Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-11-03
DOING THINGS WELL.
Grandpa's Lesson of why he Lost Pleas
ant Holiday.

server, though, might have noticed that
his attention was not wholly given to
reports of the stock market or Of the
weather Quite frequently he glanced
over his spectacles 10 the corner where
his grandson James was engaged in ar
ranging books on a set of shelves.
James seemed not TO hurry his work
at all He carefully took down the
books from their places, avoiding any
rough handling of their binding. wiped
each one thoroughly with a cloth. and
put them all back in order.
Very web done, James" said grand
pa, when the task was accomplished.
81 am glad 10 see you so careful and
methodical with your work You have
got through so quickly that there is
time for a short story before dinner"
II there was anything that James
liked particularly, il was 70 hear grand
pas stories of his own boyhood. Ac-
cordingly he speedily established him
self near the armchair near the fire.
when / was boy" said grandpa,
81 was always in hurry II was very
hard for me 10 take time 10 do anything
thoroughly. | wanted to hasten with
whatever | might be doing in order TO
get at the next thing 1t was very,
very poor plan.
81 knew that it was, and so did my
parents. Indeed, they often talked to
me about this failing, and sometimes
called me back to finish the thing that
| had been doing and had left incom-
plete. Finally had a severe lesson,
which went far toward helping me TO
overcome my careless habit.
st was in the winter, and the sleigh
ing was unusually good. 1t had been
arranged that all the boys in our dis
trict school should have n ride together.
A large sleigh, with horses and driver,
had been engaged. We were to 20 ten
miles or more on Saturday afternoon
to the house of my Uncle Nathaniel,
who had kindly invited us to supper.
He had given me a special invitation to
stay over Sabbath, promising to take
me home early Monday morning.
'0f course, | was delighted with the
prospect. | talked of it for week be-
ferehand. and when Saturday morning
came, | could think of nothing else
Still there were certain things that 1t
was my duty to attend to, and knew
perfectly well that | should not be al
| lowed to leave home without having
done them. So went through the form
of attending to them, but not being
really interested in them, did all in
half-hearted, negligent way.
" Set your mind on your work, my
boy, was my fathers repeated injunc-
ton. Try to think of what you are
doing, James, my mother as many
times said. Yet | had TO be called so
often to finish what | had left half
done, that | was not through with my
tasks when the bell rang for dinner.
I'm sorry, James, said father. but
you'll have to fill the wood-closet be-
fore you can go. You know that's a
regular part of your Saturdays work
YES sir, replied, trying to hurry
with my dinner as with everything
else.
Eat more slowly, James. said my
mother, otherwise your food will do
you no good
so | tried to restrain my patience
and to eat more deliberately Yet it
Z
meal was unnecessarily long. At
length il was concluded, and then was
at liberty to fill the wood-closet, as
should have done in the morning.
1t was small closet off the
kitchen. The rule was, that it
should be kept full of wood.
regularly piled up. FASTENED to the
woodshed filled my wheelbarrow, and
was soon throwing the wood heller
SHELTER into the closet. l had succeeded
in getting through about half of my
job in this improper way, when my
father came along.
whats all this, James? What sort
Of pile are you making in that closet?
You'll have to take the wood out and
put it back in an orderly manner OF
course, ! didn't like that decision, but
had to submit to it, nevertheless.
'The time might have spent in fin.
ishing my task properly l had to spend
in undoing what had been begun
had the entry filled with a loose heap
of wood, when suddenly heard the
jingle Of sleigh-bells and the hurrahs Of
my sehoolmates
20, mother | can't go. exclaimed,
rushing into the sitting-room I'm not
through with my work. and big boy
though was, my eyes were filled with
tears
How sorry | am, said my mother,
gently. She knew, as well as did.
that there would be no appeal from ia.
TIERS decision, and she knew. better
z thop 3;d how, ,AtrCptr Il would -,