Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-09-15
The Ingenious Boy.

In certain part of these United
States, away out West, (the exact To-
cality do not care to indicate, as do
pot wish to give the ingenious boy
away, as the slang phrase is), there
lived in small farmhouse widow
woman and her boy. The woman was
aged forty-fve "come next March," and
the boy was aged ten last April. The
husband OF the woman and father of
the boy had died about year before,
leaving his wife very small farm, two
horses, three COWS, one pig, ten chick
ems and the boy to support her.
With little help from the neighbors,
and now and then hired man, she
managed to scrub along, being helped
a good deal by the boy, who hired him.
self out, with the two horses, to haul
timber and other things for the sur
rounding farmers.
The house which they occupied was
situated in rather lonely spot some
distance from the main road, and was
reached by narrow lane or farm road.
Down this lane it was the boys custom
to drive the cows, and sometimes the
horses, every morning to pasture, and
then drive them home again at night.
Now, through this part of the coun-
try there often used to travel many
tramps and other bad chara tiers, who
had habit of stealing and driving off
any stray horses or cattle they could
lay their felonious hands on. The wild
ow, however, escaped any depredations
for some time; but one morning, when
they got up, they found their red COW
and their bay horse were gone. This
was a sad loss to these poor people, and
the widow sat down on a chair and
wept, while the boy stood by chair
and blubbered. He was fine, bright
nosed, freckel-faced, tousel-haired boy,
with good head, and eyes that shone
with intelligence. Presently, when he
had boo-hooed himself out, with a sniff
and snort which sounded like the last
gulp and gurgle of water running out
of sink, he said to his mother:
"Mother, guess them fellers won't
take no more of our stock-guess kin
fix EN-"
"Oh, Joe, I'm afeerd you can't, for
they seem to rob pretty much wherever
they've mind to-the big rs well as
the little; but whar them as has got q
plenty don't miss boss or cow here
and there, it'll just be the ruination OF
we-uns."
= "Guess I kin fix 'em," was Joe's
only rejoinder as he walked out of the
room.
That evening, as the widow was
standing at the door of her cottage,
waiting for the return of her son, with
a nice hot supper of biscuits and fried
bacon on the stove, she was good deal
astonished to see walking toward her,
all in row, one after the other, the
familiar forms of Sally, her horse, and
the two cows, walking slowly and
clumsily up the lane, each with q
human male boot on each of their -four
feet, while Joe trudged along behind.
''For PHYS sakes alive, Joe," cried
the mother, "what is the meanin' of
all thisp''
Then Joe Strengthened himself up
like rooster about to crow, and spoke:
"See here, mother, have thunk this
clusion. These here tramps when they
cum along the road they look out fol
the tracks. If they see the footprints
of cattle and bosses, they foller them
and find out where they rest at night
anu Unen at nlSnI tney SODple en-. l.
they sees the footprints of a good many
men a-goin' to place, they darsen't &C
to that place, but give it wide berth
Now l got hull lot of old boots Of
fathers, that l know'd was in the gar
ret, and rugged 'em onter the critters
feet, SOS where they walk they eacf
make the footprints like two men, sc
when tramp comes along by the enc
of our lane and looks in the mud, he
sees hull mess of mems footmarks
1.-TWO, four, six, eight, ten, twelve
fourteen counts he; several men gone
up that lane says he; guess I'll moi
go up thar" says he, and he don't"
"You are an ingenious by,' exclaimed
the mother in rapture, "but I'm feared
the scheme won't work."
But it did work, and work admirably,
for from that day to this they have
never lost a single thing from their farm
and they have four cows and calf now
besides colt belonging to Sally.
So you see the advantage of being al
ingenious boy, when ingenuity is wei
directed = The ,T7lfl0e