Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-06-13

going to do il and the work my father
left undone. Pm going TO pay that mort
gage, IL l live"
"Heaven grant you may" ! said, fer
yently, under my breath; " for not many
mothers have such SON"
another don't know / mean to do it,
and she is very anxious ] should go 10
school, and mean 10, some time; but |
know just where the boys in my class are
studying, and get the lessons at home.
Mother reads them to me out OF the book,
while am washing the dishes or doing
her work, and we have great fun. ! try
to remember and repeat 1t, and If we
come to anything we cant make out, |
take IL over to the teacher in Intervening;
she is very kind, she tells me-"
Very kind Who would't be kind TO
such q boy felt the tears coming 10
my eyes at such vision of this son do.
ing girls work, while his poor old mother
held the book in her twisted hands and
tried to help him to learn.
"But all this does not earn money, my
boy. How do you expect to save If you
spend your time indoors"
ooh, / don't do girls work all day; no,
indeed | have worked out our taxes
on the road. It wasn't much, but helped
the men build stone wall down by
the river; and Deacon Ball lets me do
great deal of work for him, and when |
get chance to take anybody from the
hotel to ride, he lets me have his team
+ 'lmost nothing, and | pay to him
" yer make. And ] work on the
farm with the men in summon; and i
have COW of my own and sell the milk
at the tavern; and we have some hens,
too, and sell the eggs. And in the fall
cut and pile the winters wood in the
sheds for the people who haven't any boys
and there's good many people about
here who haven't any boys" he added,
brushing fly from the old horse with
the tip Of his whip.
After this we fell into silence and rode
through the sweet New England roads,
with Monadnock rising before us ever
nearer and more majestic. 1t impressed
me with sense of his rugged strength
one of the hills, "rock-ribbed and
ancient as the SUM-" but | glanced from
the mountain to the little red-headed
morsel of humanity at my side with a
sort of recognition of their kindship.
Somehow they seemed to belong together.
felt rs if the same sturdy stuff were in
them both. 1t was only a fancy; but it
was confirmed the next day, for when |
came back TO town after seeing my in
valid friend, | called on Deacon Ball. |
found him white-haircd and kindly faced.
lie kept the village store and owned q
pretty house, and was evidently very we'll
to do. Naturally we talked of John, and
the deacon said to me with tears in his
old watcry blue eyes:
"Why, bless your heart, sir, you don't
think I'm going to take hismoney do you9
The only son of his mother and she Il
widow, and all tied up into double bow
knots with the rhcumatics besides True
enough, ] let his father have the money,
and my wife. she says, says she to me,
"Well deacon, my dear, we've not got
child and shall be just as well OF a
hundred years from now If the widow
never PAYS cent; but 'cording to my
calculation it's better to let the boy think
he's pawn She says | might ms well
try TO keep barrel Of vinegar from work
in as to keep that boy from workin'. It's
the mother in him and it's got to work.
We think good deal of the widow,
Mandy and me. did before ever saw
Mandy; but for all that we hold the
mortgage, and Johnny wants to work it
out. Mandy and me, we are going to
let him work."
turned away, for was going to sup
at Johnny's house; but before ! went |
asked the deacon how much Jonny had
already paid.
"Well, / don't know; Mandy knows
I pas, it to her-she keeps the book.
Drop in before you go to the train and
I'll show it TO you
dropped in and the deacon showed INC
the account. 1t was the book of saw
ings bank in neighboring town, and on
its pages were credits of all the little
sums the boy had earned or paid and |
saw they were standing to Widow Beebe's
name. / grasped the deacon's hand. He
was looking away over the house-tops to
where Monadnock was smiling under the
goodnight kiss of the sun.
"Good-by, sir, good-by," he said, re-
turning my squeeze withinterest. much
obliged, Pm sure, Mandy and me, too;
but dom you be worried about Johnny.
When we see it we know the real stuff it
takes TO make a real man-and Johnny
has got it; Johnny is like that mountain
over there-chock full of grit and lots of
backbone."-N. y World.