Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-07-12
A BOYS STRATEGEM.


sternly affectionate dame punished by
being set to whitewash the fence in
front of the garden. The world seemed
a hollow mockery to Tom, who had
planned fun for that day, and he knew
that he would be the laughing stock of
all the boys as they came past and saw
him set to work like a Trigger" But
a great inspiration burst upon him, and
he went TRANQUILITY to work. What that
inspiration was will appear from what
follows: One of the boys, Ben. Rogers,
comes by and pauses, eating a particu-
larly fine apple. Tom does not see him.
Ben. stared a moment, and then said
" Hi-yi you're up a stump, amt
your?
No answer. Tom surveyed his last
touch with the eye of an artist, then he
gave another gentle sweep, and survey
ed the result, as before. Ben. ranged
up along side of him. Toms mouth
Watered for the apple, but, he stuck to
his work. Ben. said:
Hello, old chap; you got to work,
hey !"
"Why, it's you, Ben; I wasn't MOTTO
ing"
"Say, I'm going in a-swimming, I
am. Don't you wish you could? But.
of course, you'd druther work, wouldn't
you? Course you would I"
Tom contemplated the boy bit, and
said:
What do you call work?
Why, amt that work ?"
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and
answered carelessly:
Well, maybe it is, and maybe it
amt. All know is, it suits Tom Saw
yer"
ooh, come now, you don't mean to
let on that you like it?"
The brush continued to move.
" Like it? Well, 1 don't see why I
oughtn't to like it, Does a boy get a
chance to whitewash fence every day !?
That put the thing in a new light.
Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom
swept his brush dainty back and forth
stepped back to note the efect-add-
ed touch here and criticised
the effect again, Ben, watching every
move, and getting more and more inter-
ested, more and more absorbed. Pres
emily he said
=" Say, Tom, let me whitewash lit.
tle."
Tom considered; was about to con-
sent; but he altered his mind; "No, no;
| reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben.
You see, Aunt Polly's awful particular
about this fence-right here on the
street, you know-but if it was the pack
fence | wouldn't mind, and she
wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular
about this fence; it's got to be done very
careful; [ reckon there amt one boy in
a thousand maybe two thousand. that
can do it in the way it's got to be DONE"
"No--is that SO? Oh, come now;
femme just try, only just a little. I'd
let you, ii you was me, Tom"
"Ben, I'd like to, honest Injun; but
Aunt Polly-well, Jim wanted to do it,
but she wouldn't let him. Sid wanted
to dc it, but she wouldn't let Sid Now,
don't you see how [ am fixed? If you
was to tackle this fence, and anything
war to happen to IL
''Uh, shucks; I'll be just as careful.
Now lemme try. Say-Tll give you the
core of my apple"
"Wel, here. No, Ben,; now don't;
i NJ al cared
"I'll give you all of it !"
Tom gave up the brush with reluc-
lance in his face, but alacrity in his
heart. And while Ben. worked and
sweated In the sun, the retired artist sat
on a barrel in the shade close by dang
ling his legs, munched his apple, and
planned the slaughter of more inno-
cents. There was no lack of material;
boys happened along every little while;
they came to jeer, but remained to
whitewash. By the time Ben. was
tagged out, Tom had traded the next
chance to Billy Fisher for kite in
good repair; and when he played out,
Johnny Miller bought it for a dead rat
aid a string to swing it with; and so on,
and SO on, hour after hour. And when
the middle of the afternoon came,
from being poor poverty stricken boy
in the morning, Tom was literally roll
ing in wealth, He had, beside the
things have mentioned, twelve mar
bles, part of a jeWsharp, piece of blue
bottle glass to look through, spool
cannon, key that wouldn't unlock
anything, a fragment of chalk, glass
oUOppC1 VI S1 OCCoutCI, d. ILL SO1Ul0T, d
couple of tadpoles, six frecrackers, a
kitten with only one eye, q brass door
knob, dog collar-but no dog-the
handle Of a knife, four pieces Of orange
peel and dilapidated old window sash.
He had had a nice, good, idle time all
the while plenty Of company
the fence had three coats of whitewash
on it! If he hadn't run out of white
wash he would have bankrupted every
boy in the village.
Tom said to himself that it was not
such a hollow world after all. He had
discovered a great law of human action
without knowing it, namely, that, in
order to make a man or a boy covet a
thing, it is only necessary to make the
difficult to attain. If he had been a
great and wise philosopher, like the
writer of this book, he would now have
comprehended that work consists of
whatever body is not obliged to do.
And this would help him to understand
why constructing artificial flowers, or
performing on tread-mill, is work,
whilst rolling nine-pins or climbing