Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-03-09
The True Story of George
Washington and his Little Hatch


lies the power so to do, that coming
generations may correctly understand
lust the true status of ssmen and
things as they existed centuries AID
ages ago. We are no iconoclast, we
would not tear down one idea nor erase
one beautiful memory, only to build a
more systematical, and create a green
er and more refreshing.
Every school boy, even with ga let
ter in the post Office has learned as
| by heart the touching story of 'Little
George and his Hatchet" 1t is i'm
pressively beautiful, and we are 10th
to remove the gossamer that has kept
the fly specks of one hundred and
thirty years, from placing punctuation
points in its every impressive sentence /;
but duty compels, duty forbids. We
tell the true story in substance as
we head it years ago from the lips of
our eldest brothers wife S mother who
was the boss help in the Washing
ton family at the time, at fourteen
shillings a week, and Saturday nights
cher own" We can see her now
reciting the wondrous tale, as she
''chanked" pulverized charcoal in the
chimney corner, while we children
listened with open eyes, and distended
ears
When little George was about ten
years old, Mr.. Washington was a
member of the County Board of Su-
pervisors Of Suffolk County Virginia.
He looked upon George as the 'apple
of his eye, :" and not infrequently pre-
sented him with some token of his
fatherly love, upon returning from the
county seat. One April evening Mr..
/ Washington returned later than usual,
! little George was abed, but in the
morning he was the recipient of as
fine a lath hatchet with a checker
board on the nail end. and a slit in the
side for making a nail say ''good by"
to piece of ''two by four" as ever
made a ''ten-cents-ayard, -two-coats, >
lather and plasterer glad and George
was glad with crazy gladness. OF
course little George was not expected
to be idle with that little Ratchet !;
there was kindling wood to split, and
the fence to fix up, and hickory nuts
to crack After day or two the
new wore off and when Jack Tur-
ner, Gabe Bouck, Dave Fulton and
Shanghai Chandler came along one
day, and held up two fingers, with a
'swhoop." George knew what it meant,
and the little Ratchet sunk its bright
ness into the top of the nicely carved
hitching post, and George went with
the boys in swimming in the Fox
river. When he returned home his
mother gently demonstrated with him
against so carelessly using the Ratchet,
and George wept, for his mother for
babe him going in swimming with
those naughty boys ever again, and
little George thoughtlessly slung that
Ratchet about promiscuousiy here and
there, till he ran against a favorite
cherry tree which Mr.. Warrington
had purchased from Gould's Nursery
at Beaver Dam, making it look like a
barbed sucker hook, on two sides.
| George didn't mean to do it--he was
SO worked up that he had become
careless. When Mr.. Washington went
into the garden the next morning as
was his wont, his eye fell upon the de-
moralized cherry tree, and he thought
! first of that little Ratchet, and then of
Georges playfulness, and he at once
summoned him into his presence.
George" said Mr.. Washington,
"do you know what ails my favorite
cherry tree 20
"What, Is IL sick ?" replied George.
''Look here. George" continued My
Washington, ''who has thus wantonly
attempted to destroy the life of this,
my favorite tree p
"Wsll, sure enough . said George,
as he stepped up to the tree to exam
Inc it. 1T looks as though a wood
chuck had been gnawing it, or a 60
pher, or something, don't it father
It's too bad," said little George.
When he caught his fathers eye,