Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-02-16

the nngers twisted, and IL nuft her 10
move them. Then / learned to knit ;
before that | always wound the yarn for
her. l had to learn to sew little, too,
for my mother did not like to see the
holes without patches.
And he looked half smilingly at the
specimens on his knees.
"But you did not mend those ?" said
"Yes, sir; but I was in hurry, and
mother said it was not done as it ought
to be. They had just been washed, and
1 couldn't wait for them to dry"
"Who washed them ?"
Il did, and ironed them, too. l can
wash and iron almost as well as mother
can"
''She don't mean to let me, but how
is she going to help it? She can hardly
use her hands at all, and some days her
feet are so bad, she cannot leave her
chair, so have to learn to make the
beds and scrub the floor. and wash the
dishes; and | can cook almost as we'll as
a girl"
sis it possible | shall have to take
supper with you on my way back to the
city, and test your skill"
Johnny blushed, and added:
"It's pity, my boy, that you have
no sister"
81 had one," he said, gently, "but
she died and-if she had lived, l
wouldn't have wished her to lift, and
bring wood and water, and scrub as
poor mother always did. Sometimes |
wish | could have sprung all the way
from baby to man. It's such slow
work growing up; and it was while
mother was waiting for US to grow up,
that she worked so hard"
'.But, my boy. you cannot expect to
be son and daughter and mother, all in
one. You cannot do the work for a
whole family"
"Yes, can; it isn't much, and 1 am
going to do it, and the work my father
left undone. I'm going to pay that
mortgage, if live"
Heaven grant you may" 1 said. fer
vently, under my breath. ''for not many
mothers have such son."
"Mother does not know l mean to do
it, and she is very anxious l should 90
to school, and | mean to some time; but
l know just where the boys in my class
are studying. and | get the lessons at
home. Mother reads them to me out of
the book, while am washing the dishes
or doing her work, and we have great
fun. try to remember, and repeat it,
and if we come to anything we can't
make out, l take it over to the teacher,
IN the evening; she Is very kind-she
tells me"
Very kind Who would not be kind
to such a boy? l felt the tears coming
to my eyes at such a sudden vision Of
this son doing girls work, while his
poor old mother held the book in hel
twisted hand and tried to help hin
learn.
'But all this does not earn money, my
boy. How can you hope to save if yor
give your time indoors p
"Oh, don't do girls work all day
no, indeed [ have worked out our taxes
on the road. 1t wasn't much, but
helped the men build stone wall dowr
by the river; and Deacon Ball lets m,
do great many days work for him, anc
when get a chance to take any on,
from the hotel to ride, he lets me have
this team for almost nothing, and | pay
to him whatever | make. And | worl
on the farm with the men In the sum
mer; and | have COW of my own, ant
l sell the milk at the tavern; and W,
have some hens, too, and we sell th,
eggs. And in the fall | cut and pill
the winters wood in the sheds for tn
people who haven't any little boys
and there's good many people abou
here who haven't any boys" he added
brushing fly from the old white hors
with the tip of his whip.
After this we fell into silence, an,
rode on through the sweet New Englan,
roads, with Monadnock rising before u
ever nearer and more majestic. 1t i'm
pressed me with sense of his rugge
, strength-one Of the hills, ''rock-ribbe
, and ancient as the sum- but l glance
from the mountain to the little red-head
ed morsel of humanity at my side wit
sort of recognition of their kinshiE
Somehow they seemed to belong togeth
| er. felt as if the same sturdy stu
was in them both. 1t was only fancy
, but it was confirmed the next day; fo
when l came back to town after seein
my invalid friend, [ went to call O
Deacon Ball. | found the deacon white
1
t haired and kindly-faced. He kept th
village store and owned pretty house
, and was evidently very we'll to do. Ma
E urally We talked of John, and the de;
con said to me, with tears in his ol
/: watery blue eyes:
/ "Why, bless your heart. sir, you don