The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-01-04
NED MERRILL's BOOT-JACK.

NED MERRILPS BOOT-JACK.
please pull of my boots, MOTHER
said Ned Merrill, as he held up muddy
boot in front of his mother face.
Where is your bootiackP' she
asked.
-, split t up for kindling-wood to-
night, replied Ned.
''Split it up for kindling- wood! What
did you do thut for? There are plenty of
boards in the wood-shed."
Il was in hurry said Ned. 'and |
To- (
You are the LATEST bey | ever saw"
said Mrs. Merrill, as she took hold of the
muddy boot and pulled it OIL You be
sure and make yourself a new boot jack
tomorrow.
Eyes, me- her, / will,' said Ned, as
he bade her goodnight and went off to
bed.
you'll ruin that boy" said Aunt
Louise, who had been sitting in the
room busily sewing. you wait on him
entirely too much. p"
His boots, you know, are rather
tight for him." replied Mrs. Merrill.
''and, being wet, were really hard TO
pull of. 1 don t intend pulling them
of again. He will make boot-jack to-
morrow"
Ned Merrill was a boy who always
put off everything in the shape of work
until the last moment. The old adage:
al azy folks work best when the sun is
west" was true in his case. He had
the kindlings TO split for the fires, the
water to bring from the well, and the
COW to feed three times a day; but his
mother often said that it was such
hard work to get Ned to do these things
she would rather do them herself. He
could easily have stepped into the
wood-shed and split up kindlings
enough in a few minutes to last three or
four days; but he always, as Aunt
Louise said, dreaded everything in the
shape of work. He would wait until
dark before he got about his chores,
and then he would split up his boot-iack
or something else that lay near him,
saying: u can easily make another
The next night, when bedtime came,
Ned looked all around the kitchen as if
he had lost something.
He has not made that boot jack"
thought Aunt Louise, as she saw the
boy try to pull off his boots on the chair
rounds and on the wood-box. " / won
der what he will do thought she.
Ned's mother was in the pantry, stir
ring up buckwheat cakes for breakfast
When she came into the kitchen she
said: Haven't you gone to bed yet.
Ned? / thought you went up stairs
long ago"
II can't get my boots or" replied
Ned, i'm fretful tone.
"There! | knew you wouldu't t make
that bOok-jack to day, when you said
you would" exclaimed his mother
81 forgot it, replied Ned.
"You didn't forget to go to Tom
Whitc's for your ball, or to 60 skating
with Willie Rounds; but you always for
get to do anything you consider work. -
While Mrs. Merrill was talking Ned
was tugging and pulling away at his
boots, and soon a word which he knew
he ought not to say escaped his lips, and
made the tears come in his mother S
eyes. She silently went to her boy and
pulled of his boot. While she was pull
ing off the second one, Charles Brown.
a neighbOr's son, came in to borrow
some yeast He looked with amaze
ment at Ned, as he sat in a chair while
his mother pulled of his muddy boot.
9 Does your mother pull off your
boots, Ncd?'' he asked. Why don't
you have boot-iack? Your mother
must be very good. ] would not dare
ask my mother to do such thing for
me-
Ned looked quite ashamed, although
he was such a Sc fish boy that the fact
of his m others doing such a mcnia
service for him was not what shamed
him; il was the thoug,t that Char es
Brown had seen the transaction and re-
sented it.
The next day Ned seemed to have
forgotten al about the event Of the
evening; also, the making Of the boot
ia k He went off skating with q crowd
ofboys. without as much rs bringing
rs mother one pailful Of water.
Where is your boot-ja"k, old fell
lOw?" shouted a dozen voices as Ned
went down on the ice.
II never heard Of making a boot ia *
out of a mother before, exclaimed
Harry Jones. My m Dthe would ap-
ply the boot to me externally, / guess,
if stuck my muddy boots up into her
face"
All the afternoon Ned went by the
name of "Boot-iack. H felt so III at
ease that he went home an hour earlier
than usual
"His mother met him az the door and
said " Hurry up. Ned Ned was used
10 tnlS klnd OF welcome; MS mOtncr Al
ways wanted him 10 hurry mp, and asked
him A number of questions such as:
did you water the COW this noon,
Ned"' or did YOU feed her?' II
| have not n drop of water or stick Of
wood in the house; why didn't YOU get
me some before you left2'' Ned was
used TO such questions; but when his
mother showed him a very nice box
whicl the expressman LETT az the house
/ that afternoon. directed in large letters
TO Ned Merrill. Tiptonvi le, Mass -
he was astonished and delighted.
"IU must be from your Uncle
joshua" his mother said; lit is your
| birthday tomorrow. and he has remem-
bered it."
I'm get the hatchet and open the
box, said Ned, rushing into the wood
| shed.
As usual. Jsed had to look around for
/ some minuteE to find the hatchet, be-
cause he threw his tools down wherever