The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-07-20

taking Il easy, you Just "p'h ii'''e hAfN
er, one would think you liked 70 work
Like 10 workf never thought nneh
abou, il, bu, suppose We DO, said cIere'
land. barring his hrswny arm aud looking
rather oontempiunusly at the slight figure
Of his city cousin eneAsed in It's tne broad
cloth and immaculate linen. Men are
made 10 work. and there's plenty Of work
in the world 10 be done; so what's the use
OF thinking whether you like il or not?
Yes, there's plenty Of work to be done;
but then there's plenty Of common men 70
do IL. shall have money enough to live
on without work, and should think yon'd
have too. | know Uncle Abners rich;
shouldn, think he'd let you work at all
don't mean to.
This remark, made as the city visitor
stood 10 the open doorway of the great
barn, rather astonished the country boys,
who were putting the last touches to the
hay.cart, which they had been converting
into a pleasure car in honor of the Fourth
Of July. Temporary seats had been ar
ranged along the side, covered with pieces
OF carpet, while the bottom was filled full
of sweet, fragrant new hay, Above. sup
ported on poles, which were ingenionsly
fastened to the upper rail, was white
awning lfestooned with wreaths Of syringas
and late roses and decorated at intervals
with little American flags. Green boughs
were interlaeed in the sides, and the whole
looked pretty enough for one of the festive
Bacchanalain cars, about which Gerald
learned in his Greek mythology. Every
thing around told of happy, successful
labor. The oxen were not ploughing to-
day but long rich, black furrows showed
the results of yesterdays toll; broad
swaths of cut grass lay along the meadows,
which two of the hired men, with Uncle
Abner's aid were hurrying to get under
cover lest Foufth OF July shower should
ruin il while they were all away. The
ll.weeded garden was the result OF Ia
Dor, the we'll kept fences and farm build
inas told Of the thrift and industry which,
in country language, makes man fore
handed and Gerald knew that his uncle
large bank deposits and stock investments
were the results of his own hard work
Even the chickens in the barn-yard were
industrioasly working for living. as they
stepped about in lofty way, diving for
grain of corn now and then, the cluck OF
the hens denoting when in some hidden
corner they had condescended to lay al
egg; the wheat and barley and rye were
ripening in the sunshine just as fast as
} they could, and the young fruit drinking
up juices from the earth, kept putting out
its cheeks like those of piper. Ran
dolph, the other country cousin, some two
years older than Gerall, now spoke, look
ing up from the temporary steps he hac
just been fitting to the triumphal-car.
don't know as Iwant to work on {
. farm all my life. I'd like to go to eolleg'
and study to be a lawyer or doctor or I
minister, perhaps a statesman; there's 81
much for educated men to do in th'
world I'd give good deal tor You
chance of going to school, Gerry.
Oh, school'sa bore; of course one don
like to appear Ounce: so / have to stud,
little, but not any too much, you'd bet
ter believe me, and I'm only longing fo
school.time to be over
What are you going to do then2
Oh, nothing much. Father isn't yer,
rich. not as rich as Uncle Abner guess
but he's only got me, and shall hav'
grandma's money. can get long, and
you won't catch me working for living.
just then the back-door of the hous
opened, and out came Aunt Eunice an'
the girls. sorronnded by the big basket
and pals, in which were packed tn
edibles for the Fourth of July picnic. Th
women folks had been up since day-ligh
n making meat pies, cheery-pies, boilin
: hams and roasting chickens, bakin
sponge cake and Washington cake an
IT. jumbles, aud frying doughnuts and erul
lers The family shared the work wit
the hired girls, and all were so busy tina
ly there was hardly time to put on the prett
muslins and ribbons and the launty sur
: hats, when the oxen were put to til
hay cart. and all hands were called
tumble in.
We cannat tell how pleasant was I'll
,s slow drive along the shady roads anon
the sunny farms, how beautiful the gran
old woods looked. lightened up here b
the gay groups of people who had com
NJ there as Uncle Abner and bis family hat
= 10 keep Fourth OF July. There was ru
tic stand erected under the trees, frol
= when the minister, lawyer. and other orr
: tors from time 10 time, spoke earnestly col
c.rning the nations history, its best inte
ersts, and its future, calling upon all pre-
ent, but especially the boys, TO be true
their country and their God There We
songs sung, and dinners eaten such dii
ners, for quality and quality, as Gera
sS had never dreamed sof-and there W
'hs noise enough to make even the smaile
boys feel that it was really the Fourth
3 July, and then, Just q, nightiall. the who
tired party packed into the hay'cart al
11.s were driven slowly bomeward.
Gerald was thinking about it all, al
q what had especially struck him all throue
- the day, was how willing everybody "
~, how willing everybody was to wor
whether putting up the patform. kindlii
- fires, spreading tables. harnessing horse
making speeches. everybody was busy I
the time, and al seemed to enjoy 4
work Itself. He said something Of tn
soY, ana Uncle Abner replied.