Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-09-12
TWO IMPORTANT PAPERS.
Springfield r publican

don know what ! snail dew Win
that ere boy" said Farmer Long to his
wife as they sat by the fire, that winter
morning. He's more harum skarum
than that states reform school boy
was"
Well. father: have patience with him
for the sake of his folks. | think there's
something in Jim that will surprise you
one Of these days"
Il dunno whether he'll surprise me
emmy moren he has or not Last spring
he made b.leye he knowed All bout bill
ing down sap nd surprised me by
burnin' the bottom Nv the Sap-pan eOut
nd settin' the sap-house on fire. Last
summer he broke more tools in hayin'
time than all the rest Oy us together
And dear mel You'd orter seen him
die pertaters last fall. Iii venter he cut
every third one i'm teW-Struck at 'cm
ez eff he was sphttin' rock maple logs.
Nd new he's broke my best three-tined
pitchfork, some Way,a feedin' the cattle.
He's only Is y'r old. Ef he duz this in
the green tree, what in mater II he dew
III the dry?'
After these remarks about the boy he
had taken to keep until he was Of age,
the farmer started for the barn. He was
bending over the great meal-chest, Just
inside the barn door, rs q tandem team
was turning around the corner Of the
barn This team consisted Of q wild
yearling steer, and the boy, jim Fowler.
The team was on the dead run
The youth had hold of the steers tail
with his left hand, and held alOft milk
lng-stool in his right
Mr.. Long was unaware Of danger;
and when something struck him, and
Immediately he found himself on his
back in the meal chest, his first thought
was Of an earthquake or tornado or
other dread outbreak Of forces. He
emerged from the chest Just in time to
sec his lime backed steer pass on into
stable, and jim Fowler arise half
stunned from the floor.
Geou young scamp he Numbered,
Yeou'll murder somebody yIt-er-cr
! shall, Of yeou don't stop yer uumbed
work"
The boy did not laugh ut the miller
like appearance of the man. Ills own
face was quite as white as the farmers
rs he said:-
Pm awful sorry Mr.. Ions"
| dunno whether yer he er not, .
replied the latter. But I'll tell yer
meow nd here, jim Fowler, what's what
when yer father died veou hadcn't a
relative left .
No, sir; they want none left" broke
in the youth and the tears filled his
eyes.
/ promised him Il little afore he died
Il f,,f- 4
enough ter take care NV ye'self; nd
dew well by ye-give We Il CON mon
school cddicatio md SO on. Nd Imean
ter dew 1t ef yer conduct don't become
onbarahle But yeou must be more
stiddy nd manlIke nd not plague me
ter death by yer recklessncss. Dye
hear?'
us sur'n I'm going ter try Mr..
Long"
That's the sorter talk. want ye
ter so ter schooI'nd sit ter be ez smart
ez Jennie is, ef We can. Yeou er tew
years older'n she is nd y'aint nowhere
side NV her"
4 know it. | amt nowhere side nv
her
Jennie, the farmcr's daughter, was a
bright girl and as pretty as pink. jim
did not wonder that her father and
mother were proud of her; nor that
they felt there was Il vast difference be-
tween him and her He thought there
was himself; and he believed she did,
for one day Of the last summer, when
he stumbled on to her Hower-bed, she
spoke sharply to him, and if he had not
misunderstood her, called him " beg
gar"
lie was careless and stupid; i she
had said us much, he would have
thought it iustiEable under the circum-
stances. But for her to speak in that
Way-as if his misfortune was his fault
made him almost hate her. He did
not answer back, but the look he gave
her kept her from ever repeating that
taunt; and also from forgetting that She
had once made it.
Yet he continued to be the same care
less Jim " up to this winter morning.
But when Mr. Long had administered
his reproOf and returned to the house
to brush the meal from his clothes, the
youth fell into profound meditation.
out Of which he came with this ciacula-
ton
"II do it,
When the next term of school began.
there were two scholars from Farmer
Longs.
Jennie and jim.
They went together; but separated
when they got there, for Jennie was in
Il higher department than Jim could
enter. This was the first term the lat
ter had ever begun with determina-
tlen to learn. That he was now 50 de
termined is proved by the answer he
gave 10 his teacher on the first day of
school, when she asked him, among
other things, what he wanted to do: Il
was this . want ter git ter know ez
much ez Jennie Long does
How did he come out? Well, he went
to school every term for three years
lie studied evenings, and all the time
when not at work, during vacations.
BY incessant devotion to his books
through those three years, he was able
to master all the books used in that
institution. For the last two terms of
his course, was q member of Jennie's
classes. He graduated when she did:
and, in most of their Joint studies, was
marked several points above her.
How did jim think he came out :?
Going home with Jennie that last day,
after school had closed, he repeated
the words Mr. Long had spoken three
years before: "Y'aint nowhere side nv
her." and though they were truer now
than ever.
Had the want ter git ter know with
which he began, given place to 'want"
less likely to be satisfied?
If Jennie had been aware that her