Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-11-24
DOING THINGS WELL.
Grandpa's Lesson of why He Lost a Pleas
ant Holiday.

server. though, might have noticed tina
his attention was not wholly given u
reports of the stock market or of tn,
weather. Quite frequently he glanced
over his spectacles to the corner wher,
his grandson James was engaged in ar
ranging books on a set of shelves.
James seemed not to hurry his worl
at all. He carefully took down tn,
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.
Every well done. James" said grand
pa, when the task was accomplished.
IL am glad to see you so careful and
methodical with your work You have
got through so quickly that there is
time for short story before dinner"
If there was anything that James
liked particularly, it was to hear grand
pas stories of his own boyhood. Ac-
cordingly he speedily established him
self near the armchair near the fire.
"When | was a boy" said grandpa,
81 was always in hurry. 1t was very
hard for me to take time to do anything
thoroughly. ] wanted to hasten with
whatever | might be doing in order to
| get at the next thing. 1t was a 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.
ut 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 ride together
A large sleigh, with horses and driver,
had been engaged. We were TO go ten
miles or more on Saturday afternoon
to the house of my Uncle Nathaniel,
who had kindly invited MS to supper.
He had given me a special invitation to
stay over Sabbath, promising to take
me home early Monday morning
''Of course, was delighted with the
prospect | talked OF it for week be-
forehand, and when Saturday morning
came, l could think Of nothing else.
Still there were certain things that ii
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
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 I'll the wood-closet be-
fore you can go. You know that's
regular part of your Saturdays work.
eyes, SIR l 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 impotence,
and to eat more deliberately Yet it
did seem to me that that particular
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 il
should be kept full of wood,
piled up. / FASTENED to the
woodshed, filed my wheelbarrow. and
was seon throwing the wood heller
SHELTER into the closet. had succeeded
in getting through about half of nv
job in this improper way. when my
father came along.
"'What's all this, James? What sort
Of pile are you making in that closets
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, had to spend /
in undoing what had been begun. ]
had the entry filled with loose heap
NScNsf NhNh ntdIu InG
jingle of sleigh-bells and the hurrahs of |
my sehoolmates.
20, mother, / can't gol' exclaimed. |
into the sitting-room. I'm not /
through with my work. and big bow
though l was, my eyes were filled with
tears.
How sorry 1 am, said my mother.
gently. She knew, as well as | did. |
that there would be no appeal from IA
theirs decision, and she knew, better
than / did, how wrong it would be to
allow me to go, leaving my work half
done.
shall l excuse you to the boysY
She asked
Yes. if you please, tearfully re-
piled.
Sadly ! returned to my task. but
that time l did it well. Indeed. / think
I've tried to do my work thoroughly
ever since. | am glad you don't need
such lesson, James. There's the din