The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-09-05
WHAT JOHN FOUND.

Recess was nearly over The boys
and girls gathered IN the playground
outside of the log schoolhouse but no
play was going on. Most of the boys
had their books in their hands, and were
porting over them as if to make up for all
the idle time of their lives the girls sat
on the wood pile, whispering and look
ing at the girls with kind of awe.
The school.house was built just out
side OF a mountain village in North
Carolina The boys were dressed in
butternut, or blue cloth, the girls in a
kind of linscy, all of which their
mothers had spun and woven.
Outside Of the fence was a gang of
little negroes, whom the white children
ordered about with an air of authority
for, poor as they were, their fathers all
were slave owners There was a row of
shiny black faces at the top of the fence.
CORY! Look at Mas Will! l tink
he get it,"
"Pshaw! G'long, you Victory! Our
Mas Bobs twict as good a scholar. See
how he pokin' into dat book"
The others volunteered no opinions,
but shouted;
y
de sojcr? Mas Bob Sewer he gwlne
Cunnel Bob SEWER. IIooray"
Never had there been such day
known in Uncle Jobs school.
Bob Sewer. fair, thin boy, with
round blue eyes, sat on the steps, turning
over the leaves of his " Historic Sacre .
He knew every word and line; but he
turned leaf after leaf with his cold,
shaking fingers.
When the little negroes shouted fol
"Cunnel Bob" he felt lump in his
throat choking him. If he should Lot
win Bob had always been head boy in
the school, but during the last month he
had worked harder than ever. The
cause was this: Judge Peters, who was
now Congressman from this district, had
paid visit to the village few weeks
before, and had dropped into the schoo
one morning and made the boys little
speech.
Il was pupil here, - he said. "Therc
is the very desk at which | sat. Uncle
JOB taught me pretty much all | know
My father could not afford to send me tC
college, and am sure neither can YOU
fathers afford to send you there. But
want to give some boy here chance
such as did not have. have the an
pointmcnt of cadet to Yves Point, anC
l propose instead of giving it to some
rich mans son, that the boy in thi:
school who passes the best examination
month from now shall have it.
This was the speech. 1t made thu
boys as wild as if he had put fire int
their brains, Not boy there who die
not see himself colonel in full regiment
ais, preceded by brass band, riding ~
the streets of the village in triumph
They fell to studying. most of them 70
the first time in their lives. They neve
had done anything but lounge about tn,
sunny, chilly highland hamlet, listenin!
to the interminable stories of the hunters
who came in with peltry, or playin!
''sisty out" with the little negroes.
John Fremoy, the shabbiest of then
all, sat apart from the other boys Will
his sister Louise.
"Now, Lou, just hear me this page,
and he began; 'Charlemange, other
wise Charles the Great, was the son O
Pepin the Short, the first of the Carlo
vingian -Carlovingian' what come
neXt!'
"'Dynasty,'" prompted Lou.
"And what's the meaning of dynasty
I'd like to know2 Such rubbish. don
understand a word of it! There's no us
70 try, Lou.'
LOUIS eyes filed, and the tears role,
down her flushed cheeks; but John onl
shut his jaws little tirmer, and fixed hi
dark eyes on the ground. They wcr
honest, kind eyes, but dull; very differ
ent from Bob Sewers, which glove
like lamps.
II mi ght as well give up, Lou. Uncl
Job says patience and hard work wi
take any boys through. But there's
difference in boys. Now, Bob Sc, ie
don't work half as hard over his book
as | do; but just look at him. / recko
he could 60 over the Carovingians, c
any other Ningian, like trottiI
horse"
"Oh, yes, reckon he could" groane
Lou. But only think of West Point
jack You'd be a gentleman and
soldier, and see the world. An eff yo
you don't get it, why, then"
"Thcn Uncle Bill will set me TO pillow
ing in the Fall. He said only tn
morning he'd wasted enough money O
our schoolin', and you and be to go t
work to earn our salt"
John took up the book and went {
the lesson with desperate energy, viii
Lou sat crying silently.
The children were orphans and live
with their uncle, a farmer, on Mou
Cra@9y. lie was wrctchcdly poor, liz
all the other mountaineers, and was, b.
side, a coarse, hard naturcd man.
The school-bcll rang.