Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-08-20
thing to do?n asked Rob in hoarse,

thing to do?" asked Rob in hoarse,
solemn tones.
The old man shook his head, and
Rob hurried to the door. How disdain-
fully looked bird and beast.
"Can you stick a swans eye INF"
shouted the old man, following Rob to
the door.
His boy heart leaped up in hope.
Could hep His heart went down. oh,
no, he couldn't! Once he made q mis-
take and put out the cats eye with Q
stick. Alas! that cats eye went
in again, and what could he or any boy
be expected to do with q swans eye?
Rob shook his head and murmured:
"N-n-n-o. sir"
sHumphl" muttered old Mr.. Blod-
gett. How did ye expect ye could
without larnin'2 You come in this way,
and let me see what you can do"
Rob did not see the old mars face.
He only saw the back part of his head
as he preceded Rob. The old gentle
man was very bald, and Rob was think
ing if nose and mouth and eyes were
marked on the back of his head, how
stern he would look. If Rob could
have seen the other side of his head!
Just the p~leasantest face in the world!
Old Jonathan Blodgett was saying to
himself:
II ought not to have scared the lit
tie TELLER so, jumpin' up behind that
counter at that rate. Dear me! To
see how his face changed! I wonder
when old Blodgett' will stop bein' a
boy! Never, Mr.. Blodgett, never!"
sDo you think you a give q swan
aaq eye, if I give you n to start with
a kood glass eye, say?" asked the old
man. The problem of the swans eye
waa now different.
Might try" said Rob, timidly, hard
ly dAring to hope.
Jonathan Blodgett watched the
slender, little fingers, with their quick
MOVEMENT, as they inserted the bit of
glass, and gave the swan his sight,
such as it was.
"I'l try you for a week." said the
old man,
Oh, such Joy as that occasioned in
the Barkham household! They were
so straitened in their circumstances
that food had been given out by the
crumb-measure. On the strength of
Rob's good luck, Mother Barkham
sent out at once and engaged of the
butcher a big mutton bone for a broth.
At the end OF q week Rob was estab-
lished i'll Jonathan Blodgett's employ,
and soon made nothing Of making even
la dead bears eyes look as lively as
q bruins running in the woods.
u ct lilo INV non, how ~ %lo,,~b& Town
than. IF he jest proves to be honest!"
Honest? He meant to be-. He was
tempted one day. Rob's old pants
would tear in the knees. In a week
his mother intended to buy new ones.
But he did want them at once, and a
dollar would place on these trouble
some knees q new covering. One even
ing, while doing extra work, furnishing
several owls, eagles, and canary birds
with eyes, he CHANGED to see a dollar on
the bench near him!
stake me" the dollar seemed to say.
How Rob did want that dollar! He
was firm, though.
aNo" he said, resolutely, gaping at
the same time, for he was very tired.
take mel"
"N-n-o!" replied Rob, nodding now.
In a little while, though, he began to
waver.
"Tn take a peek at that dollar" he
softly said, rising for q closer view.
slIl just feel of it," he concluded.
How nice the feeling Of that powerful
dollar!
"Ill-Ill-"
Here, what an cutlery was raised by
all that bewildering crowd of birds and
beasts in the shop. A hen began tc
squawk, a duck to quack, q goose tc
hiss, a monkey to angrily chatter, a
lamb to bleat in terror, a Watchdog tc
bark, while the bear growled and
scowled, looking as if he would make
a mouthful of the thief. In addition
to all this a voice was shouting, "Rob!'
1t sounded like a dreadful voice.
Rob opened his eyes, and there wal
old Mr. Blodgett, not laundering ii
terror, but saying pleasantly:
Guess you got asleep, Rob. / mus
not keep you longer. All. there is .
dollar I left on the bench. 1 am glac
to see, Rob, that you are honest.
ought to give you suthin' for extr,
work, and I won't keep you waiting fol
the extra pay till payday. You tax.
this now"
Oh, the delighted Rob!
Before mother night came thos,
troublesome knees were duly shingled
-lnterior.
The Garden Of the Gods.