American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-07-12
TIME WAITS FOR NO BOY.
BY NJ. L. BOLLES BRANCH.

Jack and Harry had to recite their les
! sons to their father every day at two
| O'Clock, but they were thOughtless boys
who liked to play and idle away the time,
so very often the lessons were not ready,
| beause they had put off studying too long
Over and over again had they been re-
| proved, until at last they thought they
would really try to be diligent and pune
| tual. For almost a week they did pretty
| well, but then there came a day when the
| sun was so bright and warm and the air
so soft that it seemed as if nothing in the
world could draw them away from under
the old apple tree, where they lay in the
tall grass on their backs, looking up at
| the cool green leaves and the peeps of
| blue sky. There they lay and talked of
| all they meant to do, and the things they
wished they had, and the places they
wanted to visit.
"Uncle Henry is going to send for us
some day very soon," said Harry, to go
with him out to Mr.. Cheesebro's farm, to
stay all night and the next day Won't
it be splendid? | shall carry my fishing
rod for there are trout in the brook, and |
| may carry Ben's gun and hunt wood
chucks."
"Yes, and what good things we shall
have to eat" said Jack "There'll be
mince pies and doughnuts, and roast goose
and pickles, and plum pudding. Do you
remember the other time we went, how
Mrs. Cheesebro' gaye us great slices of
cake between meals and filled our pockets
with nuts?"
Guess 1 do.' answered Harry--.
have been wanting to go again ever since,
Sammy Cheesebro' said next time we
came he'd have party and play old fash
toned games. Won't it be fun? | wonder
what day uncle Henry is going.''
HE said pretty soon," said Jack, hope
fully. Say, Harry, you know that big
swing they've got out in the barn. and the
high hay mowsl Oh, what fun we shall
have. | wish we were there now and
then we shouldn't have that awful arith-
metic lesson to learn
THAT awful geography lesson, you'd
better say" replied Harry. Il took a
look at it before l came out here, and it's
dreadful. We've got to bound every
country in Asia. Can you do it?''
No, but it won't take long to learn.
Say, Harry, see that fish hawk away up in
the sky. l wish l had bow and arrows"
"Ho! | don't. l wish l had rifle"
said Harry, shaping his eyes to look up
And so they planned, and dreamed, and
talked, lying luxuriously in the tall nod
ding grass, with birds to sing over them
and flowers to sweeten the air If they
had only learned their lessons first, But
time flew, the hours sped by, and when at
last they reluctantly arose and went into
the house after their books, behold it was
one O'Clock, and there was lunch waiting
tor them!
They stared at each other in dsmay,
and then, being very hungry, they began
to eat their sandwiches and gingerbread,
and talked over the situation between the
mouthtuls.
I'VE never can learn it all, nevcrr' ex-
claimed Harry. There are two endless
sums in partial payments to work out and
then all those countries! If we only had
two hours event.
Tell you what said Jack, "let's set the
clock back an hour. He always looks at
the clock before he calls us, and he won't
think nor find out about il"
Harry whistled, thought it over, and
made up his mind.
''All right!'' he said, well do it. You're
awfully sharp, Jack. Here, pull that big
chair around, so | can stand in it and
reach up to the hands,'
1t took but an instant, the clock licked
on as TRANQUILITY as before, but now the
hands pointed to twelve instead of one,
and the boys had the two hours they want
ed for study.
Away they hurried to their books and
while the quickest one worked out the
long sums, the other delved at bounda-
it as if they were runninga race. Half an
hour after their father came up the ave
nue. walking very fast and almost out of
breath.
Bless me,'' he said rs he looked at the
clock, Il thought it was IA great deal later
than this! SO much for getting ones
lunch away from nome. Brown must
have his as early as eleven O'Clock Well,
Pm glad it's no later. | shall have time
to write three or four letters before | call
the boys"
And he shut himself into his library
among his papers. There was quiet in
the house for an hour longer, during
which time the boys applied themselves
almost breathlessly TO their tasks. The
arithmetic exercise was ready, and the
boundaries were almost learned, only it
seemed as if Jack never c0Uld get Siam
and Anam right.
At halfpast one by the clock, their
father came out of the library
Come, boys" he called loudly. mo
lessons to-day! Hurry on your jackets
and hats; Uncle Henry wants you to go
out to Cheesebro's with him, and I'm GO
ing to drive you over to the train"
How the boys sprang up and shouted,
and dashed away their books. They were
all ready by the time the horse was at the
door Harry had not forgotten his fishing
rod, ami Jack wore his trowscrs that had
the deepest pockets. Their mother stood
on the steps 10 see them off.
Hurry alon@t1 called their father from
the carriage. We've none too much