Sharp County record., 1881-02-03
One at a Time.

Grandpa BOgarduS had LED tne way 10
the library and ratified many papers and
snapped some strings and inquired in
haste for Clarice.
Il have little favor to ask" said
Grandpa Bogardus, polishing his glasses
and looking with twinkling eyes, at
Clarice.
"What in the world can it beP" in
quired Clarice breathlessly, for it was
the eve OF the New Year, and she had
heard the crumpling of papers as she
darted along the hall.
II have a parcel which / want ex-
amined; it is rather bulky and will re-
quire time; what do you say to looking
over it?"
81 think l should like it," replied
Clarice, a little perpleXed.
That l cannot answer for; you may
like it and you may not, but if we un-
dertake thing it is proper to finish
it,
Grandpa Bogardus polished his glass
es very hard and looked inquiringly at
Clarice.
81 might try"
"That sounds better, something bet
ter; but this thing requires time, pa
tience, perseverance, and | shall expect
it to be completed, if begun"
"What can it ever be?" thought
Clarice gravely.
81 do not expect IL donein day, but
will expect you only to make use of
your odd minutes; do you ever have
odd minutesP"
81 never thought bit about it,
Grandpa dear; but believe do"
"Well, what do you say about max
ING q bargain, giving your odd minutes
to me if give something in return to
you?'
II cannot think what it all means"
81 mean if you will take your odd
minutes to look over the parcel, will
give you the contents of the parcel in
exchange"
"Oh, how charming! Where is it?
Is it here?"
"Stay; come here, little daughter; it
will not all be charming"
won't it, grandpa2"
"No; you will sometimes get tired,
and many times find it dull work, and
will plenty Of times feel disposed to give
up the bargain altogether"
"But do not think WsU if / once
decide to carry it through"
"No, you must not; that is it. Think
about it, and if you decide to under
take it, carry it through. The New
Year is the time for making stout reso-
Iutions, but the great thing is to keep to
them"
"Dear grandpa, won't you show me
the parcel?'
Eyes. for want to let you see what
I think can be done by saving some of
the odd minutes of year"
SO Grandpa Bogardus led Clarice to
an alcove where the porter had depos-
tied the parcel, and there, in the richest
bindings, were twelve books-,a course
of profitable historical reading in such
beautiful type and covers that Clarise
exclaimed in delight:
"Grandpa! Grandpa dear! you can
not mean them all for me-"
"They are mine until you have
earned them. There is one for each
month in the year; portion so many
pages to each day, and you will find
how many odd minutes you will have
in which you can read few pages at a
time. At the end of each month, if you
have won the book, l will write your
name within it."
"But, grandpa. | never could do it.
I never read. such books in my life;
they are very grave and large" Clarice
was glancing through them.
"This house is large; it could not
have been built in day, but it was fin
ished a stone at a time; you will read
but a page at time when you have an
odd minute. There are great many
odd minutes in a year,
"But would | like them; mean,
would l understand them, Grandpa
dear?"
THE more you read, the better you
will understand them and the better you
will like them.
but l could not get through them,
four hundred pages! five hundred
pages!-it would take me year to read
one"
Clarice shook her head despairingly.
"Did you ever read twenty-five pages
day?"
Eyes, more than twenty-five pages
of stnrn- hooks; h4at1 M --------- -------------~----
"But-these will be useful and will
require some resolution; yet it is an
easy task; one book at q time; one
page at time; a few pages every day."
Il will do it, Grandpa DEAR" said
Clarice, thoughtfullv, and Grandpa
knew that a small battle had began be-
tween Clarice and idleness, between
Clarice and the evil habit of wasting
time.
Clarice began that very day to use up
the odd minutes She was surprised -