The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-01-20
JOHN BOGGS' BARN DOOR,
The Effects of Procrastination.

'It's too bad = said John Boggs.
whats too bad 2 returned Matild
his wife.
'Why the carts broken down, and no
all the hands must be idle while it's bein
meuded.'
The cartP repeated Mrs. Boggs, lay
ing down the stocking she was darnius
and regarding her husband With pecU
liar look DO you mean tha large OK
cart =
yes
whats the u after with it!'
'Thc hub is split right slap in tw
halves
But I thought it began to split lon
time ago. | heard you say, last week
that you must have new iron band mad
for it,
'Yes-I know said John Boggs, rathe
obviously, 1 did say something about it
but then didn't think twas SO bad.
yet you knew it needed meuding Joh1
for you said SO yourself. lwish yot
would learn to be more prompt abou
these things. You loose more than you
are aware Of
% no, Tiddy. don't lose anything
Everything is as well on my place a:
things generally are.
Not quite. John. | know you manage
to keep things in pretty good order; but
you must acknowledge that you are in
the habit of procrastinating. It's only
last week that you lost valuable sheep
just because you put off uendipg the fooI
in the shed. And now you have lost hall
a days work Of three hands just because
you didn't mend your cart hub when il
ought to have been mended. Alb, you do
lose much; ard there's no use in trying
to bide it,
well, complaining won't mend it, that's
sure case muttered John.
No. quickly but pleasantly returned
Matilda, Tut paying heed to your expe-
rience might mend the whole trouble
Pooh You sit here in the house
darnin' stcckin's, and | s pose you think,
cause you can see where to run your
needle, you could see everything in the
barn at once
NO, DO, john said bis wife smiling.
You don't put it in the right shape. l
can see the heel of a stocking, and when
] see a place where my needle needs to
run, | run it there. don't expect you
to sec but one thing at time, but when
you do see that thing, and also see that
it needs mcnding, then is the time to
mend it,
John Boggs comm1 need to whistle q
medley of spasmodic notes, and at the
same time drew Oh bis coat. He had TO go
Eve miles to a blacksuIiths, to have an
iron ring made.
John, said bis wife, plying her needle
as she spoke, now mark ny words: If you
don't turn over new leaf in this respect,
You'll have a lesson one of these days
tbatll cost you Il or n you can afford to
pay
John whistled with renewed energy,
now striking fairly into Yankee Doodle,
and, With dubious shake of her head
bis wife turned her attention to her work.
John Boggs had two men to work for
him, and By this breaking of the cart they
we're either Obliged to lie still or 60 at
rome work which was Of little use. He
had large farm, snd excellent one for
producing vegetation; and he was quite
well to do 10 the world. His children
we're all daughters, and hence the busi
ness of overlooking the affairs of the farm
III do,olrnd upon him
AS we have seen, John Boggs had one
fault. He would put of til! tomorrow
what could be and should be done to-day.
He contrived to keep his place looking
clean and tidy, because at certain periods
be would be seized with sort of renova-
ting fit, and would then roll up bis sleeves
and 90 at it. But this didD work always.
Many time very important things were
left till be Jeh like It, That was great
expression of his-'Well, When 1 feel Ike
IT, Sometimes there would be break
down that had to be attended to immedi-
ately. and while be had the hammer and
nails in bis hands he would fix up several
other things that had been long awaiting
bis coming. Very often an hour was re-
ouired over something that would cot
have consumed FIVE minutes of bis time
bad he taken it in hand when he first dis
covered it. And not only SO, but be lost
IN two other ways-it required more nails
% do the work at this late bour, and
could never be made so good, at that, as it
vas before, nor as it would have been had
be attended to it in season.
John bad often promised bis wife that
be would reform, but be had not done it
yet. He did not realize bow much ne
lost; or, if be did, the effect was momen-
tsry. When he lost bis sheep, be would
never let such thing go again. And
Tet there was at this very moment bad