Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-05-10
9. Call a Man. !"

Any one who is disposed 10 try
laugh, will do well to read on.
John Jackson was a very industrl-
Gus, Woodworking man, of twenty
three years. Being the eldest child,
and the only son, he had always re-
NAMED at home assisting his father
upon the farm. John was much res
pected by every one in the neighbor-
hood, and many bright-eyed girl had
secretly thought she would like to
change her name to Mrs. John jack
son. But John was no "ladies' man,
The fact was, John was very bashtul.
He would rather hoe potatoes all day
than undergo the ceremony of an III
PRODUCTION to young lady. Not that
John disliked the dear creatures; far
from it. We believe that he, in COM
mon with all bashful, well-meaning
men, entertained the very highest re-
spect and admiration for them. And
this, no doubt, was the principal cause
of his bashfulness. He felt that they
were superior things, and that he was
unworthy to associate with them upon
terms of equality. But we cannot
stop to moralize.
Nancy Clark was the daughter of a
very respectable farmer, whose lands
adioined the jackson farm. Nancy
was pretty, saucy little wench, and
she liked John Jackson. When they
were children, they attended the same
school, and as he was a few years her
senior, was usually her champion in
the childish disputes that arose, and
her companion in going and return
ing. At last, John became so much
OF a man as to be kept from school, as
she had been in past years. John dis
covered, too, that he had been grow
ing in stature, and it seemed as if he
had been growing out of shape. His
feet appeared very awkward; he didn't
know what to do with his hands; his
face panied him; and, taking it all in
all, he was inclined to think he was
not half put together.
Now, the truth was, John Jackson
was really a fine-looking young man,
and nothing but his admiration OF
Nancy could have suggested any such
foolish thoughts about himself.
AS novelists say, it was a lovely day
in August. The heavens We're clear,
serene and beautiful, the trees laden
with golden fruit, and the beautiful
birds twittered their songs of love in
the branches. Earth-(there, we've
slid down to earth once more; such
lofty flights, they make our head
dizzy. We were about to say that
"earth had yielded her bountful har-
vest of a years grass, and clover, and
honeysuckles, which the noble yeO.
many of Chesterville had garnered
within their storehouses"-but, upon
Inl 70
word it thus: 1.-THE farmers of Ches-
terville were done haying.n
John Jackson's sister had quilting
that afternoon. His father had gone
to "Keth's MILL" to get some wheat
ground, and John was left to repair
some tools, to be ready on the morrow
to commence moving the meadow
grass. Suddenly it occurred to John
that ifhe remained about the house in
the afternoon, he would be called in at
tea-time and required to do the honors
of the tea-table. To avoid this, he
quietly shouldered his scythe and stole
away to the meadow, half mile dis
tant, fully resolved that he would not
leave there until it was SO dark that
he could not see to NOV, and thus
avoid seeing the girls.
The meadow was surrounded on all
sides by a thick forest, which effect
ually shut out what little breeze there
was stirring. The sun poured its rays
as though the little meadow was the
focus point where the heat had con-
centrated. John moved and sweat
sweat and moved, until he was obliged
to sit down and cool off. Then it oc-
Cured to John that if he took off his
pants he might be much more COM
Portable. There could be no impro-
priety in it, for he was entirely con-
cealed from observation, and there
was not the slightest reason to sup
pose that he could be seen by any per-
son.
SO John stripped off, with no other
covering save his linen-commonly
called shirt-and resumed his work.
He was just congratulating himself
upon the good time he was having,
and the lucky escape he had made
from meeting the girls, when he