The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-15
Franks Dream.


| S'NAA CiiI llOlloChoCs MY uGdU
is in tangle already. 1 will put a
dash near that, showing l think it is
pretty tough"
Having thus addressed himself, Frank
Abbott laid his slate down upon his
desk, closed his arithmetic, put that on
top 81 his slate, and then folding his
arms, rested these on the slate. It was
so much easier to do this, and then
watch the sun sinking toward the pur-
pie hills than to be in ferment and
worry about "siXteen men in fifteen
days" There he remained looking
away from his desk through the low
school-room window, while the sun
hung out more and more tempting
pieces of cloud-drapery in the western
sky, as if conscious that a school-bov
was watching the display. 1t was not
a prolonged watch on Franks part. for
the masters bell was sharply ringing
ont the warning for dismissal. Frank,
took his book under his arm and went
home. At the door he met Aunt Sa-
brina, his fathers housekeeper. She
was looking at pile of wood in the
yard, cycling it sharply through her
bright spectacles.
do you s'pose you could tackle
that, Frank?"
"You mean to saw it?'
"Well, l can't say that mean to saw,
it. Aunt S'brinay did saw and split
when she was young, but she's past that
now. Could you do itp 1t would save
your father heap. He's away coastin',
and money for the wood would eat big
hole into his pay"
Frank thought of his father in the
coasting schooner Gypsy" and knew
that his fathers fight with storm and
wave was also fight with poverty, and
he wanted to help him, but that big
wood-pile! He could saw part of it, but
he couldn't saw the whole. He shook
his head and answered Aunt S'brinay
slowly.
Fraid-'fraid not! know 1 can't
"Hum!'' said Aunt Sabrina, and she
went into the house.
After supper Frank took up his arith-
metic He also pulled out from a draw
er a slate, and then he groaned.
"Oh, dear, that question, can never
do it! Sixteen men in fifteen days.
nonsense! Aunt Sabrina," he called
aloud, ''don't you think they have some
ridiculous things in arithmetics?"
81 don't know" said Aunt Sabrinas
who was knitting. "When l was gal
they said l was pretty good at figgers."
Here Aunt Sabrina Strengthened up
her form as if conscious of new dignity
in the recollection of her old skill at
''iggers.n
"Have you tackled it?" she asked.
"You said tackle when you men,
toned the wood-pile. What good would
it dor
''Hum,' said Aunt Sabrina, as before.
That night Frank had dream. In
the air he saw beautiful building, and
over one door it said: "For Frank
A." The remaining letters of the.
second word in his name were missing.
Through the windows he saw elegant.
pictures on the wall. He had glimpses
of elegant furniture, chairs, tables, mir
rOrs.
'Is that for me?'' he asked. "What
is on my back?''
AS he asked the second question he
put his hand behind him, and did he.
feel slate that was strapped thereP A.
slate, or was it a ladder?
ats ladder, and I'll set it up against
that house and claim my property"
thought Frank.
He tried the ladder, at least planted
it on the ground, and began to-open
his eyesl He found that somehow he
had thrust his hand under the mat
trass, and was rubbing it over the bed
Stats!
Chose were the ladder-rounds,"
thought Frank.
The next morning he laughed and
said: ''Aunt Sabrina, let me tell you
my funny dream" and he rehearsed
the story of the house, of the object on
his back that felt like a slate and yet
was ladder.
"a slate, Try the ladder on your
arithmetic said Aunt Sabrina. "Per-
haps Frank A on the house meant
Frank Abbott. That is to be seem"
He laughed again.
"What do you meanp"
didn't wicked old Pharaoh have an
Interpreter of his dreams? Let me inter-
pref q don't mean to make you out
old Pharaoh). The ladder means,
make an effort and see what you can
do. Try that ladder on your arithme-
| tic
Frank made hard effort at climbing
and solved the problem.
Now try your ladder on that wood
pile, Frank"
I'm try, aunt" said Frank, laugh
ing.
He planted his saw and wood-horse
by the pile.
Aunt Sabrina, l have set up my
ladder" he shouted.
"Climb" replied that energetic rel
alive.
Over that pile, or through it, rather,
went Frank, subduing it to the very
humble state of fire-wood.
Franks dream, and we would not
forget the ingenious interpreter did
him vast amount of good.-Ed0ar@
n. Rand, IN Chicago Interior.
/