Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-31
Backbone and Grit.

widow lives here. and she's got boy. and
he II drive you over. He's a nice little le-
low, and Deacon Ball lets him have his
team for trhe, and we like 10 get him II
Job when we can"
1t was hot day in July. Away up
among the hills that make the lower slope
of the Monadnock mountain, u friend lay
very i'll. In order TO reach his temporary
home one must take an early train to the
nearest station, and trust to the numbering
old coach that made IL daily trip to K.
The train was late; the stage after waiting
some time was gone. The landlord of the
little white hotel appeared in his shirt
sleeves and leaning his elbow on the bal
cony rail, dropped down on the hot and
thirsty traveller what comfort could be
extracted from the opening sentence of
my sketch.
" Would he not come in and have some
dinner?' Yes" " Would he send for
the deacon's team?" " Yes " "And the
boy?" YES"
And the dinner was eaten and the team
came round-an open buggy and an old
white horse, and just as we were sef ted
J the door of, little. brown house across the
5way opened and out rushed the widows
| boy
In his mouth was the last morsel of his
dinner; lie had evidently learned how to
" eat and run" His feet were clad in last
winters much worn boots, whose wrink-
led legs refused to stay within the limits
of his narrow and faded trousers. AS his
! legs flew forward his arms flew backward
in an Intellectual struggle to get himself
inside of jacket much too short in the
sleeves.
There he is" said the hostler, that's
/ the Widow Beebe's boy. | told him I'd
hold the horse while he went home to get
Il bite"
| The horse did not look as if he needed
to be held but the hostlcr got his dime,
and the boy approached in time to relieve
my mind as to whether he would conquer
the jackct or the jacket would conquer
| him and turn him wrong side out.
He was sun burned and freckled, large
mouthed and red-haired-a homely, plain,
wretched little Yankee boy; and yet, as
we rode through the deep summer bloom
and fragrance of the shaded road, winding
up the long hills in the glow of the after
noon sun, learned such lesson from the
little fellow as shall not soon forget.
He did not look much like preacher as
he sat STOPPING forward q little, whisking
the flies from the deacon's horse, but his
sermon was one which ] wish might have
been heard by all the boys in the land
AS it was had to spur him on now and
then by questions to get him to tell about
himself.
" My father died, you see, and left my
mother the little brown house opposite the
tavern. You saw it didn't you, sir,-the
one with the lilac bushes under the win
dow? Father was sick II long time, and
when he could not work he had to raise
money on the house. Deacon Ball let him
have it, little ut time, and when father
was gone mother found the money owed
was almost three hundred dollars. At
first she thought she would have to give
up the house, but the deacon said, Let it
wait awhile and he turned and patted me
on the head, and said, when Johnny
gets big enough to earn something shall
expect him to pay it, | was only nine
then, but am thirteen now; remember
ed it, and remember mother cried, and
said, Yes, Deacon, johnny is my only
hope now;' and wondered and wondered
what work could do. really telt as if
| ought to begin at once, but | couldn t
think of anything to do"
" Well, what did you do?' | asked
quickly, for was afraid he would stop,
and l wanted to hear the rest
We'll, at first did very funny things
for boy. Mother used to knit socks to
sell, and she sewed the rags to make rag
carpets, and helped"
" How? What could you do?"
"e'I' the people VINO would IKE
carpet could not always get the time to
make 1t. 80 went TO the houses among
the farmers ana TOOK nome thelr rags, old
coats, ana everything they had, and out IN
the Woodshed ripped ana cut them up
Then mother scwed them ana sometimes
| sewed some, too, and then l rolled then
into balls ana took them back to the own
ers, all ready 10 be woven into rugs
But did they pay you for your work"
"Oh yes, we got so much pound, anC
| felt quite like young merchant when
weighed them out with our old steelyartls
But that was only one way; we've two o
three old apple trees out in the back ware
by the wall, and we dried the apples an,
sold them. Then some of the farmer
, who had IL rood MANY applcs began t,
Senu lnenl 10 us TO UrV, ana we PAID lnen
, so many pounds all dried, and had tn
= rest to sell"
5 But you surely could not do much il
0 ways like thesc?"
No, not much but something; and W
e had the knitting"
. Did you knit9'
t Not mt first, hut after awhile mothc
|, BEGAN to have the rheumatism in he
q hands and the Joints became swollen an
The tinoers twisted and il hnrt her to NOV
lhem Then learned to knit. hoforo tho
| wopnd the warn for her. had to lear
to sew a little too. for mother don't lik
to see the holes without patches"
And he looked half smilinolv at tn
l. specimens on his knees.
y " But YOU did not mend thoseo" said +.
If Yes, sir: but was in II hurry. an
If mother said it was not done as it ought t.
II be, They had lust been washed, and
i couldn't wait for them to dry"
c WHO washed them?"
y II did, and ironed them, too. Gu
e wash and iron almost as well as mothe
L. o.,n Sha don't mean TO LET me hut hOy