The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-09-27
THE BOY WHO WORKS.
How n Burlington Lnd spent n Day Cutting
(srnss.

'"W burlington Ind spent n Day Cutting
Grass.
The grass needed cutting very badly,
and in the interest of economy, Mrs.
Middlerib told her son he might stay at
nome yesterday morning and cut the
grass in the front yard. Anything suited
that young student better than school,
and he received the announcement that
he was detailed for fatigue with great
glee. Once only it occurred to him that
it would be the proper thing to be very
sad ana detected at the very prospect of
losing half day of study, and he said /:
"But l hate dreadfully to miss all this
mornings lessons"
His mother, glancing at the expression
of intense concern which covered his
face, said that she didn't think of that,
and perhaps he had better go to school
and cut the grass after school hours.
Tho alacrity with which the young
man moved to table the motion cut off
all further debate, and the original mo-
tion to stay at home prevailed.
Now it was Master Middlerib's inten-
ton to cut that grass in about thirty
minutes and have the rest of the morn
ing to himself. AS soon as his father
was out of the house, therefore, he be-
gan operations. In the first place he
hunted up the sickle. This was task
of about an hour and half. During
the search for that agricultural imple-
ment he found steel trap, three tops,
a hatful of marbles, an old gun lock, a
baseball, his fathers pocketknife, ball
of kite string, an assortment of fishing
lines and hooks, funny stone, O brass
pistol barrel, his Sunday hat ION top of
the woodshed), an odd skate, the carv-
ing knife, a pair of scissors and Sunday
school book. All these discoveries, with
the exception of the last, required a
great deal of attention and care after
the articles were found, and by the time
he had them all bestowed where he could
readily find them when they were want
ed it was nearly ten o'clock, and he re-
membered that he had taken the sickle
down town to get sharpened, and could
not for the life of him remember what
shop he took it to. This necessitated a
journey to the neighbors and the bor-
rowing of O sickle. Then he was at last
ready for work and, melted to activity
by the warning voice of his mother,
Master Middlerib sought the shadest
corner of the front yard and, seating
himself in the easiest attitude, began op-
erations.
AS he poised the sickle for the first
stroke, however, he noticed that it was
not sharp. Returning to the woodshed
he instituted an elaborate search for the
milestone. He found everything he
ever heard of in his life except whet-
stone, and returned to his task with a
re-brick, piece of sandstone, three
cornered file and horse. rasp. He
tried all of these in succession, and
soon had the sickle in the condition of
a circular saw turned wrongside out.
Finally the appearance of the sickle,
assisted by the voice of his mother, and
the fact that the sun was SO high there
wasn't shady place left in the front
yard, warned him it was high time to
begin. With bitter thoughts of the
good time he had expected to be hav.
ing by this time, and mourning ovel
the sad fate of boy who had to work
every minute he was out of school, he
raised the sickle high in the air ant
made vigorous sweep at the tangled
grass.
The blade flew off the handle and
went whizzing out into the grass. This
necessitated another search, which Mas
ter Middlerib pursued like a pointer
dog. cropping about on his hands ant
knees. When he found the blade he
fixed it in the handle, and then wen
into the kitchen to get piece of string
TO tie them together.
Have you got all that yard cut p in.
CURED his mother.
mot quite, replied the truthful SON
Then he went back and resumed op
erations. He cut the grass short time
in the orthodox manner. Then he go
down on his knees and one hand, unit
he ran the point of the sickle into hi
supporting hand. Then he caught holt
of tufts of grass with his hand, ant
used the sickle like scalping knife
until he cut two of his fingers. Thel
he went into the house to get his various
wounds bandaged and to see if it wasn'
nearly twelve o'clock. And when h,
went back to his work he had barrel,
time to cut his knee when the Dime,
bell rang, and a happier boy you neve
saw. His injuries kept him away from
school that afternoon, and the keen ey
of envy itself couldn't detect the spot il
the front yard where he had cut tn
grass. burlington Ha,okeye.
A Coat Lined with Money