San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-28
CHECKERS.

"Playing checkers!" exclaimed grandfather
Weatherby with look of great surprise.
"Well, what's the harm of checkers, grand
father!" asked Dick in a rather fretful tone
"You play checkers yourself. 1t was you
that taught me to play"
'Yes, checkers are very well in the even
ing when all the works done," said grand
father. II believe in having fun at the right
time; all work an ma play makes Jack a
dull boy. But chec:c"s in the day time!
You never saw me doing such thing as
that, did you!'
"Daytime's good enough" grumbled Dick
Eyes, plenty good enough for boy that
never means to amount to anything" said
the old farmer.
"rve done my chores and all that father
set ME to do" said Dick
''That's just the sort of talk you hear from
that sort of boy" persisted his GRANDPA
ther. He does first what he's set to do, and
then he sits down in the shade on a summer
day and plays checkers Why, when l was
your age l could have covered every one of
my twelve squares with silver piece of my
own earning. Perhaps it was because
didn't have such an easy going father as
you've got But that oughtn't to make the
difference. A boy ought to have it in him
self, and then it's sure to come out some
where"
Dick swept his hand across the board with
an impotence due partly to the keen criti-
cism of himself, partly to his inward convic-
ton that he deserved all that was said. But
it was impossible to get angry at the half
sober, half joking words of the genial old
man.
II guess you're about right, grandfather
guess it was in you and it isn't in me-"
'More's the pity" said his grandfather,
now wholly serious. Seems to me this isn't
the kind of world for boy to sit back in
and just do what he's told to do and nothing
further. Why, everything about him seems
to be saying: Look about you, you young
lubber, and see how everything's working
with you if you'll only take hand in it, Look
at the earth and the sun and the rainfall
ready to be your servants. You never see
them idling around"
Grandpa Weatherby, having said his say,
set out with sturdy strides toward his own
farm, mile distant. Dick was stung more
deeply by his words than the old gentleman
imagined
Come, let's go on" urged Sam Jones, a
lounger of the neighborhood That was a
tiptOp game you spoiled"
But Dick turned away from him in i'll HUI
NOR with himself and every one else There
was more truth in what had been said than
he liked to acknowledge. He, boy of IA,
had never raised his hand to do a thing that
was not required of him, and the require
ments had been very moderate. He had at
tended school through the school season,
dong light work the while, and in the sum-
mer had engaged in the farm work in the
easy going style his grandfather had allud-
ed to-
Il guess II is just as he says unused Dick
as he carried the checker board into the
house. There isn't many boy about here
that doesn't begin to look out for earning a
bit by the time he is as old as | am There,
old checker board, Pm getting too awfully
fond of you. YOU may 60 into that corner,
and stick there, for all of me- until have
shown grandfather I'm good for something
if can"
Dick strolled thoughtfully out into the
fields, wondering in what direction he had
better turn his energies. There was plenty
OF work all about him and he knew well that
his father would hire him and, except in the
matter of the light duties which he always
exacted from his sons, would pay him fair
price for his work.
What's all that going on over in Deacon
Blaisdell's fallowT He had talked until he
had reached the boundaries of his fathers
farm, when his attention was attracted by
wonderful amount of whooping and halloo-
ing a little way beyond.
Its a drove of catHle-and a big drove,
too Bad business if they get into the fall
low"
He made his way out to the road, which
was now filed with the cattle pressing on
through the dust. Deacon Blaisdelrs fallow
was not fenced, and the drovers were max
ing their best efforts to keep the restless herd
from straying among the logs and bushes.
1t would be unlike a farmers boy not 70
oiier his mite of help in such an emergency.
Dick took his stand In the thinly manned