The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-08-19
NED'S TEMPTATION !;
And What Came Of ReAistin. II.

out of energy, yOucan underSta'u no"
Ned felt as he stood beside the remain!
of that wood-pile on the beautiful Sat
urday morning of which | write. H'
couldn't have explained it himself: bu'
he felt that to touch Il single stick o
that wood was the one thing III tht
wide world that he could not possloly
bring himself to do. Ned's father hac
met with some pretty serious losse:
that spring, and Ned was SO anxious t
helm him bear the burden, that OF III:
own accord he had offered, as soon a:
school closed, to do all the work abou
the place for which they had been ac
cusl0med to hire Il man. His fathel
was very much pleased more-thougf
perhaps Ned could not have understood
that-at his having made the o1iel
than for the saving of money that the
offer meant, though that was most wei
come. And so each morning he got
up early, and, before he was called t'
breakfast, had fed the horse and COW
done the milking, and even accom-
plished little wedding. When the
wood arrived he attacked that, doing
little each day till Oh Friday night ne
had been able to answer in the aiflrma'
tive his fathers question us to whether
the wood would all be stored in the
shed so that the yard could be neatly
cleared up for Sunday.
On Saturday morning early his faith
er and mother had gone from home to
visit q relative several miles away, and
would not return till Monday.
you'll be sure and have the yarG
cleared up this morning, wont you,
Ned?" his father asked, as they sat at
breakfast.
"Yes, sir" replied Ned, promptly.
"And if you want to have Charlie
here to spend the nights with you, you
can do so," his mother said, smiling
across the table at him. Mora will
get anything that you ask her to fol
your meals, and | am sure that you
will enjoy yourself very much"
But when they had driven away
and Ned, after watching them out OF
sight, had gone over to the remains Of
the wood ile-why, then that sudden
loathing came over him, and he stood
there with the axe in his hand regard
ing the innocent sticks with an eX'
preston of simple disgust upon his
face.
1t was such q beautiful morning
The sky was full of soft white clouds
which kept casting the most lovely
shadows upon the sides OF the noun
tains; the river down at the foot of the
hills looked like blue ribbon as il
wound away through the meadows ano
under the bridges and as for the birds
well, as Ned himself expressed 1T rs
he stood listening to othem, "They were
Just shouting for joy ut being alive
and not having any wood to chop"
He looked down at the wood ant
then off to the glittering, shining riv
er. If he only had money to hire
boat Ito own boat was the dream O
Ned's life and go floating of down the
swiftly-tlowing stream, rowing whel
he felt SO inclined, or lying back watch
ing the clouds or the pretty banks a:
they passed them by He would stop
stop for Charlie, whose home was or
the river a mile below, and they would
have their lunch on a certain little is
land. But no; before they went there
they would try some fishing, for
though the day was ratherbright, there
was a spot where the trees met in al
arch overhead, casting deep, still shad
ows on the water, where they were al
most certain to get enough to make
very pleasant addition to their MONDAY
meal. What delightful picture for
warm summer morning! Ned haC
seated himself upon the chopping los
as he let his fancy wonder through
these pleasant paths, and by the time
that the fishing grounds had beer
reached, as he imagined himself anC
Charlie seated beneath the trees upor
the island, the fish broiling in the coal:
before them (he could almost smell th'
delicious odor,) Ned had nearly per
suaded himself that he must make i
all real. The more he thought abou
it the more impossible his task ap
peared- as was quite natural.
Aud then, having played so long
with the temptation, another natura
thing happened. The Enemy, who il
always lingering around on the watcl
for just such opportunities, Whispered
something softly in his ear. Ned looked
at the axe which he had been holding
in his hand, and from that to the wood
Then he glanced toward the house
But no, Nora would not know the diff
ference, she had not heard what hi
father said to him, and so it would b'
quite, quite easy to te II her that he wa
going up the river with Chorlie Ito bt
sure they would have to walk, for the
boat was out of the question to boy:
without the necessary fifty cents, ant
might not be back till after dinner
He could get up early on Monda,
morning and finish the wood and clea
the yard so that it would be all righ
when his father returned and h,
would never think of asking him if h,
had kept his promise and gotten all il
order for Sunday. "He always trust
you. yon know"
All! the Enemy had gone too fa
this time! At the thought of how hi
father did trust him, sudden littl'
color glowed in Ned's brown cheeks
In flash he was on his feet, bringing
the axe down upon the stick which h'
had tossed across the log, with blow
calculated to divide one twice the size
and if you had been very close yol
might have heard the word, "Sneak T"
come from between his tightly close'
lips. He was thoroughly ashamed o
himself, and disgustcd and humiliated
for he had always prided himself upol
being what he termed "above board.
But he hadn't yielded, and that wa
one small comfort! He worked will
such good will that lie more than mad
up the time which he had lost, am
presently the lat stick was finished
and in the shed. Then he brushed
that free of chips and bits of bark, an.
made Il little heap of such for "Iuicl
kindlings." After that he returned L
where the pile had been and began tn