St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-14
Uncle Bent's Great Boulder.
BY J. T. TROwBRIDGE.

"GOOd- morning, Uncle Bent I've
come over to see if you can give me Il
job"
Uncle Bent stood looking at a huge
boulder in a field beside his house. He
was something of a boulder himself
well-rounded, masSy, hard, with jaw
as set and firm as if it had been mod
elled out of the granite hills.
He turned and looked at his nephew,
and grim smile flickered like April
sunshine over the compact gray visage.
Wallace Bent was as little like his
uncle as boy of the same name and
race could well be. there was nothing of
the boulder about him. He was small
and rather delicate yet with certain
decision and strength in his plain, hon
est face.
He saw the slightly derisive smile,
and was conscious Of looking very puny
indeed in the eyes of his stern relative.
He bluShed, and aware that such evi-
dence Of weakness would not tend at
all to raise him in the old mans estima-
tiOn, blushed redder still.
"Want job, do you? | declare -
said uncle Bent. "What do you think
you can do -
81 should think there might be a
good many things about your place, or
your mill, or your store, that | might
do" Wallace replied, with awkward
ditlidence. ''Anyway, mother said |
ought to apply to you before going to
any one else. I've got to do something
now, you know; I'm not going to let
her support me, now | can support my
self"
"Yes, | thought both of you ought to
come to that conclusion long ago." said
the old man. "A poor boy like you
ought to have been put to earning his
living sooner"
Il suppose So" Wallace assented.
''But mother wanted to keep me in
school as long as possible"
You're pretty good scholar l
hear" said Uncle Bent ''but what good
will that ever do you? You haven't
the means to 90 through college and
take Il profession"
"That's true but | believe a little
education will he good for me, whatev-
er do for i living" SAID Wallace, with
firm and intelligent look, quite for
getting his bushes. ''That may be a
mistake. But | am ready to 90 to
work now. And | thought | wOuld
please mother by calling on you"
Uncle Bent was gIeatly annoyed, for
he said to himself, elf hire nephew.
and poor widows only son | shall
have to favor him, and pay him wages,
or folks will talk. Boys that wOlk for
me must he tough | don't want any
thing to do with him!''
Then be said aloud, "But you are
kind o. weakly! You aint stubbid
enough to take hold and do real work
IOu always have been puny -
1t was Wallace's turn to smile ''You
blame me for not having gone to work
before and now you say I'm not able
to work"
Uncle Bent wasn't pleased to be con-
victed of inconsistency in this easy off
hand way by a school-boy nephew.
"There may be some things you can
do" he said ''but my work is mans
work. | have mans work enough, if
you could do that"
Il am sure | can do something at it.
and don't expect more pay than L can
earn"
Uncle Bent was afraid he had already
said too much. Il shall have the fami-
ly on my hands if | give him the least
encouragement that's what the widow
wantsr' thought he. So he hastened
to reply to the boys last remark.
"Here's a mans job, right here. |
want to build a barn and I've been
wondering how | should get rid of this
boulder. If you want to take that, You
CAM
AS the rock was large, and Wallace
looked quite small beside it, the old
man smiled again at the grotesqueness
of the proposal.
'Very WE'LL" Wallace replied. "Fn
take hold if you'll pay me by the week" >"
''No, no !" cried Uncle Bent, growing
good-natnred over what he called a
capital joke. Take it by the Job, aud
then you can be as long as you please
about it. Lift little in the forenoon.
sit down in the shadow OF it and eat
your dinner, then lift a little more in
the afternoon
"What shall do with it when | take
it away ?" Wallace asked.
Il don't care; only get 1t off from my
place"
and what do you propose to give
for the job p
Ten dollars said the old man
promptly, for be had already calculated
that 1t would cost much more than that
to drill the rock and break it up with
blasting powder.
''Tll think about it, said Wallace.
after little hesitation.
Uncle Bent laughed. But there was
something in the boys face he didn't
understand.
HE can't he in earnest he said to
himself, and he thought it wise to add
| I'll give You six weeks to do it in: say.
| till the first of June"
"All right said the hoy. "Mean-
while isn't there some other little Job
you'd like to have me try my hand at ?
There's all that brush back there which
the wOOdchOppers have left; wouldn't
you like to have me take that away r.
yes"
"What will you give me n
"Nothing - said the old man shortly.
That isn't very large pay" the boy
replied.
II know it," said his uncle. "The
brush can be burnt right where it is and
the ashes are worth something on the
land. Besides, some of the large limbs