Morris tribune., 1882-10-05
Johnny,s Visit to the. Country.


1t think they're just splendid.
Don't you?
JoInny's Visit to the Country.
Johnny was very fond of the country: AT
least he always said he was, and as he had
never been in it since he could remember, of
course nobody could prove that he was not.
So he was very glad when it was arranged
that he should visit at his grandfather's during
vacation He had not been there he assured
his friends at the kindergarten for quite a.
number of years.,
He had been promised that he should ride
on the pony his father had ridden when he was
q boy, and he thought more Of that thap any
thing else. He thought the pony must be the
oldest one in the world, but that was mis-
take, for his father was not so very old.
1t was really a very nice, plump, sleek
looking little horse which Uncle Archie
brought round that pleasant June morning..
He never did anything now but eat and stand
under a tree, with his eyes shut switching the
flies with his tail.
Johnnie's grandmother and his aunts came.
out to see, and grandmother was little afraid
Johnny might get hurt, but he reminded her
that he would be seven years old next May.
Uncle Archie put him on old Jack. and said:
"N)w, Johnny. when you want to stop you1
must say 'Whoan and when you. want to- go
you must chirrup-like this
Johnnie managed to make noise something
when Jack moved under MIN, and grandmother
cried:
'.Hold on tight, Johnny" some one else
cried
"Don't go too fast. Johnny" Uncle Archie
laughed at this, but Johnny did not know
why
The great meadow was smooth and green
and full of daisies and forget-me. nots. Jack
spent his summers in it, so he felt quite at
home, and would stop sometimes to take nip
at them without waiting for Johnny to say
whoa" but he always went on again when
Johnny chirruped At last ne got into a cor
ner long ways from the house He went in
! among some trees and bushes till he reached
the fence and then stopped and shut his eyes
John was quite willing Jack should rest a
while, but as he waited and waited and seemed
| to have no desire to do anything but switch his
! tail, johnny got tired and chirruped to him.
| Jack moved little, but the fence was right in
| front of him and he couldn't go through that,
so Johnny said ''Whoa." and Jack stopped at
once and shut his eyes again.
Poor Johnny began to wonder IL he should
have to sit there all day. He wanted Jack to
turn round and take him back to the house.
| but how was he to make Jack understand? He
knew how to stop him and how to set him
going again, but Uncle Archie hadn't said a
word about turning hin round
| Johnny, you see, did not belong to that
blessed class of bows who tumble about in the
| country all their happy, rollicking young days,
riding hay loads, buck-boards, stone boats,
spring wagons, etc, learning to handle horse
almost as soon as they learn to talk and walk.
| He had ridden in steam cars and street cars
and hacks, and he now tried to remember
something about how they we're managed. He
| did not believe steam cars ever turned round
they always seemed to go straight ahead. He
had never seen how the hack drivers got their
horses to turn, but he had seenR street cars
turn on turn-table wheng they reached the
| end of their route. Jack certainly seemed to
have reached the end of his route, but Johnny
could not see anything that looked like turn
| table.
He called as loudly as he could for Uncle
Archie, but no one heard him. Then Johnny
cried as he wondered how long he might sit
there and it was nearly dinner-time.
After while he heard some one coming
along the green. shady road on the other side
of the fence. 1t was boy and rope and
something else. The boy was at one end OF
the rope, but Johnny could not at first make
up his mind what it was at the other end. He
knew it was either calf or sheep, for Uncle
Archie had shown him both that morning, but
he could not quite remember which was white
and which was red.
He became so much interested in watching
the boy as to forget all about turntables and
dinner. Sometimes the boy would be ahead
leading or jerking the calf Tor Sheep along
And then, all at once, the sheep Tor calf would
rush forward and pull the boy along. As they
ahead. and he stopped at sight of Johnny's
tear-stained face.
s'Hullo!" said the boy.
''Say!" said Johnny, pointing at the animal
sis that calf or sheep?" The boy stared q
4 Johnny without answering.
"Oh, never mind, " said Johnny, very polite.
ly, 81 thought you'd know. believe it's
calf but Uncle Archie can tell you for sure il
you ask him. He knows But say-are vol
leading him or is he leading you?"
A.. ~
and picked up piece of earth to throw q
him. But Johnny burst out crying again, ant
he stopped.
| "Tdldn't mean anything" sobbed Johnny
and want Uncle Archie"
as it Mr.. Archie Crandall?" asked the boy
ssBe you his boy?"
ssYes, s'pose 80. want Uncle Archie
want Uncle Archie!" and Johnny, afraid O
the calf, afraid of the boy, and even afraid o
old Jack, raised a fearful howl
''Stopr" cried the boy; Pll go and tel
him -
sBut will he let you?" said Johnny, lookin,
in alarm at the unknown animal The DO,
tied it to the fence and jumped over into tn
meadow.
1.-The little chaps in trouble and wants YOU,
he sand to Uncle Archie, and then hurried bac
to his calf. Uncle Archie started on a run +
where they had all the time seen Jacks tai
|, switching in the bushes aud had been wonder
ing why Johnny stayed there so long. Au
grandmother and all his aunts wrung tnei
hands, shriekng he must have broken his leg
or put his shoulder out Of joint, or had a sun
stroke.
Uncle Archie was very hot when he got b
Johnny, and cried
esWhat is the matter?"
'Oh. Uncle Archie. won't you please to NAH
Jack turn round SO can go back?"
SIS that what you've been waiting for, John
ny?"
"Yes, sir"
Uncle Archie pulled ono Of the straps johann
held in his hand, and Jack turned easier tina
il he had been on turn-table.
}, The boy laughed very loud and very Ion,
He united his calf, and both went down th
: road so fast that TO this day Johnny doesn
know whether the boy was leading theoalf, Z
the calf leading the boy.
2 But he surely knows it was aNealf, for Unc
Archie told him it was