The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-12

mat lay upon the hlgh desk In brlerley
mills.
When Joe began to go toschool Benjamin
began to find out that even self-made
man is not always match for self.willed
boy. The instructions TO the school-mas-
ter had been solid reading, writing, arith-
metic and chemistry "none o. your rub
bishy Latin and poetry" But for poetry
and fiction Joe showed a decided taste,
took no interest in English kings and
battles, but was deeply versed in such un-
official histories as Robinson Crusoe."
And as time went on he plucked more
and more of the forbidden fruit of the
tree of knowledge. He sought it in Greek
and Latin gardens-an aggravation of the
offense not easy for Benjamin to look
| over; though this was almost venial
fault compared with the audacity of wish
| ing to bring a Frenchman into his very
parlor, in order to learn language that
nobody could make word of sense of,
! and which he ALWAYS associated with
every thing that was mn oral and ex-
travagant, with popery, atheism, and
AM rchy.
And now that Martha had actually set
herself against him, he felt that crisis
had come in his household aft ,irs, aud he
prepared to meet it with all the stubborn
will of strong but narrow mind. He
was very fond of Joe, and, in an uuac-
knowledged way, very proud of him.
Though he would not have admitted it,
he was vain of the young mans beauty
aud stylish air, and even of his ability to
quote Greek and Latin. When Joe strolled
in with his tboroughly-at.ease, satisfied
air, Benjamin looked at him with Gu
rious mixture of admiration and dis
approval.
Hitherto, Joe had shown no very de-
cided symptoms of rebellion. There had
been one dispute about his going to Cam
bridge and another about his having a
years foreign travel; but Benjam had
"put his foot firmly down on both pro-
posals, and Joe had given in. 1t was
not likely he would offer much stronger
opposition on any other subject. Still,
when dinner was over, and Martha bad
gone about her household affairs, and the
test which was to decide the future be-
tween father and son was to be made,
BEN amin felt queer reluctance to face
the occasion.
He pushed the wine across the table
and said: "Tak' glass wi me, Joe.
Pm going to maxi thee fine offer and
we'll drink tull IT,"
"Let me hear what it is, father"
al wer thinking as thou hes he'd about
enough of learning now, aud 'ud happen
like to frame thysen to business"
"Pm not likely ever to have enough
learning but do think l ought to be
doing something. L am twenty-three
years old"
"Varry well. When will ia come to
t mill, then ?'
81 was not thinking of the mill, father"
ooh, indeed And what was ia think
ing of :"
~ was thinking of the law"
"Thou was, was ia ? Think away,
lad but for a. thy thinking, thou's bound
to tax thy part i Brierley mills"
al have made up my mind to be a
lawyer. hate the sight of the looms,
and the men in their blue pinafores, and
the slatternly, down-at-heels women.
must do better work than that"
"Thou'lt niver do as good work as 1
hev done. Come, Joe, do thy duty by t.
business, and we'll soon hev t biggest
mill and t. highest chimney i Wharfdale.
hev been think O. takin' thee into
Brierley Mills liver since l laid first stone
O. them, and thou must 60 there, or it
will be worse for thee"
The threat decided Joe. He had really
been very Indifferent before; but the pro-
posal had found him in contradictions,
self-willed temper, and the half-menace
was just what he would not stand. He
had said he wished to be lawyar, and
now he would stand to it, whatever was
the result. Both men became steadily
more and more positive and angry. Bepia
min took his favorite position on the
hearth-rug; Joe, reclining in comfort
able easy.chair, picked his teeth, and
looked quite beyond his irate father at
the lilac.trees blowing beside the open
window.
II sail maxi thee one more offer, and if
thou refuses it | sail niver, niver more
consider the to hev part or lot j. Brierley
mills. Come to t. mill on Monday. I'll
give thee $500 year, and if all is as it
sud be at thee end O. three years, I'll give
thee sixth interest, and then thou can
marry and max man O. thysen."
"And if refuse this offer, father 2"
"Tll give thee $4,000, aud thou can
max or mar Wi it, as suits thy fancy.
Thet's all"
"I'll take the $4,000, father"
"Thou sail hev it tomorrow. Don't
thou think thou'lt liver get any more"
"Dear father, /"
maya, maya, thou need niver dear ,
me. hev been bit soft about thee,
but can mend that fault. Only mind
this: if thou thinks O. taking thy own
way till thou finds things are a. wrong VII
thee, and then thinks that thou can turn
back an TAX my way, thou'lt find thysen
in t. wrong box thet's ALL"
81 shall never ask you for anything but
what you choose to give me, father"
81 told thee I'd give thee $4,000. Thou
can do what thou likes wi it,"
AZ shall enter myself to read with
! Perkins"
"Do as thou likes; do as thou likes.
It's naught to me-"
Then the old man threw his red silk
handkerchief over his head, and in few
minutes seemed to be fast asleep. But
sleep was far from him. Tears come as
hard as blood from some men, and Benia-
min was of this class; but great, bitter
drops rolled slowly down the rugged face
| ,nIar tho hopIona that avan;,. No.