The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-26
CHAPTER xxx.
WORKING ON SUNDAY

"Au right enough" said the boy, with
. look Of inquiry, as though wondering
what was coming next. "Why?"
"0h, nothing, only was going to
grind the hatchet and some knives and
things this morning, and thought may
be you would like to go out in the shed
and turn the grindstone for me to devel-
op your muscles. Turning grindstone
Is the healthiest thing a boy can do"
"That is all right enough" said the
bad boy as he took up sweet cracker,
s'but please take good look at me. Do
look like grindstone boy? DO I re-
semble good little boy that can't say
mo- and goes off and turns grindstone
half day for some old duffer who pays
him by giving him handful of green
currants or telling him he will be man
some day, and the boy goes of one way
with lame back, while the good man
goes the other way with sharp scythe
and . chuckle at the softness of the boy?
You are mistaken in me. have passed
the grindstone period, and you will have
to pick up another sardine who has never
done circular work. Not any grind
stone for Hennery, II you please"
"You are getting too smart" said the
groceryman as he charged pound of
sweet crackers to the boys father. "You
don't have to turn the grindstone il you
don't want to-"
"That's what thought" says the boy
as he takes handful Of blueberries.
sYou grindstone sharps who are always
laying for fool boy to give taffy to and
get him to break his back don't play it
fine enough. You bear on too hard on
the grindstone. have seen the time
when q man could get me to turn a
Rrindstone for him till the cows come
home by making me believe it was fun
and by telling me he never saw boy
that seemed to throw so much soul into
turning grindstone as did, but ! have
found that such men are hypocrites.
They inveigle boy into their nest, like
the spider does the fly, and at first they
don't bear on hard, but just let the blade
Of the ak or the scythe touch the grind
stone, and they make boy believe he is
= bigger man than old Grant.
They bet him he will get tired, and
he bets that he can turn grindstone as
long ~ anybody, and when the boy has
got his reputation at stake then they be-
gin to bear on hard, and the boy gets
tired, but he holds out, and when the
tools are ground he says he is as fresh as
daisy when he is tired enough to die.
Such men do more to teach boys the hol-
1owness Of the world and its tricky fea-
tures than anything, and they teach boys
TO know who are friends and who are
foes. No, sir, the best way is to hire
grown person to turn your grindstone.
remember turned grindstone four
hours for farmer once, and when got
through he said could go to the spring
and drink all the water 1 wanted for
nothing. He was the tightest man ever
saw. Why, Tight That man was tight
enough to hold kerosenel''
That's all right. Who wanted you
to turn grindstone anyway But what
is il about your Pa and Ma being turned
out of church? / hear that they scan
dalized themselves horribly last Sun
day."
''Well, you see, me and my chum put
up job ON Pa to make him think Sun
day was only Saturday, and Ma she fell
into it, and i guess we are all going to
get fred from the church for working
on Sunday. You see, they didn't go to
meetin last Sunday because Mas new
bonnet hadn't come, and Monday and
Tuesday 1t rained, and the rest Of the
week was so muddy no one called, or
they could not get anywhere, SO Monday
! slid out early and got the daily paper,
and or Tuesday my chum he got the pa
per of the steps and put Mondays paper
in its place. watched when they were
reading it, but they did not notice the
date.
s'Then Wednesday we put Tuesdays
paper on the steps, and Pa said it seemed
more than Tuesday, but Ma she got the
paper of the day before and looked at
the date and said it seemed so to her, but
she guessed they had lost day some
how. Thursday we got Wednesdays
paper on the steps, and Friday we rung
in Thursdays paper. and Saturday my
chum he got Fridays paper on the steps,
and Ma said she guessed she would wash
tomorrow, and Pa said he believed he
would hoe in the garden and get the
weeds out 80 it would look better TO
folks when they went by Sunday to
church. Well, Sunday morning came
and with 1t Saturdays daily paper. and
Pa barely glanced IL over as ne got on
his overalls aud went out in his shirt
f1eeves a-hoeing in the front garden,
and ] and my chum helped Ma carry
water to wash. She said it seemed like
the longest week she ever saw, but when
we brought the water and took a plate
of pickles to the hired girl that was
down with the mumps we got in the
lilac bushes and waited for the curtain
20 rike.
1T wasn't long before folks began go
ing to church, and you'd "a died laughing
20 see them all stop in front Of where
Ma was washing and lock at her and
then go on 10 where Pa was boeing
weeds and stop and look at him and
then drive on. After about dozen teams
Md passed heard Ma ask Pa If ha knew