The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-10-30
TnE NAruE 81 4 aoop TRApls.

yard yesterday. L watched him pret-
ty closely 1or fear he would snip of
my rosebushes. put my shawl on
and sat on the grass, and pretended |
was keeping him company. He is a
man of good sense; and he said a great
many sensible things 4 remarked
that moving must be his trade, he did
itse web, and made such nice work.
"HehI" he smiled; I'm Jack of all
trades and master of none Lean do
most anything that | take hold OF
Eand-he leaned over and shaved the
grass neatly from about snarl OF
Erosebushes. beautiful tangle that /
couldn't prune for very tenderness of
"0h thank youip I said, ayou did
that as kindly as a mother, would
dress her babe. Any other man
would have said; Here's a dead
branch, Miss Potts or, Y on is a use
less shoot or That bush yonder is a
suffering for the knife It's my bush
you see, and wantit to grow as wild,
and ranting, and riotoHs and just as
extravagantly as it pleases, don't
care if it leaps to the top of the house,
said ], a good deal excited.
We'll, carcalate that it would be
the better OF little trimmit;;' but as
you say, it's well enough to let natur2
have her own way, just to see what
all she can do " hen she takes a notion.
If I was a regular gardener, s'pose l
would have attacked that bush wheth-
er or no. often wish father had ap-
prenticed me to that.trade-pooF man,
he's been dead an gone this many a
long year : he=was a good father, and
/ don't find it in my heart to bring up
word oAblaim agins him :" and here he
leaned on the scy the in. eomfortab BILE
sort of a way. "But, Miss Potts, 1
think it's every mans duty to give his
boys trades. When father died he
left farm of one hundred and sixty
acres there was mother and-We three
grown boys, and the two little girls,
and Johny and grandmother. Well,
we couldn't all have the farm, and we
couldn't any more than make a good
living and pay the preacher and the
taxes, and school the children and
meet an occasional doctors bill, and
so Jack and 1 talked it over one night,
and thopgh lt7did seem little hard,
we resolved fore God an ourselves,
that we'd give up ali right and claim
III llO OlI AdAAAk " OEAlJ OuA OAOC5b
brother, if he'd care for mother and
the children, and do the part of a duti-
ful son and brother. 1t did seem kind
O. hard, striken' out to do for oprselv-
es, two green boys who'd always
wanted more larnin, he never was
satisfied, and so he went away to
school to shift for himself as he best
could. Well, he worried long some
how, untillnow he disqualified to teach
-he teaches in the winter and goes to
school in the summer. I'd taken a
shine to Mi1ly Brown-she was a
modest little hard working creetur-
5and so we concluded to marry and
help each other along. We never re-
GREETED it; and though don't own a
foot o. land, and have no trade we
have always managed so that we
never had to endure much priVation.
Be sure I've had to wear patch upon
patch, an llilfyss had to turn her
dresses bottom end up, an, t'other side
ont; we've got along grandly.
Bot Miss Potts, it's Just as much
as can do. to stand up an feel myself
"a man ansng men. amt an inde-
pendent man I've no trade. To-day
Il NOW yonr yard tomorrow [ help
farmer Hatehins move his smoke
house. 1.-The next day plow5corn for
7 Jack Williams maybe next I'll make
chimney in Ephrim's kitchen, or ele-
vgte grain in -Taytor's warehouse, or
haul coal for Caster, or make pave
ment on Milk street; or weed some-
body's garden. That's no way o. do
in hackin' round for Tom, Dick an
! Harry, sometimes getting paid, and
sometimes getting paid in worthless
.promises. Why, very often | work
half a day for man and he'll say 'Ill
do you good turn sometime, Wilson,
or Its mighty nice thing to be as
haudy man as you are George,
I -'sNo, Miss Potts Pm not free man
Il am bondsman, wear shackles,
am here I've a family comm on,
promisin' boys and girls, and I'm
afraid I'Ilsnot be able to do nay whole
duty by 'em. When Bowser broke
up and had. to sell his, farm and move
to town, I just spoke right up before
i thought I said 'BoWser, said I,
now you can't do better thing than
to apprentice Ned and Timothy to
trades. You don't want to live in
town and have two big idle boys tfif-
ling away their time. Don'tdo as my
father did, don't let em ever feel as
though you had not done all fathers
duty. You can have Ned learn the
timers trade, and let Tim be a mason
or plasterer, or q cooper, and what
does neighbor Bowser do but up and
get mad, an tell me to mind my own
business, an, that he was capable of
lookin' after his own family.
= well, to-day those Bowser boys
are like me, going jobbing round
wherever they can, get q hands turn
to do. / think its shame for man
to bring poor children into this world
and notgdo fathers duty by them,
Just leave them to shift for themselves,
crippled, shackled, hobbled, wings
clipped, and not feeling that they be-
long to the. class of men who are free
and brave and bold, and who can
stand up andzloek the world in the
face and, feel themselves no mans in
ferior. = ..'i' ''53 stft
ftThat was a nice thing, sensible,
too, that Esquire Hamilton did last
week. His youngest son Ralph, don't
like to 90 to schools dull about
learning1it is drudgery toahim, and
so, with his. own CONSENT, his father
bound him to the blacksmith g. trade.
Ny! What growth that boy'll get ]
He is pretty hearty now, but what
muscle win be developed and what a
rudy face, and strong arm, and how
happy he'll bet - 59gala.I gse3q Z
stOh, / think it's Gods blessing
for man to have a trade, even If he
don't fall back upon it to make a liy-
ingI -so-Well-I'I try and do
my duty by my boys ;"and my neigh
Dor drew his sleeve across his moist
face and went on with his moving.
My heart ached for the poor man
and l shut my teeth little viciously
in memory of the Indifferent old faith
er in his grave on the hillside. In my
heart sanctioned every word | had
heard, and l thought what q pity it is
that young men so rush into the over
crowded professional ranks, prefer
ring to be fourth rate lawer, an un-
godly minister, or an illiterate. quack
I -