New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-09-24

~ |S- clenched, and his
/ @ breath came in low
sobs. In the tall tree above his head
a robin was singing merrily, all UNI
needed by the little boy who was
grieving SO bitterly.
| For a whole year Johnnie had
planned and dreamed about a muster
that was to be held at the village on
the following day. Asleep or awake,
working or playing, throughout that
long year the child had dwelt on the
anticipated pleasure No wonder,
+ then,f that his heart was almost
broken when he found that he could
not go after all.
Johnnie,s great ambition was to
be a soldier, and often during, the
long winter evenings he sat by the
fire and watched the glowing Goals
till each one took the form of red
coated trooper on a milk white horse
Sometimes he woke in the night and
heard the sleet driving against the
roof and imagined it to be the rattle
OF musketry.
I In those days pleasures were few
and even small boys were obliged to
work hard. There were no bicycles,
no baseball clubs, nor even Fourth
of July, for America was still under
the thumb of old King George Of
England. So a muster was a great
event to the young people, and by
attending these musters and taking
part in them, they were fitting them
selves for soldiers.
| Johnnie:s mother was poor wild
ow who spun and wove for her richer
neighbors, thus supporting her three
little children. She had been I'M
usuallys busy that fall, and could not
finish the homespun breeches which
Johnnie was to wear to muster.
a So this morning she had told John
ME that he would have to stay at
home, for his old breaches were past
mending, even by her skillful needle.
Its OF no use, Johnnie, . said Mrs.
Hill, sadly, 81 cannot make them de-
cent for you to wear, SO you will
have to stay home. Try to be q
man, dear. Every body meets with
disappointments in this world, and
l hope my little son will learn to
bear them patiently
Poor Johnnie's heart had been too
full Tor utterance, SO he had rushed.out
of doors and into the woods to bat
tie with and to conquer himself. He
wa: not given to dependency, nor
would he give up thing on which
his heart was set without a severe
struggle to gain it; so ere long his
sobs ceased and he rose to his teet.
II won't stay at home if | can
help it," he determined; "there must
be a way, for 1certainly havea WILL"
Then he began to lay all sorts of I'M
feasible plans, but to no purpose.
well, crying won tmend thematter, Z"
thought the young philosopher, SO
| might aswell go back to my work"
He was soon ,hard at work, chop
ping firewood at the door, and whist
ling SO Emerrily that his mother
heaved q sigh ofrelief at the sound.
Presently, Mrs. Hill came to the
door and called, ''.Johnnie, get me a
pail of water for dinner
Johnnie took the pail and started
for the spring. Hallway there. he
paused abruptly and stood for a mo-
ment in deep thought, then cried
aloud: 81 can, know l can, and I
will" With those words, and a
whoop worthy wild Indian, he
bounded on his errand
You would never have dreamed
when Johnnie sat down to dinner that
he was the boy who had wept so
bitterly in the morning, forall traces
OF his sorrow were gone, and he ate.
his cornmeal hammock and roasted
potatoes with a relish.
At dinner he asked suddenly:
"Mother, could go to muster ii |
had some breeches?''
'sWhy Of course, replied Mrs. Hill
"1our hats and jacket are we'll
enough, but you wouldn't go in
those breaches, would your
Johnnie shook his head. sNo.
mother, he responded, Il should be
ashamed to go ragged
That's my good sensible boy.
said his mother with a loving look.
In tie afternoon Johnnie went in
to the west, room, took something
smelling of roses and sweet clover
from the high chest of drawers, and
concealing it under his jacket, stole
out ofdoors. Heran down the path
into the woods, and taking the bun-
die from under his jacket, sat down
and began to sew. Johnnie was not
used to the business, and the needle.
pricked his fingers, but on this piece
OF work depended his trip the next
day. He was determinedto succeed.
50 ne kept on steadily for long
time.
When he had finished, he viewed
his work with no small satisfaction
before again placing it under his
.ecket. Johnnie now re entered the