Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-03-27
WAITING FOR THE GRIST.

| Is - = i ~.H -.GE t .-gz z
"It is strange" said q gentleman who
sat next to me in the car, and with whom
had struck up quite an acquaintance,
what an influence q look, word, or the
| little act of a perfect stranger will somes
times have upon a person"
Yes" said /; more than any of US
realize"
| at was the simple act of a stranger that
changed the whole course of my life"
''Indeedl How so?' . -,..e
! when I was a boy, my father moved to
the then Far West-Ohio. 1t was Def IRE
the days of steam, and no great mills
Numbered on her river. banks, but ocs
| casionaily there was little srist mill by
| the side of some small stream, and hither
| whenever the water was up, the whole
neighborhood focked with their sacks of
corn. First come, first served Sometimes
| we had to wait two or three days for our
turn. generally was the one sent from
our house, for while was too small to be 4
of much account on the farm, was as
l was not surprised at all one morning
when my father said, Henry, you can get
up old roam and go to mill to-day
Saunders mill was ten miles away. but
I had made the trip 80 often that it did not
seem far. believe one becomes more ais
tached to an old mill than to any other
| building. l Can see just how it looked as 1t
stood there under the sycamores, with its
huge VIII 81 and rough clap board sides.
I" When I arrived I found the North
Branch and Rocky FORK folks there ahead
OF me, and L + new there was no hope of
getting home that day, out was not at all
sorry, for my basket was we'll filed with
opened his big barn for US to sleep in, SO 1t
was no unpleasant time we had while waits
ing for our grist. This time there was an
addition to our n mber that had been in
the habit OF gathering from time to time,
in the old Saunders barns young fellow
name was Charley Allen, and his father
had bought farm over on the Brush
creek rvaI. He Was sociable and friendly,
out instlnctively felt that he had more
manners than the rest of US. The eve, ing
was spent, as usual, in relating coarse JOKES
and pla ing caros. Although I was not &C
cust0med to such things at home, l had
become so used to it that it had long since
: ceased to shock me, and, indeed l was fast
becoming very interested spectator.
WE'LL boys, it's time for US fellers to
go to roost,' said Jim Finley, one of the
greatest roughs on the Rocky Fork, as he
drew down his pack of ards and began to
undress. We all followed his example,
J although it was not much undressing We
| did to sleep on the hay NOV, but we
> we're so busy with our own affairs that we
did not notice Charley Allen until Jim ex>
claimed: 'Heydey we've GIT a parson
here, we hevr Charley was kneeling by
the oats bin, praying Jim Finley's jest
met with no response. The silence was only
g broken by The drowsy cattle below and the
T twittering swallows overhead. More than
me rough man wiped tear from his eyes
. as he went silently to his bed on the hay I
: : had always been in the habit of praying at
1 | home, but neve' thought of such a thin
n 1t Saunders Mill AS l laid awake that
Q night in the old barn, thinking # Charley
Aliens courage, and what an effect it had
upol the men, firmly resolved that in the
u ure would do right. l little though,
how soon my courage would be tested.
q Just after dinner got my grlst and start
| ID for home. When [ arrived at Albrights
gate, where turned off to go tome, l foun
!. the old squire waiting for me- l saw in 6
II moment That something had gone wrong
had ways stood 10 the greatest awe OF
v he old gentleman, because he was the rict
:, nan Of the neigh borbood and now l fel
y my heart beginning to beat very fast. A
Don as | came near he said Did you g.
n through this gate YESTERDAY? coul'
q easily have denied it, as it was before da>
light when went through, and I quit
as often wrnt the other way. Charlie,
Allen kneeling in the barn came to M
l. m ind like ash, and before | had tim
C., listen to the tempter l said, Yes sir;
did"
-. Are you sure you shurand pinned tn
Is gate? he asked.
is This question staggered me- I remem
>. bered distinctly tn I did not. 1 coul
|. pull the pin out without getting off 10.
d horse, but could not put it in again; so
d carelessly rode away and left it OPEN
= "I-I-p-
:. "'Out with it; tell just what you didp
J left it oman | said AbruDtlV
y "' Well, you left the cattle in, and the,
y have destroyed all my early potatoes
he terrible piece of business!'
'e I'm very sorry, I'd
B. "'Ta king won't help matters now, bu
70 remember, boy, remember that sorrow
,e don't make potatoes-sorrow don't max
10 potatoes
TO II felt very badly about the matter, TO
!. [ was really sorry that the gentleman hs'
- lost his potatoes, and then expected to b
~ found that they knew nothing of the mat
y ter, and after several days had passed
4. began to rest gate easy. Alas for huma
hopes! one rainy afternoon l saw til
ne squire riding down the lane. l ran off t
q. he barn, ashamed to face him, and afrsi
N to meet my father. They sat on the pore
a and talked for long time. At last N
al curiosity overcame my fear, and I stol
n, bank to the house, ard went into mother
49, room to see if could hear what they wer
20 talking about. ~ by, the boy could b
LII be spared well enough but he don't kne,
Ill ANYTHING about the business said m
ne father. There is one thing he does know
e- said the squire, he knows how to tell tn
d. truth He then related the circumstance
which | so much dreaded to have m
father hear. After he had gone my fathe
called me to him, and told me that tn
Squire was going to start store in th
10 village, and wanted boy to help, an
-, thst / coutd 60 if / wanted to 1 went, an
tn remained in the village store until
ed bloss med out into a city store; and peop1
X say that got my start in life when I er
en- tered Albright's store, but 1 will -lway
Iy maintain that got it while l was waitin
a. for the grist."
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