The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-09-22
THE MISTAKE AROUT HAMP SEE.

Hamp See Ounce! Well may be so;
but arter what I've seed, it nd take smart
er schoolmaster than you to make me think
so.
TWAS old Riley Vaughn who spoke, and
although old Riley had no education, his
hard sense and sound judgment were re-
spected by all the men who sat there in the
village postof6ce waiting for the mail. He
had grown prosperous by dint OF hard work
and good Judgment, and his neighbors were
accustomed to ask for and to respect his
4 did not say precisely That, NJ ]
Vaughn" replied MI. Penruddock. til
schoolmaster. Il only said that my b
efforts to educate the boy were render
futile and nugatory by reason of his mex
plicible inability to grasp and retain SO SIM
pie a thing as the accidence Of the Latin
verb,
That means, in plain English, that he
amt got no grip on what you teach him,
don't it?" asked Riley
Yes, that is what I mean, replied the
schoolmaster, with something like shud-
der at old Riley's English. aBut I will
make an honorable exception in the matter
of mathematics. He seems iustinctiyely
to grasp arithmetical principles
YES" drawled old Riley; "one of youl
boys tole me Hamp could igger out how
long it 'ud take for cistern to get full ef
they was three pipes 0, different sizes a.
runnin' into it, and two others O. still diff
ferent sizes a-runnin' out"
Yes, he is an expert in the pratical APP
plication of arithmetic; and yet even in
arithmetic his standing is not good, be-
cause he seems incapable Of mastering the
ut 10 4 ~
We'll, now look here, said old Riley,
rising and striking the counter with his big
fist; sits jest comes to this here; the boz
amt got no grip on your words an things
but he's got good grip on idees an prin-
ciples, an it's my belief that's the inside O
sense. I don't want to be unnecessarily
offensive. but you an all schoolmasters
like you ought to teach parrots. They
don't want no idees; they jest want the
words, and that's your notion O. learnin'
That's the trouble O. this here countr5
down here; men learn words, an kin make
speeches, but they can't do nothin'
Now I've seed that boy Hamp See do wha
nary man in this country could do.
bought the fust reapin' machine as was
ever seed in these parts, an when it came
it was all to pieces, and packed in boxes
/ sent one after another for all the black
smiths an wheelwrights an carpenters
hereabouts to set the thing up, an Tn
blest eff one on 'em could make out which
end O. the thing was foremost. Not one or
'em could put any two pieces together
That ere boy hung round all the time, with
his forred creased up like, an finally he saws
to me, says he, Mr.. Vaughn, let me try.
We'll, try, says L; AN eff you git her to.
gether, I've got a five dollar bill for you I
Maybe you won't believe it, but afere moor
that very day that there reaper was reapin
wheat like a dozen hands. The boy ies
seed right into the thing. Now I say 81
he's Ounce, the sooner most people in
these here parts, loses their senses an gifts
to be ounces, the better twill be for all con
cerned. And with that old Riley stalked
Indignantly out Of the post-ofice.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley could
say, however, public opinion was against
Hamp See. It was certain that he was dull
in his lessons. He could not keep up with
Mr.. Penruddock's classes, and instead of
studying his Latin verbs, he was perpetual.
" interrupting the schools by asking MIR.
Penruddock to explain things like thunder
and lightning, and the presence Of shells in
the rocks on the mountain, and the curious
ways that plants Lave Of taking cars Of
themselves 1T things which had no relation
to the work of the school It was agreed
that Riley Vaughn could not know anything
about education, besause he was not him
self educated. It was even said-and this
came to Riley's ears that he was prejudi
ced against education.
Even Ramps mother was discouraged
Hamp was always @put:ering" she said, in
stead of attending to his books.
Why" she said, ''he's been fooling with
spring up on the hill back of the house
the whole season through. He's laid pipes
to bring the water down here, and now he's
turned the whole house into MILL" Their
she would show her visitor what Hamp hal
done. He had constructed an ingenious
water wheel with which to make the mos
of the power afforded by the spring, anG
had set it at a variety of tasks. A stretch
of line passed nnder the floor of the house
and bands were passed through the foo
to the churn and the sewing machine, an6
even the sausage chopper could beattacheG
at will. II don't deny that it's handy, and
saves work, " said his mother. And nov
he's made sort of fan in the dining room
and has set it going too, SO that it keeps
the flies off the table. If we had baby In
the house it would rock the cradle Blu
it's discouraging about his studies. Mr.
Penruddock is in despair, and says hi
don't know what's to be made of the boy.
The summer proved to be very dry one
and the gardens especially suffered for wa
ter. When the people began to complain
Hamp had an idea. He always had an idea
when an emergency arose. He went into
his mothers garden and worked all day
digging trench down the middle, and
making little trenches at right angles to the
main one, so that every bed was surround.
ed by them; and the larger beds crossed as
well. He was very careful to keep all these
trenches on one level. Wien he had finish
ed, he laid drain from his water vince
to the main trench, 50 that the waste water
after turning the wheel, was carried into
the garden and emptied into the trench
Little by little the main trench filed; Their
the water trickled into the smaller trenches
and as the spring from whichit came was
anever failing one, the garden was supplied
with water throughout the dry,hot summer
and such garden nobody mi that region
had seen that season.
People said that Hamp See certainly was
handy sort of boy; but they were sure te
add. cts pity he is SO dull"
One day old Riley Vaughn was Offering
eKtrayagant prices for horse. mule or o.
teams to haul stone. He had taken con
tract to supply from his quarry the stone
for the railroad bridge over the Bushy Run