St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-19

ne WIG smiled.
SHOW, what shall we do?n uttered
Peter
Now, we will eat our supper, and
then talk the matter over"
"SupperP Have you any ?"
"Plenty of it.'
But you told me you had none.r
"Neither had we this morning, but l
have been after work to-day and found
some.n
"Been after work and found some ?n
'sYes.n
"But hOw-where ?n
'Why, first went to Mrs. Shows. /
knew her girl was sick, and hoped she
might have work to be done. | went
to her and told her my story, and she
set me at work at once doing her wash
ing. She gave me food to bring home
to my children, and paid me three shil-
llngs when | got through"
"You been washing for our butchers
wife :" said Peter, looking very much
surprised.
"Of course have, and have thereby
earned enough to keep us in food
through tomorrow at any rate; so to-
morrow you may come home to dinner"
"But how about the rent"
"Oh, l have seen Mr.. Simpson, told
him just how we were situated, and Of
fered him my watch as pledge for the
payment of our rent within two months
with interest on arrearages up to date.
l told him 1 did the business because
you were away hunting for work."
$50 he got your watch 2"
''NO, he wouldn't take it. He said if
| would become responsible for the rent
he would let it rest"
'There, we've got roof to cover us,
and good food for tomorrow, but what
next7 Oh, what curse these hard
times are ~
'Don't despair, Peter, for we shall
not starve. Pve got enough engaged
to keep us alive.n
"Ah, what is that ?n
'Mr. Snow has engaged me to carry
small packages, baskets, bundles and
so forth to his rich customers. He has
Maria, what do you meanq"
~'Just what L say. Mr.. Snow came to
dinner; / was there, and asked him if
he ever had light articles which he
wished to send around to his customers.
Never mind what he said. He did hap
pen to want just such work done, though
| hC Adu mCclnO W Cdll uDOu Iuc
that lounge about the market. He
promised to give me all the work he
could, and Pm to be there in good sea-
son in the morning.
"This is pretty go my wife turned
butchers boy! You will not do any
such thing"
''And why not ?"
because"
| = l., L.
social SCALE"
"Well, so it will"
"Then it is more honorable to lie still
and starve too, than to earn honest
bread by honest work. / tell you Peter,
if you cannot find work | must. We
should have been without bread to-
night, had / not found work to-day
You know that all kinds of light, agree
able business are seized upon by those
who have particular friends, and engage
in them. At such time as this it is
not for us to consider what kind of
work we will do, so long as it is honest
Oh, give me the liberty of living upon
my own deserts and the independence
to be governed by my own conviction
of right"
''But my wife, only think, you carry
ing about butchers stuff. Why, could
sooner do it myself"
"If you will CO." said the wife with
smile, 81 will stay at home with the
children"
1t was hard for Peter Stanwood, but
the more he thought upon the matter,
the more he saw the justice and right of
the path into which his wife had thus
led him. Before he went to bed he
promised that he would go to the butch
er's in the morning.
l. And Peter StanwOod went to his new
business. Mr.. Snow greeted him warm
ly, praised his faithful wife, and then
sent him off with two baskets, one to a
Mr.. Smiths and another to Mr.. Dixall's.
!, The new carrier worked all day and
when it came night he had earned nine
ty-seven cents. 1t had been day of
: trials, but no one sneered at him, and
all of his acquaintance whom he met
! greeted him the same as usual. He
was far happier now than he was when
he went home the night before, for now
he was independent.
On the next day he earned over a
7 dollar, and thus he continued to work
for week, at the end of which he had
, five dollars and seventy-fve cents in
his pocket, besides having paid for all
the food for his family, save some few
pieces of meat that Snow had given
, them. Saturday evening he met Mark
Leeds, another binder, who had been
discharged with himself. Leeds looked
care-worn and rusty.
"How goes it 2" asked Peter.
, "Don't ask me-" groaned Mark, ''My
/ family are half starved"
"But can't you find anything to do p
Nothing"
"Have you tried 7"
? "Everywhere but it's no use. l have
/ pawned all my clothes save those
+ have on. I've been to the bindery to-
' day, and what do you suppose he of,
: fered me ?n
+ "What was it 2"
ssWhy, he offered to let me do his
t hand cartingl He has just turned of
his man for drunkenness, and offered
3 me the place. The old curmudgeon.
!. had a great mind to pitch him into the
S hand cart and run him into the"
e "If had been in your place | should
: have taken up with the Offer"
e Mark mentioned the name of the
0 same individual again.
Q "Why,n resumed Peter, 81 have beer
doing the work of butchers boy for {
n whole week.
4 Mark was incredulous but his com
: panion convinced him, and they separ
e ated, one going home happy and con
e tented, and the other going away from
il home to find some sort of excitement il
D which to drown his misery.
e One day Peter had basket of pro