The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-02-16


of me. He never
U" knows how to
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
znismated. and everything was all
wrong A boy that don't know enough
to tell the difference between soft and
bard wood won't ever amount to much.
In my opinion. was so provoked that
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. He had taken pains to tell
the boy Just what trees he wanted
feIIed. and it was an essential matter
to him whether the NAPLES were cut
down or left standing in that fine new
Got he had recently bought of Maj.
Jack,nAn.
- 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.
-tJohn means to do right, but his mind
isn't on his work"
mo, that it isn't, I'll be bound, NUT
tered the squire, between his mouth
fuls of warm porridge-
He hasn't had mind for anything
ever since that day Gen. Washington
and his officers rode by, month ago.
1t was only the other morning, when
supposed he was busy watering the
stock at the barn, and | happened to
open the door for something, and there
ne 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. almost
wish the continental army was sunk -"
why, fatherw exclaimed his wife;
land then we should lose our liberties,
and the battles of Lexington and Bun
ker 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 huge doughnut that
was as crisp as frost
And, overhead, in the large, open
srarret where bundles of thoroughwort
and pennyroyal hung down from the
2onE, slanting ra1ters, 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
= shock of brown wavy hair that had a
knacl of always falling into his eyes
,5ohn Russell was sixteen years old.
aand WAS an orphan. Mrs. Holton was
his fathers sister, and the squire, being
without children of his own. had cheer
fully consented, when it was first sug-
gested. that the fatherless boy should
scaase and live with them. He had lived
there now for three years, but he did
mot take kindly to life on farm
The boy had an imaginative temper
ament, inherited from his mother, and
co drive the slow oxen day after day,
do the milking and all the drudgery in
cident TO a large farm, were not the
Iuoss 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
dashed away.
<'He did tell me to cut the naples
he said to himself; Il know he did
and. as for playing soldier, what hur
did il do? / had turned out the cow:
and done just as l do every day.
v<ish | was a soldier in Washington
army, and l will be when l am older
s1uIess we whip the British before
But / do hope shall be able to do some
thing for my country. If only coul'
If only COULD"
He lay for long time. his mind full
OF conflicting thoughts, but at last h
sank to sleep, and forgot alike hi
trials and his ambitions in the swee
refreshing slumber of boyhood
In the morning when he went down
stairs into the kitchen the squire spok
% him as though nothing had hap
Bened. and lie went out and fed tn
czttle as usual At the breakfast tabl
his uncle said:
You may ride over to Googin's mil
TO-DAY, John, and get load of corr
szroznd Mother says we are out o
meal. and I've no mind to give up m.
jSknny-cake in the morning. You ma.
take the gray mare, and while tn
z=oru's being ground you can call Of