West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-05-10
CHAPTER xxx.
WORKING ON SUNDAY.

"Hellor' said the grocery man to the
bad boy as he came in looking sick at
heart and all broke up. How is your
muscle this morning.
"Alf right enough" said the boy. with
look OF inquiry. as though wondering
what was coming next. "Why7"
ooh. nothing. only | was going to
grind the Ratchet and some knives and
things this morning. and thought may
be you would like TO go out I'm the shed
and turn the grindstono for me TO devel-
op your muscles. Turning n grindstone
Is the healthiest thing boy can do"
THAT is all right enough" said the
bad boy as be took up sweet Cracker,
"but please take good look ut me. DO
look like grindstonc boy? Do re-
semblc good little boy that can't say
10 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
come day. and the boy goes Off one way
with lame back, while the good man
goes the other way with n sharp scythe
and chucklc mt 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 Hcnnery, IL you please"
"fou 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 grindstouo ~ you
don't want to-"
That's what thought" says the boy
as he takes n handful of blueberries.
"You grindstone sharps who are always
laying for a fool boy to give taffy to and
get him to break his back don't play IL
line enough. You bear on too hard on
tho griDastone. have seen the time
when a man could get me to turn a
grindstone for him till the cows come
home by making me believe il was fun
aud 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 jast let the blade
of the AK or the scythe touch the grind
stone, and they make boy believe he In
a bigger man than old Grant
"They bet him he will get tired, and
he bets that he can turn grindstone az
long as anybody, and when the boy has
got his reputation Mt stake then they be-
gin to bear on hard. and the hoy gets
tired, but he holds ont, and when the
tools are ground he says he ia as fresh ms
daisy when he is tired enough to die
Such men 60 more to teach boys the hol-
lowness Of the world and its tricky fea-
t,rr J.. 4 Il
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 griudstone four
hours for q farmer once. and when got
through he said could go to the spring
and drink all the water | wanted for
nothing. he was the tightest man ever
saw Why, tight That man was tight
enough to hold kerosener'
That's all right. Who wanted Won
to turn grindstone anyway? Bur what
Is 1t about your Pa and Ma being turned
out OF church, ! hear that they scan
dalized themselves horribly last Sun
day"
We'll. you see. me and my chum put
mp job on Pa to make him think Sun
cay was only Saturday. and Ma she fell
into 1t. and ] guess we are all going 70
get fired from the church for working
on Sunday. You see. they didn't 20 TO
meetin last Sunday because Mas new
bonnet hadn't come, and Monday and
Tuesday II rained, and the rest Of the
week was so muddy no one called. or
they could not get anywhere, so Monday
cid out early and got the daily paper
and on Tuesday my ehum he got the pa
per oil the steps and put Mondays paper
in its place. watched when they were
reading II, but they did not notice the
date.
Then Wednesday we put Tuesdays
paper on the steps. and Pa said It seemed
more than Tuesday. but Ma she rot the
paper Of the day before and looked at
the date and said 1t seemed 50 to her. but
she guessed they had lost q day some
bow. Thursday we got Wednesdays
paper on the steps. and Friday we rung
IN Thursdays paper and Saturday my
chum he got Friday paper on the steps.
md Sia said she guessed she would wash
tomorrow. and "a said he relieved he
wonld hoe IN the garden and get the
weeds out 80 II would look better 10
folks when they went BY Sunday TO
church Well Sunday morning came
and with q Saturdays daily paper. and
"a barely glanced II over az be got on
his Overalis and went ont In his shirt
sleeves a-hoeing in tho front garden.
and fand my chuln helped Ma carry
water TO wash She said IL seemed like
TIRE longest week she ever saw. but when
we brought the water and took n plate
81 pickles 70 the birod girl that was
down with the munps we got IN the
lilac bushes and waited for che curtain
- ire.
IL wasn't long before folks began 70
ing i0church. md you'd "a died laughing
% zee fhcn aij stop in front Of where
Ma wna washing ard look ~ her and
ttfu 30 on ~ whore Ia was hoeing
weedF and stop ard look 1T him and
-. "a