The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1855-12-14

biscuit but the odos Of the steaming coffee,
and mad eaten nothing since morning, T0f t0f he
was too sorry to leave home to care about
dinner. The girl, noticing that his pale face
grew paler, laughingly drew her nistress'
attention to masters new boy"
"Go out and bring in some wood for the
stove" said Mrs. Watkins, sharply the air
will do you good.n Fiz = - lss;'ig
Johnny went out and, in few minutes,
felt revived. Looking about, he soon found
the wood-shed; there was plenty of wood,
but none cut OF a suitable length it was
all IN cord sticks. Taking an axe lie
chopped an arnful, and on taking It into the
house found the family had finished their
suppers !; the biscuits and meat were all eaten.
"Come on here to your supper" said the
maid servant, angrily. "What have you
been doing ~ and, without waiting for an
answer, she filed q tin basin with mush and
Skinned milk, and set il before him. The
little boy did not attempt TO speak, but sa,
down and ale what was given him. Inn
mediate'y after, he was sent into a loft to
bed, where he cried himself to sleep. All!
when we count the thousand pulsaGons that
yield pain or pleasure to the human mind,
what a power to dogood or evil, is possessed
by every one; and how often would kind
word or one sympathizing glance, gladden.
the hearts Of those thus prematurely forced
npon the anxieties Of the world. But how
few there are who care to bestow them. The
next morning, long before dawn, the farm
erstamily, with the exception of the younger
children were astir. The cattle were to be
fed aud attended TO, the horses harnessed,
the oxen yoked, and great was the hustle
until all hands were fairly at work. As for
iohnny, he was taken into the field TO as,
sist in husking corn. The wind was keen.
and the stalks, from recent rains, were wet
and hlled with ice. His scantly clothing
scarcely afforded and protection from the
cold, and bis hands soon became SO numb
that he could scarcely use them; but, if
he stopped one moment to rap them. or
breathe upon them, in the hope of imparting
some warm, the farmer, who was close at
hand, in warm woollen clothes, and thick
husking gloves would cry out: a5,s :
Hurry up, hurry up, my boy; no idle
bread must be eaten here"
And brayely did johnny struggle not TO
mind the cold aud pain, but It would not
do; he began to cry, when the master, who
never thought of exercising anything but
severity towards those who labored for him,
told him sternly that IL he did not stop his
bawling in a moment he would send him
home. This was enough for Johnny !;
anything was better than to 90 back
and be q burden on his mother: he
worked to the best of his ability un.
til noon. AT noon, he managed to
get thoroughly warm, behind the stove.
while eating his dinner. Still, the sufferings
OF the child, with its insufficient clothing,
were very great; but nobody seemed to
think os the hired boy being an object of
sympathy, and thus it continued. The rule
seemed to be to get all that was possible out
of him; and bis little frame was so weary at
night that he had hardly time to feel rested.
until called by the dawn. A monthly Sun.
day, however, was the golden period looked
forward to in his day-dreams, for it had been
stipulated by his parent that on Saturday
evening every four weeks, he was to come
home and stay all the next day. And when
the time arrived how nimbly did he get over
the ground that stretched between him and
the goal of his wishes. How much lie had
to tell. But as soon as he began to com.
plain, his mother would say cheerfully, al
though her heart bled for the hardships of
her child.
@Never mind, yon will get used to work,
and after awhile, when you grow up, YOU
can rent farm and take me to keep house
for you." ',SSs' = - -
This was the impulse that prompted to
action. No one can be utterly miserable