The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-03

bring wood and water and scrub, as
poor mother always did. Sometimes l
wish could have sprung all the way
from baby to man. It's such slow
work growing up; and it was while
mother was waiting for us to grow up
that she worked so hard"
But, my dear boy, YOU cannot eX-
pect to be son and daughter and mother
all in one. You cannot do the work
for whole family"
Yes, can; it isn't much, and I'm
going to do it and the work my father
left undone. I'm going to pay that
mortgage, if l live"
Heaven grant you may" l said fer
vently under my breath; " for not many
mothers have such son."
" Mother don't know / mean to do it,
and she is very anxious / should go to
school, and l mean to sometime, but /
know just where the boys in my class
are studying, and l get the lessons at
home. Mother reads them to me out
of the book, while 1 am washing the
dishes or doing her work and we have
great fun. try to remember and re-
peat it, and if we come to anything we
can't make out, we take it over to the
teacher in the evening; she is very
kind-she tells me-"
Very kind! Who wouldn't be kind
to such boy? How do you expect TO
save if you spend your time indoors?"
sob, l don't do girls work all day; no
indeed, / have worked out our taxes
on the road. 1t wasn't much, but l
helped the men build stone wall
down by the river; and Deacon Ball
lets me do great deal of work for him,
and when | get chance to take any,
body from the hotel to ride, he lets me
have his team for almost nothing, and
l would pay to him whatever l make.
And / work on the farm with the men
in summer; and | have COW of my
own and sell the milk at the tavern;
and we have some hens, too, and sell
the eggs. And in the fall l cut and
pile the winters wood in the sheds for
the people who havn't any boys-and
there are good many people around
here who have not any boys" he added,
brushing fly from the old horse with
the tip of his whip.
After this we fell into silence. and
rode through the sweet New England
roads, with Monadnock rising before
us, ever near us and more majestic. 1t
, impressed me with sense of its rug
f ged strength-one of the hills, rock
, ribbed and ancient as the SUM-" but l
glanced from the mountain to the little
red-headed morsel of humanity at my
side, with a sort of recognition of their
> kinship. Somehow they seemed to be-
long together. / felt as if the same
,, sturdy stuff was in both of them. 1t
T was only fancy, but it was confirmed
, the next day, for when | came back to
: town after seeing my invalid friend |
called on Dea. Ball. | found him
white-haired and kindly-faced He
: kept the village store and owned a
: pretty house, and was evidently very
well-to-do. Naturally we talked of
9 Johnny, and the deacon said to me
|, with tears in his old watery blue eyes.
+ "Why, bless your heart, sir, you
q don't think Pm going to take his
q money, do you? The only son of his
g mother, and she a widow, and tied up
! into double bow-knots with rheumatics,
+ besides. True enough let his father
have the money, and my wife she says,
7, says she to me: We'll, deacon, my
o dear, we've not got a child and shall be
h Just as well off hundred years from
a now if the widow never pays a cent,
I but 'cording to my calculations it's
:. better to let the boy think he's payin'.
V She says might as well try TO keep a
:, barrel of vinegar from workin' It's
q the mother in him and its got to work.
= We think a good deal of the widow
" Mandy and me. | did before | ever
4 saw Mandy, but for all that we hold the
!, mortgage, and Johnny wants to work
> it out Mandy and me, we are going
20 to let him work.
. | turned away, for l was going to
% sup at Johnny's house; but before
went | asked the deacon how much
Johnny had already paid.
q "Well, | don't know; Mandy knows
- pass it to her, she keeps the books
,s Drop in before you go to the train ant
~ I'll show it to you"
v l dropped in and the deacon showed
4 me the account. 1t was the book o.
a the savings bank of neighboring
y. town, and on its pages were credits Of
4 all the little sums the boy had earned
" or paid; and l saw they were standing
> in the Widow Beebe's name. graspet
-, the deacons hand. He was looking
away over the housetops to where
!. Monadnock was smiling under the good
- night kiss of the sun.
n Goodbye, sir, goodby," he said, re-
>. turning my squeeze with interest
# "Much obliged l am sure, Mandy an(
70 me, too; but don't be worried abou
N Johnny. When we see it We know thu
n real stuff it takes to make a real man
10 and Johnny has got it; Johnny is lik
" that mountain over there-chock full
!, of grit and lots of backbone. Ne,
II York World