anxlously and earnestly - have fewer
years before me than you, though have not
lived quite so long"
1t may be 50" said the father, {" if you con-
unae to work so hard your constitution can
no endure as much az mine See how your
0ands are trembling from exhaustion, now"
That is nothing; shall get over it soon,
and for the time to come shall be more pru.
dent; indeed, have been thinking that to rise
an hour or two earlier and rest for an hour or
S.o N Tue heat OF the day, would be wiser
deposition of the time The father made no
%pPly' ana he added an that way shall be
-oie !" 40 almost everything and you need
only work for recreation
And 20, Willard" said the old man NJ
ISns!n you have been tasking yourself so
aSVly to-day on my account y
ne spoke interrogatively, but the son did not
Try directly IN fact he had been influenced
y lar other than kindly feelings toward any.
SS.Y IN the energetic prosecution of bis work /:
a'mmg was not to his taste the excessive
.9s' That day had made him irritable and 40.
s Sp' fevenged upon fate, and in defiance of his
-u"ng strength, he had labored with all his
%g9'' Bnt the sullenness subsided at the first
N"e Of Kindness he felt, too, that his father
S va, indeed getting old and what he said about
c c.nS all the work in future was perfectly sin
;, mere was long silence, broken at last by
we elder Of the two.
III lou have always had great notion of
60 Hard and have been thinking that
mo.o 'o ou 'end you to college, you might live
'V als easily than ! have done"
sAorH, ! could 60" answered the youth. ~
send " very glad; but if you were able to
and M ~, could not DO spared very we'll ~
boro', = moment he added, q Could IN in the
6yTo, " % nearing something further urged in
"'or = OF ms wishes.
fab inere IS Brock we might selln said the
tue ,,'utr musingly "and then should be able
M Plre some hay and oats this fall. Yes. I
mio as We can manage; that is, If you are
~'n9 to let Brock gon
n, should not mind parting with him. was
h ply; he Is six years Old, and will never
r.. with more than now; besides can buy
bsny OF horses, good as he, if ! ever want
fau hour was soon consumed in speculatons
e,s Dae sort and another and the shadows had
tbsHir LAT up the hill when they arose TO resume
va, pa now, said Willard, a. they walked to-
20, !, we held, will you get along at home'
tAould Was now almost settled point that he
N. @n 80 to college
he,s' on be troubled about us our hearts are
te.ide a"a mat makes work 20 much easier
and we nave lived our day---your mother
II Wlls,a little matter about us bat you,
.n Sard you are young and ambitious and 10
will M Llnney'' he added, after q moment
mari young man seemed not to hear this re-
y@t1 snd taking up their cradles, the two men
and talked together till set of sun. The