The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-02-17

WI will be the ruin
of me. He neve
W knows how &c
do anything right And now here he's
been and cut down all the naples and
saved the basswoods in that wood LOT
in my absence, and | found the oxen
mismated, and everything was all
wrong. A boy that don't know enough
to tell the difference between soft and
hard wood wOn't ever amount to much,
in my opinion. vas so provoked thai
/ told him he could go to bed without
his supper. Perhaps it will teach him
a lesson"
Old Squire Holton was emphatic in
his criticism of the ignorance or the
thoughtlessness that characterized the
daily doings of his farm help. To him
there was nothing excusable in such
conduct. lie had taken pains to tell
the boy just what trees he wanted
felled, and it WAS an essential matter
to him whether the naples were cut
down or left standing in that fine new
lot he had recently bought of Maj.
Jackmdn.
Il half believe the boy did it on pur-
pose TO bother me-" he concluded, as he
sat down to his supper of hot porridge
and milk and fried doughnuts which
his wife had just placed on the table.
''Oh, no, father. John wouldn't do
that" said kind, motherly Mrs. Holton.
John means to do right, but his mind
isn't on his work"
NO, that it isn't, I'll be bound" NUT
tered the squire, between his mouth
fuls of warm pOrridge.
'IIe hasn't had a mind for anything
ever since that day Gen. Washington
and his officers rode by, a month ago.
1t was only the other morning, when 1
supposed he was busy watering the
stock at the barn, and happened to
open the door for something, and there
he was, marching up and down the
floor, a turkeys tail feather stuck in
his cap band and a pitchfork at his
shoulder, and he a-giving off orders as
though he was a corporal. l almost
wish the continental army was sunk"
'Why, father" exclaimed his wife:
''and then we should lose our liberties,
and the battles of Lexington and Bun
kcr Hill and Trenton would have to be
fought over again"
We'll, it would be better, anyway,
for John if they were farther off than
Valley Forge" answered the squire,
testify, attacking a huge doughnut hat
was as crisp as frost.
And, overhead, in the large, open
garnet where bundles of thoroughwort
and pennyroyal hung down from the
long, slanting ~rafters, and which was
warmed only by the heat ascending
through a ventilator from the kitchen
below, the subject of the squire's wrath
lay listening to every word.
He was a tall, fair lad, strong and
active, with steady, gray blue eyes and
n shock of brown wavy hair that had a
knack of always falling into his eyes.
John Russell was sixteen years old,
and was an orphan. Mrs. HoltOn was
his fathers sister, and the squire, being
without children of his own. had cheer
fully consented, when 1t was first sug-
gestcd. that the fatherless boy should
come and live with them. He had lived
there now for three years, but he did
not take kindly to life on a farm
The boy had an imaginative temper
inherited from his mother. and
to drive the slow oxen day after day,
do the milking and all the drudgery in
cident TO a large farm, were not the
congenial employments. He hon
estly strove TO do his duty, though, and
the squire, if rough, was kind in his
way.
a shade of deep thought overspread
his face as he heard mis- uncle's words,
and two or three tears rolled down his
freckled face, which were bravely
away.
ale did tell me to cut the naples"
he said to himself; Il know he did,
and, as for playing soldier, what hurt
did it do? l had turned out the cows
and done just as l do every day. |
wish | was a soldier in Washington's
and | will be when l am older,
unless we whip the British before.
| do hope ! shall be able to do some
thing for my country. If l only could
If | only could"
He lay for n long time, his mind full
of conflicting thoughts. but at last he
TO sleep, and forgot alike his
trials and his ambitions in the sweet
slumber of boyhood-
In the morning when he went down
stairs into the kitchen the squire spoke
to him as though nothing had hap
pened. and be went out and fed the
as usual. At the breakfast table
lis uncle said:
You may ride over to Gcogin's mill
John, and get q load of corn
Mother says we are out of
neal, and I've no mind to give up my
ohnny-cake in the morning. You may
AXE the gray mare, and while the
.orn's being ground you can call on
Maj Frye, just beyond, and ask him i:
lie can pay the interest due an tat
note. 1t is two pounds and sixpence.
Don't forget now, and don't make a
I've got the corn put up"
".All right" answered John, cheer
ully.
And he went out and saddled old
luke, the gray mare, and in half IN
Iour was ready to start
Here's some cheese and doughnuts
or your luncheon" said Mrs. Holton,
living him a small parcel which he
laced in his eoat pocket; "and here's
new pair of mittens that / knit for
on. You'll need them to-day, for
here is Q raw cold Hr." I