Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1885-08-06
WHAT JOHN FOUND.

Recess was nearly over The boys
and girls gathered in the playground
outside of the log schOol-housc, but no
play was going on. Most Of the boys
had their books in their hands, and
were poring over them If to make
up for all the idle time of Neir lives;
the girls sat on the wood pile, whis-
porng and looking at tho boys with
kind of awe.
Tho school-house was built just out
side of u mountain village in North
Carolina. The boys were dressed in
butternut, or blue cloth, the girls in a
kind of linsey, all Of which their
mothers had spun and woven.
Outside of the fence was gang of
little negroes whom the white children
ordered asOut with an air OF authority;
for, poor as they were, their fathers
were all slave owners. There was
row of shiny black faces at the top of
the fence.
CORY! Look at Mas Will! tink
he get it, y
"Pshaw! G'long, you Victory! Our
Mas Bob's twist as good u scholar.
See how he's pokin' into dat book,
The others volunteered no opinions
but shouted:
"looray! Which of ye gwDc to be
de soier? Mas Bob Sewer he gwlne
Cunncl Bob Sewer! llOorayn'
Never had there been such day
known in Uncle Jobs school
Bob Sewer, fair, thin boy, with
round blue eyes, sat on the steps, turn
ing over the leaves of his "llistOrT
Sacrc.h
lie knew every word and line; but
he turned leaf after leaf with his cold
shaking fingers.
When the little negroes shouted for
"Cunne Bob!' he felt u lump in his
throat choking him. If he should not
winl Bob had always been head boy
in the school, but during the last
month he had worked harder than ov-
cr. The cause was this: Judge Pc
tcrs, who was now congressman from
this district, had paid visit to the
village few weeks before, and had
dropped into the school one morning
and made the boys little speech.
81 was Il pupil here" he said.
There is the very desk at which sat.
Uncle job taught me pretty much all
| know. My father could not afford
TO send me to college, and ! am sure
neither can your fathers afford to send
you there. But want to give some
boy here n chance such rs did not
have. | have the appointment of ca.
Diet to West Point, and | propose in
stead of giving it to some rich man $
son, that the boy in this school who
passes the best examination 4 month
from now shall have it,"
This was the speech. 1t made the
boys as wild as il he had put fire into
their brains. Not boy there who did
not see himself colonel in full regi-
mcntals, preceded by brass band,
riding up the street of the village in
triumph. They fell TO studying, most
of them for the first time in their lives.
They never had done anything but
lounge about the sunny, hilly highland
hamlet, listening to the interminable
stories of the hunters, who came in
with peltry, orplaying "sisty out" with
the little negroes.
John Fremoy, the shabbiest of them
all, sat apart from the other boys with
his sister Louise.
Now, Lou, just hear me this page"
and he began: "Charlemagne other
wise Charles the Great, was the son of
Pepin the Short, the first of the Carlo
vingian 49, Carlovingian, oh, what
comes nextP"
dynasty" prompted Lou.
"And what's the meaning of 'dynas-
ty,' I'd like to knowP Such rubbishl
don't understand a word of it! There's s
no use to try, Lou"
Louis eyes filed and the tears rolled
down her flushed checks; but John
only shut his jaws little firmer, and
fixed his dark eyes on the ground.
They were honest, kind eyes, but dull;
very different from Bob Sewers which
glowed like lamps.
81 might as well give up, Lou. Uncle
Job says patience and hard work will
take any boy through, But there's a
difference in boys. Now, Bob Sewer
don't work half as hard over his books
as do; but Just look at him. reckon
he could go over the Carlovingians,
or any other Vingian, like a trottin'
horse"
"Oh, yes, Ireckon he could" groaD-
cd Lou. "But only think of West
Point, Jack! You'd be a gentleman
and . soldier, and see the world. An
Of you don't get it, why, then"
"Then Uncle Bill will set me ia
plowing in the fall. He said only this
morning he'd wasted enough money
on our schoolin', and you and | better
to go to work to earn our salt"
j ohm took up the book andwent al
the lesson with a desperate energy
while Lou sat crying silently.
The children were orphans and
lived with their uncle, farmer, or
Mount Craggy. He was wretchedly
poor, like ali the other mountaineers
and was, beside, a coarse, hard-natur.
ed man.
The school-bell rang.
otis coming now," said John, as he
got up and shut the book.
you're powerful on 'rithmetic
Johnny, mind that. Jest you keer
up" eagerly whispered Lou, running
along beside him.
The boys crowded into the hot little
school-room, and the girls followed
excepting Lou, who hung back, ant
finally went back to the wood-pil,
again. She knew she should not b