The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-04-11

gard to q boy; but for all that, there's
lots o. times that think I'd like to be
grown folks. We had threshers last
week; il was dark when they came, and
/ had to help attend to their horses,
and do all our own chores besides. Ii
was nine o'clock before / got through,
and later still before | got in the nigbt
wood and kindling. At four o'clock
the next morning father called me to
get up and make tho Are and feed the
horses. The men didn't got up till
breakfast was ready, and there were
hogs to feed and cows TO milk, and
wood to cut. and can't tell what all
i worked till all the rest had eaten
breakfast aud then went 10 mine. |
hadn't got more than half done when
father came in and said: Hurry mp,
Bill. are you going to eat all day? The
machine will start in few minutes, and
you hain't got wood enough cut" He
! worried me SO TINT / couldn't eat with
any comfort, 80 i took piece in my
hand and started. l wasn't quite ready
when they began TO thresh, and father
said: Come, Bill, what makes you so
everlastin' slow? When was Of your
age, could do twice as much in half
the time" pitched straw till noon,
and then unhitched, fed and watered
our team, and carried swill and corn
to the hogs while the men were eating
and then went to my dinner Just as I
was going TO sit down, Mr.. Higgins
said: "Bill, left my coat out in my
wagon; you run and get it, my pipe is
in the pocket. and you're younger than
am." The men sat aud rested while
I n 4 s,,oe h. n
done the hired girl said; Bill, wish
you would bring in some wood" aud
father said: "Run quick, Bill, and
then bring out the team. pitched
straw again till dark. The hay that we
were feeding was in the NOW overhead,
and went up and threw down hay
enough for our horses, and Just as i
was about to climb down, that tanta-
liking old Higgins said: "Bill, throw
aqMs aaGs hay You are at r a" thsSagt ths fs
was Just as able to throw down hay for
his own horses as / was to do it for
him, and ] never let on that heard
him, but when / was about half down
father sail: "Bill, didn't you hear Mr..
Higgins? go back and get hay enough
| for all the horses. and be quick about
IL: YOU don't work as il there was any
! life in you; il will be midnight before
the cows are MIXED ut this rate" How
I did wish that he'd help me do the
chores, but knew il wasn't kind o
use TO ask hin TO do boys work. /
got done nt last and went into the house
! so tired thst thought I'd have 10 go
| TO bed with my boots on, for didn't
| feel as though had life enough 10 pull
them OF. "Bill." says father, ~ don't
/ believe put the bars up when l came
through with the last load; you may
! 90 down there and see to it," Ii amt
but forty rods from the house 10 the
! bars, but il seemed good way that
night, and | asked father il 1 couldn't
! ride one Of the hores. What" says
father, "take horse TO go down there
| after they have been workin on the
machine all day? Boy. are you crazy?
Who ever heard OF such laziness? No,
indeed, you don't take horse. "
! commenced work two hours aud
half before the horses did, they stop
I ped at noon, and i didn't. and they
had been standing still for more than
two hours at night while was ut work,
but he knows just what they are worth
/ in dollars and cents, bnt he wouldn't
know how to put value on me. Boys
don't wear ont, nor die of old age, and
I il amt worth While TO save them. I'd
be tired of life il it wasn't for day
that's comm that's got more liberty in
\ il than the Fourth Of July, day that's
better than Christmas and New Years
aud Thanksgivin' all put together, and
that's the day I'm twenty-one. Do
I YOU s'pose I'll stay on the farm another
day after the sun rises on that glorious
morning? Not an hour longer than i
can help. Nobody has ever mistrusted
what study so hard at school for; it's
because I've notion that an education
will help me to make nv way in the
world when L leave the farm. I'm
studying arithmetic and learning to be
a good penman, so that If l should get
n chance in store, my ignorance won't
stand in my way. IL can't do that, l
will learn a trade, but il you ever hear
OF my coming back TO the farm you
may know that l didn't have sense
enough to get living any other way;
but Ilknow of one set OF boys that will
be willing to stay ut home forty years
il their father wants them to. | was
going by Mr.. Harris one cold day just
as he aud his son Thomas came home
from market. Tommy" says Mr.
Harris, "you seem to be very cold, go
right in the house and / will put out
the horses. "No, WON'T" says Tom,
jumping out of the sleigh and helping
to unhitch the tugs. 'you are inst as
cold as / am, and I'll help and then We
both can go in together" / went
home, and my feet were ac1ing and my
hands so numb that I could scarcely
use them, but father did not offer to
come ont and help me put out the
team. When he is going away l har-
ness the horses and drive round TO the
door, and when he comes home he stops
at the gate and calls me to take care of
the horses, but no matter how cold j
am, lie never does the same for me. L
asked Tom Harris il he always made
the fires. 81 always mean to, !" said he,
"but when it is n very cold morning,
father has il done before / can wake
up; don't want him to, but he says he
won't put all the cold jobs on to me, and
always when We have q disagreeable
piece OF work to do, father goes along
and does the hardest part Of it him.
SELF" Tom cuts most Of the wood, but
he SAYS il there is q tough, knotty
piece he always has to work that mp
iirst, to keep his father from doing it,
but rai never troubled that way.
once heard father say TO Mr.. Har-
ris, "You are spelling your boys by in.
duiging them as you do; they will
never be Of the use TO you that they
might bc, aud then il causes dissatis-
faction among other boys 10 see you
doing all the hardest and most dis.
agreeable work yourself, or at least
helping about it," Mr.. Harris looked
at him in a queer kind OF way, aud
said, "Mr. Blake, am not bringing
up my boys for the purpose OF making
them my servants, nor to get the great
est amount OF labor that their growing
frames can be compelled 10 perform,
nor 10 make them profitable to me after
the manner Of my horses and cattle,
nor 10 procure indulgence for myself at
the expense OF their comfort and hap
pipess; but 70 make them honorable,
conscientious, and useful men. i teach
them not 10 work with the sellsh OBJ
ject OF obliging them TO do all my
druigegy, but that they may possess
the advantage Of knowing how to labor
! when their own interests shall require
n: and IN any one supposes that In pur-
snine the course do, make my boys
useless 10 myself, that person labors
under great mistake. When j leave
, homo for n day. / do not give nv BOYS