Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-08-07
THE LITTLE CHAP.

THE LITTLE CHIP,
The Little Chap had been humored from
the time he was born, but then he was such
fascinating Little Chap that nobody
could help humoring him. He was stub
born, he was headstrong he was naughty.
if YOU like. the Little Chap; but in his
very naughtness there was something re-
ally captivating which won your heart, but
played the mischief with your dignity.
When he stood before You with his legs
far apart. his hands in the pockets of his
much-patched trousers, and the magni-
tude of his defiance so out of proportion to
that of his tiny body, you were altogether
at a disadvantage, and l am not sure but
that the Little Chap in the innocent sly
ness of his heart felt that you We're at his
mercy. A little patched cherub like him,
with tousled blond hair and an enormous
sense of his own Importance, would have
been no mean antagonist to Hercules him
self: and, what is more, so secure was he
in the consciousness of his valor that he
would not have been afraid to tackle Her
cules.
The Little Chaps father, Amund Myra
was a carpenter by trade and lived in one
of the lOnelieSt mountain valleys of Nor
way. His wife Kari, had presented him
10 her to present him with a son. and his
Joy at the last arrival had only been equal
led by his disgust at the five previous ones.
The Little Chap took instant possession of
his fathers heart, which had been kept
purposely vacant for his reception. When
the nurse brought him on the evening of
his arrival upon a pillow. and placed him
across Amund's knees, the carpenter freely
forgave his wife her five past delinquencies
in consideration of the Little Chap. For
this was not the usual infantle vegetable
that simply fed and slept. 1t was quaint
and sturdy little personality, that took in
the world his father included, with a slow.
wondering gaze, and seemed to do a vast
deal of profound and solemn thinking.
Amund could not rid himself of the i'm
preston that his son viewed him rather
critically, as if he were debating with him
self whether, on the whole, he liked his
appearance and found him a fairly salts
factory parent. He was very much afraid
that he did not come up to the Little Chaps
standard; he was absurdly anxious to
make as favorable an impression as posi-
bic. There was something peculiarly wise
and venerable in the Little Chaps aspect
as he lay there upon the pillow. "What
tremendous secrets that Little Chap must
KNOW unused his father, ''if he only chose
to divulge them-secrets of the sun and
the moon and the great unknown from
whence he Gamer
And thus it happened that from the hour
of his arrival the Little Chap came to be
regarded as person of tremendous conse-
quence. 1t was impressed upon him from
the time he lay in his cradle that he was a
boy, and that boy was a superior kind of
creature, who had nothing except certain
a int of in,
with girls, which latter species had been
wisely created by the Lord to wait upon
him. He was not very big before
Amund, who could not bear to be separat-
ed from him. got into the habit of taking
him along when he went out into the val
ley to do a job. There the Little Chap
would sit proudly perched upon his fathers
shoulder, bundled up in scarfs. and with a
fur cap that was much too big for him
pulled down over his ears. He was not a
talkative child: but there was a slow and
Old-fashiOned kind of gravity about him
which made everything he said infinitely
droll. He took himself very seriously and
allowed no trihing with his dignity. He
took much satisfaction in the thought that
he was helping his father: and Amund
rather encouraged the idea. giving him a
hammer with which he pounded nails into
his fingers. And all day long, while the
carpenter worked whether indoors or out
of-doors, the Little Chap hustled about
him, sat in the shavings whiting sticks,
or Clipped the edge of the plane by run
ming ii into the heads of the nails. which
he drove III wherever a convenient place
presented itself. But whatever mischief
he got into, whatever tools he ruined.
Amund regarded it only as a fair price
which he paid for his company And new
er once did he scold the Little Chap, but
grayely explained to him why he must not
do such things, as if he had been a grown
up man. And the Little Chap would lis
ten gravely, with quiyering underlip: and
when the kindly homly was at an end he
would lie very STILL with his head buried in
the shavings, feeling terribly Inundated at
the thought Of his delinquency. The next
day, when Amund started out. carrying his
tools in a bag on his back, the Little Chap
would meet him at the door, and with a
dubious and anXiously eXpectant look
would ask:
May | help you today, dad?'
Yes, Little Chap, you shall help me to-
day, Amund would answer, heartily. as
he lifted him up on his shoulder. How
could dad get along without his Little
Chap"
Many time, too, when his comrades
whistled for him under the window, and he
was sorely tempted to accept the invitation
to join in their games, the thought would
occur to him that his dad needed his help;
and gravely he would 90 to the door, and,
with drol sense of responsibility, explain
TO them that he had to help his dad.
Thus winters passed, and summers, I'M
til the Little Chap was eight years old. He
tyTannized over his sisters as usual, and
accepted their worship as nothing but his
due He was a sore trial TO his mother on
account of his stubbornness, and because
he was $50 hard on his clothes" But TO
his father he was a stanch and loyal friend:
/ could almost say an older friend, for he
began early to feel kind of responsibility
for Amund, and drOll kind of protector
ship. He made him go back and put on
his coat when he started out in his shirt
sleeves in chilly weather; he would send