Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-01-24
A BOY HERO.

Up in Tompkins county, N. Y, lives
u well-to-do farmer, named Pitkins, with
his wife and two daughters. Having
no sons he is dependent on hired help,
the supply of which is regulated ac.
cording to the season, number of farm
hands being necessary during planting
and harvesting OF crops, while one be-
ing usually the only assistant needed in
the winter. Realizing the need of a
boy on the place to do the chores for
which it did not justify to hire man,
Pitkins talked the matter over with his
wife and they decided to select waif
from the poor-house and raise him up
as one of the family, which of course
meant food and clothing until he was
OF age, and three months schooling in
The winter.
With Farmer Pitkins to decide was to
act, so the next day he and Mrs. Pitkius
drove o7er in the buggy to the county
poor house and made application for an
orphan. The superintendent, always
willing to dispose of his charges to
farmers, ordered out the boys in line for
II review, and Pitkins and his wife eyed
the boys closely and talked with them.
He, with an eye to service, selected o
large, strong boy; but she. with
motherly instinct, more akin to sym
pathy picked out little Sut, the subject
Of the sketch.
"Why, Mary exclaimed Pitkins,
"hes too small !"
"But he'll grow, John, and then I
like his looks better"
"Looks tut, tut What have looks
got to do with it ?"
GA great deal. II we are to adopt
him and raise him up as a son, and even
if he is only to be farm hand, we do
not want boy to grow up dishonest
nd vicious. I don't like the big boys
face"
50 Farmer Pitkins grumbled little
over her choice, as he lifted Sut into
the buggy between them and drove
home. The boy was indeed small for
services on farm, but he seemed CRATE
full for the home and was willing to do
all the busy tasks his hands were put
to, and would put his little hand on his
tired back without murmur, after a
long time saving wood. Mrs. Pitkins
seemed drawn toward him by his very
diminutive size and strength, while
Pitkins seemed almost to dislike him,
and was always grumbling about the
boys being too small, although the
farmers wife very sensibly would remark
that she believed the willingness OF a
small boy would accomplish more than
the unwillingRess OF one twice his size.
As little Sut wasn't large enough to
wait on the girls they rather sided with
their father and made tho poor boys
life rather unpleasant by teasing him.
Thus matters went on for a season or
so, while one farm hand after another
came and went, and although colts and
calves and chickens all grew and
fattened on the place, little Sut seemed
at standstill and failed to come up to
Mrs. Pitkins' assertion that he would
grow.
It's no use, Mary, waiting for this
boy to grow. I must take him back to
the poor-house and get larger boy.
You can go with me and select the boy,
but he must be larger"
Mrs. Pitkins, with feeling of tender
ness toward the little homeless waif she
had selected, hadn't the heart to 20 and
pick out a boy to supplant him in the
home that now seemed as dear to him
as if he had been born in it, so Mr.. Pit
kins drove over alone, while the farm
hand took the wagon and drove to the
mill for lumber, leaving Mrs. Pitkins, the
two girls and little Sut alone on the
farm except little dog which Sut
had been allowed to adopt from the
roadside, the cattle on farm scarcely
being counted as company by lone wom
en- who cannot look to them for the
protection which even boy or small
dog can give.
Tramps, miserable, dangerous out
casts, seem to be the constant menace OF