Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-10-26


Dies the summer year.
Fron Miss Ssdgwiek's Memoir Of Joseph Curtis
JOHN LEAKE AND Tue PAIL OF WATER.
John Leake lived in the neighborhood of Mr..
Curtis Connecticut home. Order was not
Leake's first law, nor his last. Though he was
a goOd-natured, easy-temPered, obiging man,
there was no one whom his neighbors so much
dreaded seeing approach their homes. There
comes Leake TO borrow something" they would
say and hoe, hammer, or rake, were grudgingly
lent for they were certain that Leake would
lose or forget the article, or at best, return it
minus a handle. A story went the rounds that
LesSe's next neighbor, out Of patience, said to
him, Eyes, take the hoe but you must use il
only IN my corn field" Time went on, and
Leakes affairs ran down, slack mems will,
and he decided to pull up stakes and move TO
Vermont, then tract Of unsettled and product
i've land, and called the New State" Leake's
Connecticut friends gathered about the great
wagon in which his battered household goods
and his wife and children were packed, and
sorry they were, at the last, to part with him /,
they now forgot his teasing faults, and felt only
that he was a cheerful, kind-hearted fellow.
Rustic tokens of good will were offered at
parting The best OF these was a bright new
axe, with strong helve, on which the giver's
name and Johns were both carved and painted,
and tied together with 4 true lovers knot-an
odd flourish for an axe helve. Take care Of
this, john" said Uncle Ben, the giyer, "and it
will be better than gold in the new State -
The axe fulfilled its mission, it did prove more
value to Leake than q world full gold
"No offence, john" said another neighbor,
taking a card from his pocket; "here is some
thing that, if you will tack it up over your fire
place and take heed TO 1t, will be sure to make
/ you forehanded man in the new State" Lelke
looked at the whiting on the card. 1t was the
/ good old household rule "a time for everything
/ and everything in its time; place for every
thing, and everything in its place" Leake
read 1t aloud, and then the gOOd-natured fellow
said, ehuckling, "Thank'e, neighbOr; it's pret-
ty smart rod, but it sha'n't fall on FOOLS back
| I'll take care of it," and he deposited it in the
crown Of his hs:, his usual place of safe-keeping
There it goes" said the giyer to one Of the by
ISLANDERS; ''that's the last of it. Poor Leake -
You can't teach an old dog new tricks"
When the movers halted that day for their
nOoning, the very first time John took his hat
of he dropped out Uncle Ben's card without
peIceiving IT, His son, Lyman Leake, did see
It. Lyman, lad often or eleven, was the very
opposite of his father, made So probably, by the
same influence that makes the .light-heeled
daughter of the heavy -heeled mother" Some
parents are examples; some, alas are beaeOns
Lyman picked up the card, and probably think
ing, Father will never miss it, and never, nevel
take care OF it." he slipped it into his own little
leathern purse, which had also been given hin
for parting token.
Lyman was TO learn, by hard experience
the worth of the words written on that card
/ A l.. - So =
would give large figure in money results, be
sides a world Of comfort
The little family arrived, after some mishapi
Ito be e1pected), such as losing their whip
leaving Their halters and their WATERFALL at
brook, ETC., at their lodge IN a vast wilderness
But in two years they got well ahead, IN spit
of Leake's destructive and obstructive habits
for he was hard-working fellow Fields wer
. cleared and titled around him; he had built
small framed house adjoining the log hut; neigh
bors had come in at no great distance, and
village was growing up not far from him.
In spite Of good advice, he had connected
| wood-hOuse and stable with his house TAX
care, Leake,' said friend to him; 1T needs
careful man to build so. a fire in winter up j
this cold country is something dreadful it
Ike gunpowder-a fash, and all is gone"
"Oh, never fear" sail Leake; "I have ha
r M portion of i'll fortune in this world; N
/, luck has turned" (Mr. Curtis often impresse
! on the children that what shiftless people ca
n i'll fortune and bad luck is but the inevitabl
s consequence Of their own imprudenee or car
f lessness.)
1t was during the third winter of the Leake
residence in their new home that, Just at th
close of & short winters day, the merry tinl
ling Of sleigh-bells was heard, and the creal
a ing Of the runners on the hard frozen snow, an
;, and little cutter "a single sleigh) stopped
: Leake's It was expected, the door Opene,
and shouts of Joy followed, and glad greeting
of "uncle," aud "sunt, (" and "eousins" " "UI
5 Gle Ben" and his family had come from Cor
= necticut TO make long-promised visit VINE
:. supper was ended the card bearing the dome
tic axiom caught Uncle Ben's eye. 1t WI
o nailed to the wall over the mantel-piece.
> declare ," he exclaimed, "well, | never expee
I ed to see that hit Of pasteboard again. CIV
= you credit-mark for preserving that, John -
''You must give that eredit-mark 70 Lyma
: brother; he preserved the card; but you ma
b give me one for teaching him care" Une
n Ben smiled. "Yes," he said, ''yOu have taugl
+, him, John, but wrong end foremost-Tror
end foremost"
C The evening passed of Delightfully."- I'll
unstiuted fire OF q new country burned brigh
y. A basket Of fne apples from the o
n ''home orchard in Connecticut" was unpaeke
:. and nuts were cracked and eaten. The eide
talked about old times. Leake gave the hist.
" of his tolls on his new farm, and his success
g es. He told (he had some right to boast, for
-e had worked diligently how much land he h'
cleared, what crops be had raised, and conel
ded with, my barn is full; have plenty
wheat, and corn, and oats in the lot over n
wood-house; and pork in my cellar and n
0i wife has taken care of the tTinkets-butter, aI
J. apple sauce, and pickles, and the Ike, and
ir ended his boast Of ruSal riches with saying,
+. guess, Ben, my old neighbors could not tU
= me now"
o "YOur old neighbOrs, John, always knew u
for an honest, hard-working man; It was on
your careless ways, your want of order 10
Is troubled Us. You know l used 10 tell you tn
er if you put ever so much meal into bag with
hole in It, It would run away
- Yes, yes, l know; and just so Lyman tai
81 now. Among you, you put an old head on b
young shoulders" And thus the elders talke