Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-08-04
The Broken Saw.

n DOy WeHU 10 live WITH u man WHO
was accounted hard master. He
never kept his boys-they ran away,
or gave notice they meant to quit, so
he was half his time without or in
search of boy. The work was not
very hard-opening and sweeping out
the shop, chopping wood, going err
.rands, and helping round. At last
Sam Fisher went to live with him.
SANS good boy" said his mother.
Il should like to see boy nova
days that had spark of goodness in
him." growled the new master.
1t Is always bad to begin with a
man who has no confidence in you,
because, do your best, you are likely
to have little credit for it. However,
Sam thought he would try. The
wages were good, and his mother
wanted him TO go. Sam had been
there but three days before, in saw
ing cross-grained stick Of wood, he
broke the saw. He was a little
frightened. He knew he was care
full, and, he knew he was a pretty
good sawyer, too, for boy OF his age;
nevertheless, the saw broke In his
hands.
"Mr. Jones will thrash you for n, :"
said another boy, who was in the wood
house with him.
"Why, of course / didn't mean it,
and accidents will happen to the best
of folks, said Sam, looking with a
very sorrowful air on the broken saw.
"Mr. Jones never makes allow
ances," said the other boy. Il never
saw any thing like him. That Bill
might have stayed, only he jumped
into hens nest and broke her eggs.
He daren't tell Of. it; but Mr.. Jones
kept suspecting, and suspecting, and
laid everything out of the way to
Bill, whether Bill was to blame or
not, till Bill couldn't stand it, and
wouldn't.
did he tell Mr.. Jones about the
eggs?" asked Sam.
"No," said the boy, "he was afraid.
Mr.. Jones has got such a temper
IL think he'd have better owned up
at once" said Sam
Il suspect you'll find 1t better to
preach than to practice" said the
boy. I'D run away before I'd tell
him" And he soon turned on his
heel and left poor Sam alone with his
broken saw.
The poor boy did not feel very COM
Portable or happy. He shut up the
woodhouse, walked out into the gar
den and went up to his little cham
Der under the caves. He wished he
could tell Mrs. Jones, but she wasn't
sociable.
When Mr.. Jones came into the
house the boy heard him. He got
up, crept down stairs, and met Mr..
Jones in the kitchen. Sir" said
Sam, Il broke your saw, and thought
I'd come and tell you before you saw
it in the morning"
What did you get up to tell me
for?" asked Mr.. Jones. IL should
think morning would be time enough
to tell of your carelessness.
Because" said Sam, Il was afraid
IL put it of l might be tempted to
lie about it. am sorry broke it,
but / tried to be careful"
Mr.. Jones looked at the boy from
head to foot, then, stretching out his
hand: "There, SAM" he said, heart
lily, give me your hand; Shake hands.
I'll trust you, Sam. That's right,
that's right. Gro to bed, boy. Never
fear. Pm glad the saw broke; it
shows the mettle's in you. Go to
bed"
Mr.. Jones was fairly won. Never
were better friends after that than
Sam and he. Sam thinks justice had
not been done Mr.. Jones. If the
boys had treated him honestly and
"above-board, he would have been
good man to deal with. 1t was their
conduct which soured and made him
suspicious. / do not know how that
is. j only know that Sam Fisher
finds in Mr.. Jones kind master and
a faithful friend. tract.