Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-04-08
YOUTHFUL INDUSTRY.
How 1t Was Encouraged by a Bold, Bad
SawbOn6s.

How 1t Was Encouraged by Bold, Bad
Sawbonas.
Bows shoulG never be afraid or
ashamed to do little odd jobs by which
to acquire money. Too many boys are
afraid. or at least seem to be embar-
raised when asked to do chores, and
thus earn small sums of money. In
order to appreciate wealth we must
earn it ourselves. That is the reason
l labor. l do not need to labor. MY
parents are still living, and they GER
tainly would not see me suffer for the
necessities of life. But life in that way
would not have the keen relish that it
would if earned the money myself.
Saving wood used to be a favorite
pastime with boys twenty years ago. l
remember the first money! ever earned
was by saving wood My brother and
myself were to receive five dollars for
saving five cords of wood. We al
lowed the job to stand, however, until
the weather got quite warm and then
we decided to hire a foreigner who
came along that way one glorious sum-
mer day when all nature seemed
tiekled and we knew that the fish
would be apt to bite. So we hired the
foreigner and while he sawed, we
would bet with him on various "dead
sure things" until he got the wood
sawed, when he went away owing Us
tiftyeents.
We had a neighbor who was very
wealthy. He noticed that we boys
earned our own spending money and
he yearred to have his son try to ditto.
So he told the boy that he was going
away for a few weeks and that he
would give him two dollars per cord,
or double price, to saw the wood. He
wanted to teach the boy to earn and
appreciate his money. So when the
old man went away, the boy secured a
colored man to do the job at one dollar
per cord, by which process the youth
made ten dollars. This he judiciously
invested in clothes, meeting his father
at the train in a new summer suit and
speckled cane. The old man said he
could see by the sparkle in the boys
clear honest eyes. that healthful eXer-
else was what boys needed.
When was boy l frequently ac-
quired large sums of money by carry
ing coal up two flights of stairs for
wealthy people who were too fat to do
it themselves. This money 1 invested
from time to time in side shows and
other geological attractions.
One day l saw a coal cart back up
and unload itself on the walk in such a
way as to indicate that the coal would
have to be manually elevated inside
the building. l waited till / nearly
froze to death. for the owner to come
along and solicit my aid. Finally he
came. He smelled strong of carbolic
acid, and | afterward learned that he
was a physician and surgeon.
We haggied over the price for some
time, as had to carry the coal up two
flights in an old waste paper basket,
and it was quite a task. Finally we
agreed. | proceeded with the work.
About dusk l went up the last flight Of
stairs with the last load. My feet
seemed to weigh nineteen pounds
apiece and my face was very somber.
In the cleaning saw my employer.
He was writing prescription by the
dim, uncertain light. He told me to
put the last bsskctful in the little closet
off the hall and then come and get my
pay. l took the coal into the closet,
but do not know what | did with it.
AS opened the door and stepped in a
tall skeleton got down off the nail and
embraced me like a prodigal son. 1t
fell on my neck and dropped itself all
over me. Its glittering phalanges en-
tered the bosom of my bingham shirt
and rested lightly On the pit of my
The room was dark but l
did not light the gas. | thought, for
the sake of my good name, | would
not remain. My good name and a
strong yearnins for home were all that
| had at that time.
So Invent home. Afterwards learned
that this phyician got ali his coal carried
upstairs for nothing in this way, and
ne tried to get rooms two flights fur
5her up iE the building, so that the boys
would have further to fall when they
made their egress.-BiN Nye, in Vest
m Pl0icnGn.