The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-03
Seletteo Storp.
Backbone and Grit.

widow lives here, and she's got boy,
and he'll drive you over. He's nice
little fellow, and Dea. Ball lets him
have his team for trifle and we like to
get him job when we can"
1t was hot day in July. Away up
among the hills that make the lower
slope of the Monadnock mountain, a
friend lay very i'll. In order to reach
his temporary home, one must take an
early train to the nearest station, and
trust to the numbering old coach that
made daily trip to K. The train
some little time, was gone. The land
lord of the little white hotel appeared
in his shirt-sleeves, and, leaning his
elbows on the balcony-rail, dropped
down on the hot and thirsty traveller
what comfort could be extracted from
the opening sentence of my sketch.
Would we not come in and have
some dinner?" eyes" Would he
send for the deacon's team7" " Yes"
And the boy?" ayes"
And the dinner was eaten and the
team came round-an open buggy and
an old white horse, and just as we were
seated, the door of the little brown
house across the way opened, and out
rushed the Widows boy"
In his mouth was the last morsel of
his dinner; he had evidently learned
how to eat and run" His feet were
clad in last winters much-worn boots,
whose wrinkled legs refused TO stay
within the limits of his narrow faded
trousers. As his legs flew forward his
arms flew backward in an Intellectual
struggle to get himself inside a jacket
much too short in the sleeves.
"There he is" said the hostler;
"that's the Widow Beebe's boy. l
told him I'd hold the horse while he
went to get bite"
The horse did not look as though he
needed to be held, but the hostler got
his dime, and the boy approached in
time to relieve my mind as to whether
he would conquer the jacket or the
jacket would conquer him and turn him
wrong side out.
He was sun-burned and freckled,
large-mOuthed and red-haired - a
homely, plain, wretched little Yankee
boy; and yet, as we rode through the
deep summer bloom and fragrance of
the shaded road, winding up the long
hills in the glow of the afternoon sun,
| learned such lesson from the little
fellow as l shall not soon forget.
He did not look much like a preacher
as he sat STOPPING forward a little
whisking the flies from the deacon's
horse, but his sermon was one which !
wish might have been heard by all the
boys in the land. AS it was, l had tc
spur him on now and then by questions
TO get him to tell all about himself.
My father died, you see, and left
my mother the little brown house OPP.
posite the tavern. You saw it, didn't
you, sir-the one with the lilac bushes
under the window? Father was sicl
for long time, and when he could no
work he had to raise money on the
house. Deacon Ball let him have it, {
little at time, and when father wa:
gone, mother found the money OWED
was almost $500. At first she though
she would have to give up the house
but the deacon said, Let it wait awhile,
and he turned and patted me on thu
head; when Johnny gets big enough
to earn something | will expect him tC
pay it, | was only nine then and
am thirteen now; | remember mothe
cried and said: Yes, deacon, Johnny
is my only hope now and l wondered
what work could do. really felt al
if | ought to begin at once, but l coult
not think of anything to do"
. We'll, what did you do?" l askeC
quickly, for | was afraid he would stop
and | wanted to hear the rest.
"Well, at first did very funny thing
; for boy. Mother used TO knit sock
TO sell, and she sewed the rags to max
, rag carpets, and | helped"
GLOW? What could you do?''
"Well, the people who would like
carpet could not always get the time t,
make it. So | went to the house
among the farmers and took home thei
rags, old coats and everything the
had, and out in the woodshed rippe
and cut them up. Then mother sewe
them, and sometimes sewed some too
and then l rolled them into balls an,
: took them back to the owners all read
> to be woven into rugs"
"But did they pay you for you
> work."
|. "Oh, yes, we got so much per pound
and felt quite like young merchan
when / weighed them out with our owl
Dul that wac ohiJ OhO '
= we've two or three old apple trees GU
in the back yard by the wall, and W
! dried the apples and sold them. The
, some of the farmers who had goo
many apples began to send them to u
to dry, and we paid them so man
pounds all dry, and had the rest to sell.
! But you surely could not do muc
. in ways like these?"
] "No, not much, but something; an
we had the knitting"
Did you knit?"
"Not at first, but after Will
mother began to have the rheumatisI
@ in her hvnds, and the joints becam
q swollen and the fingers twisted and
hurt her to move them. Then / learne
to knit; before that l wound the var
for her. l had to learn to sew little
too, for mother didn't like to see tn
5. holes without patches.
And he looked half smilingly at til
specimens on his knees.
g But you did not mend those?
(. said I