The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-06-20

Tor that day., ana ne knew LIaJ ne "OuIu
be the laughing stock of all the boys as
they came past and saw him set to work
like a "nigger." But a great inspiration
burst upon him, and he went TRANQUILITY
to work. What that inspiration was
will appear from what follows;
One of the boys, Ben Rogers, comes
by and pauses, eating particularly fine
apple. Tom does not see him. Ben
stares for a moment and then says:
"Hi-yi! you're a stump, amt you?"
No answer. Tom surveyed his last
touch with the eye of an artist, then he
gave smother gentle sweep and sur
veyed the result as before. Ben ranged
up alongside of him. Toms mouth
watered for the apple, but he stuck to
his work. Ben said:
Hello, old chap; you've got to work
hey?"
''Why, it's you, Ben. 1 wasn't MOTTO
ing"
Say, l am going in swimming am.
Don't you wish you could? But of
course you'd rather work, wouldn't you?
Course you would"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and
said:
What do you call work."
"Why, amt that, work."
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and
answered carelessly
Well, may be it is, and maybe it
amt. All / know is, it suits Tom Saw
yer.
ooh, come now,you don't mean to let
on you like it,"
The brush continued to move.
Like it? Well, / don't see why I
ought to like it. Does a boy get a chance
to whitewash a tense every day?"
That put the thing in . new light.
Ben stopped nibbling at his apple.
Tom swept his brush daintily back and
forth, stepped back to note the effect,
added a touch here and there, and criti-
cised the effect again, Ben watching
every move, and getting more and more
interested, more and mor absorbed.
Presently he said:
"Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little"
Tom considered-was about to consent
but altered his mind.
"No, no; I reckon 1t would hardly do
Ben. You see, Aunt Poliy's awful par
ticular about this fence-right here on
the street, You know--but if twas the
back fence / wouldn't mind, and she
wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular
about this fence; its got to be done very
careful; | reckon there amt a boy in
a thousand, maybe two thousand, that
can do it in the way it SCOT to be done"
Nos that so? Oh, come now,
femme just try, only just a little. I'd
let you, if you was me, Tom"
"Ben, I'd like to, honest Injun, but
Aunt Polly-well, Jim wanted to do
it, but she wouldn't let him. Sid
wanted to dot, but she wouldn't let Sid.
now, don you sec how I am fixed? If
You was to tackle this fence and any
thing was to happen to it"
ooh, shucksl I'll be just as careful.
Lemme try. Say-I1l give you the core
of my apple"
Well, here. No, Ben; now don't;
I'm afear-"
@I1l give you all of itl"
Tom gave up the brush with reluc-
lance in his face, but a~lacrity in his
heart. And while Ben worked and
sweated in the sun the artist sat on a
:barrelin the shade close by, dangled his
legs, munched his apple, and
planned the slaughter of more
i~nnocents. There was no lack of materi-
al; boys happened along every little
while; they came to ieer, but remained
to whitewash. BY the time Ben was
tagged out Tom had traded the next
chance to Billy Fisher for a kite in good
repair; and when he played out John
Miller bought il for a toy rat and a
string To swing it with; and SO on, hour
after hour. And when the middle of
the afternoon came, from being a poor,
poyerty-stricken boy in the morning,
Tom was literally rolling in wealth.
He had. besides the things / have men
toned, twelve marbles, part Of a jaws
harp, q piece Of blue bottle glass to
look through, a spool cannon, a key
that wouldn't unlock anything, q frag-
ment of chalk,a glass stopper of q de-
canter, q tin soldier, q couple of tad
poles, six f~re-crackers, a kitten
with only one eye, q broken door-knob,
q dog collar-but nodog-the handle Of
. knife, four pieces of orange peel, and
q dilapidated old window sash. He had
q nice, good. idle time all the while
plenty Of company-and the fence had
three coats Of whitewash on It'll H he
had not run out Of whitewash he would
have bankrupted every boy in the vii
Iage.
Tom said to himself that it was not
such d hollow world after all. He had
discovered d great law Of human action
without knowing it-namely, that IN or.
der to make man or boy covet q thing il
Is only necessary to make it difficult To
attain.-Chicago News.