Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-03-09
Gbe lfwisbnrg Cbrcl!ifie.
,,D.uAy, MARCH 3, 1855.
rr,m Arthur's Home Masazine for March, ls6S'
Johnny COLE.
r., oss we will have to put out our

al guess We VIII nave u PUT o'
1o,nnv." " said Mrs. Cole, with slsh' al
~ arsw closer to the fire, one cold da!
>: ,m,rmp. THIS remark was addressed
.ahor ~ husband, sleery, lozy looking man
nho was stretched on bench, with his
ewes half closed The wife, with two l'''Ie
,irJs Of eight aud ten, were knitting as
e., ,s their fingers could fly; the baby
va, sound asleep in the cradle; "niIe
johnny, a boy Of thirteen, anu ''0'I''
IS fonr were seated on the wide hearth
making snare fer rabbits. The room 'hey
occupied was cold and cherries; '4e
u,rn,b of the scanty fire being selI'e'y
f.,t vet the floor, and every article Oh
f,-r;,ure. mean as they were, were seFupu-
,ously neat and clean.
The appearance of this family Indicated
,bat they were very poor. They were all
thin and pale, really for want OF proper
s,,5 and their clothes had been patched
uptil it was difficult to decide what the
origipal fabric had been; yet this very
circumstance spoke volumes in favor OF
the mother. She was a woman Of great
energy Of character, unfortunately united
,oa man whose habits were such, that, ior
the greater part of the time, he was dead
weight upon her hands although not ha-
bitually incorporate, he was indolent and
cood-for-no;hing to Il degree, lying IN the
sun half his time, when the weather was
warm, and never doing stroke Of work
until driven to it by the pangs OF hunger
As for the wife, by taking in sewing,
knitting and spinning for the farmers IA
miles in the neighborhood, she managed
to pay rent of twenty dollars for the
cabin in which they lived while she and
johnny, with what assistance they could
occasionally get from Jerry, her husband
tiled the half acre Of ground attached;
and the vegetables thus obtained, were
their main dependence during the lens
winter just at hand. Having thus intro
duced the Coles to our reader, We Will con-
tinue the conversation.
"I guess we will have to put out John
ny, and you will try and help us little
more, Jerry, dear.
"Why, what's got into this woman
now 2" muttered Jerry, stretching his
arms, and yawning to the utmost capacity
of his mouth. The children laughed at
their fathers uncouth gestures, and even
Mrs. Coles serious face relaxed into q
smile as she answered.
Don't swallow Us all, and | will tell
you. The winter is beginning early, and
promises to be cold Our potatoes didn't
turn out as well as | expected, and the
truth is, we can not get along 50. We
won't have victuals to last US half the
time and, manage as | will, | cant much
more than pay the rent, | get so little for
the kind of work | do. Now, if Johnny
gets place, it will make one less to provide
for aud he will be learning to do some
thing for himself
"Yes, but mo;her,' said the boy, m0v-
ing close to her side and laying his head
on her knee, d" Yes, but who'll help you
when | am gone? Who'll dig the lot,
aud hoe, and cut the wood, aud carry the
water? You can't go away down to the
spriug in the deep snow. And who'll make .
the FIRE in the cold mornings :"
The mother looked sorry enough, as her
darling boy-for he was the object around
which the fonles; affections of her heart
had entwined emselves-shc looked sor-
ry enough, as he enumerated the turns he
was in the habit of doing for her; but,
woman like, she could suffer and be still
% she answered cheerfully:
"May be fither will, dear; and when
you grow bigger, and learn how to do eve
rything, you'll! be such help to us all"
Don't depend on me- said jerry, now
.rouslug himself and sauntering to the fire;
{ hardly feel well, "-complaining was
Jerry's especial .forte, au excuse for all his
aziness; yet his appetite never failed; and
Sher, as WIS sometimes the case, one Of
hc neighbors sent a smal! piece Of meat,
IT any little article Of food to his wife, un-
Ter the plea of i'll health, he managed to
nearly the whole of it. He
vas sefshness embodied, and serious in
ury to his family, as few cared to keep
MIN up in his lazlness.
One evening, few days later, Mrs Cole,
who had been absent several hours, came
in looking very tired and after laying aside
her old bonnet ard shawl, Informed them
that she had obtained place for JOHNNY.
1t was four miles distant, aud the farmers
man would stop for him on his way
from town, the next afternoon. What
beautiful object was farmer Watkins home
stead, lying as it did on the sunny slope of
ball . It's grey stone walls, peeping out
rom between the giant trees that over
hadowed it, while everything around and
Ibout gave evidence of abundance and
omfort. The thrifty orchard the huge
,arn with its overfowing granaries !; the
leek, wcll-fed cattle even the low-roofcd
pring house, with its superabundance of
Inning pals and pans, formed an item
vhich could hardly be dispensed with, in
he tom ensemble of this pleasant home.
Farmer Watkins was an homes. hard