Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-09-16
Checkers.

ers, grandfather asked Dick, In
rather a fretful tone. ''You play
checkers yourself. 1t was you that
taught me to play"
Eyes, checkers are very well in
the evening when all the work is
DONE" said grandfather. 81 believe
in having fun at the right time; all
work and no play makes Jack dull
boy. But checkers in the day time
You never saw me doing that did
you?"
sDaytime's good enough grum-
bled Dick.
eyes, plenty good enough for a
boy that never means to amount to
Anything" said the old farmer.
GIVE done my chores and all that
father set me to do" said Dick.
g That's just the sort of talk you
hear from that sort of boy" per-
sisted his grandfather. "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
was your age / could have covered
every one of my twelve squares with
a silver piece of my own earning.
Perhaps it was because | didn't have
such an easy-going father as you
have got. But that oughtn't to make
the difference. A boy ought to have
it in himself and then it is sure to
come out somewhere"
Dick swept his hand across the
board with an impatience due partly
to the keen criticism of himself, part
ly to his inward conviction 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.
81 guess you are about right, grand
father; 1 guess it was in you and it
isn't in me-"
''More's the pity" said his grand
father, 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 fur
ther. Why, everything about him
seems to be saying Look about you,
you young lubber, and see how ev-
erything is 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 new
err see them idling around
Grandpa Weatherby having said
his say, set out with sturdy strides
towards his own farm a mile distant.
Dick was stung more deeply by his
words than the old gentleman imag-
ined.
"Come, let's go on" urged Sam
Jones, a lounger of the neighborhood.
"That was tip-top game you spoil
ed"
But Dick turned away from him in
i'll humor with himself and every one
else. There was more truth in what
had been said than he liked to ac-
knowledge. He, boy of fourteen,
had never raised his hand to do any,
thing that was not required of him,
and the requirements had been very
moderate. He had attended school
through the school season, doing light
work the while, and in the summer
had engaged in the farm work in the
easy-going style his grandfather had
alluded to.
81 guess it is just as he says"
unused Dick, as he carried the check
er board into the house. "There is
not many boy about here that does
not begin to look out for earning a
bit by the time he is as old as l am.
There, old checker board, I'm getting
too awfully fond of you. You may
go into the corner, and stick there,
for all of me, until l have shown
grandfather I'm good for something
if / cam
Dick strolled thoughtfully cut into
the fields, wondering in what direc-
ton he had better turn his energies.
There was plenty of work all about
him, and he knew we'll 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 a fair price for his work.
"What's all that going on over in
Deacon Blaisdell's fallow?" He had
walked until he had reached the
boundaries of his fathers farm, when
his attention was attracted by a Won
derful amount of whooping and hal
looing little way beyond.
sits drove of cattle-and big
drove, too. Bad business if they get
into the fallow."
He made his way out to the road
which was now filled with the cattle
pressing on through the dust. Dea-
con Blaisdel's fallow was now fenced
and the drovers were making theil
best efforts to keep the restless herd
from straying among the logs and
bushes.
1t would be unlike farmers boy
not to offer his mite to help in sucI
an emergency. Dick took his stand
in the thinly manned line and by din
of persistent shouting and brandish
ing of branches gave valuable aid
In the course of time the drove haC
passed by, with the exception of one
lively steer which had made its way