The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-22

III
pile on the beautiful Sat
urday morning of which | write. He
couldn't have explained it himself,
but he felt that to touch single stick
of that wood was the one thing in the
wide world that he could not possibly
bring himself to do. Ned's father
had met with some pretty serious
losses that spring, and Ned was SO
anxious to help him bear the burden,
that of his own accord he had offer
ed, as soon as school closed, to do all
the work about the place for which
they had been accustomed to hire a
man. His father was very much
pleased; more though perhaps Ned
could not have understood that-at
his having made the offer than for
the saving of money that the offer
meant, though that was most well
come. And 50 each morning he got
up early, and, before he was called
to breakfast, had fed the horse and
COW, done the milking, and even ac
complished a little wedding. When
the wood arrived he attacked that,
doing little each day till on Friday
night he had been able to answer in
the affirmative his fathers question
as to whether the wood would be all
stored in the shed so that the yard
could be neatly cleared up for Sunday.
On Saturday morning early his
father and mother had gone from
home to visit relative several miles
away, and would not return till Mon
day.
You'll be sure and have the yard
cleared up this morning, won't you
Ned?" his father asked, as they sat at,
breakfast.
Eyes, 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, smil-
ing across the table at him. Mora
will get anything that you ask her to
for your meals, and l 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 -pile-why, then that sud
den loathing came over him, and he
stood there with the axe in his hand
regarding the innocent sticks with an
expression of simple disgust upon
his face.
1t was such 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
it wound away through the meadows
and under the bridges; and as for the
birds-well, as Ned himself expressed
it as he stood listening to them, They
were just shouting for JOY at being
alive and not having any wood to
chop
He looked down at the wood and
then off to the glittering, shining
river. If he only had money to hire
a boat Ito own boat was the dream
of Ned's life) and go floating off
down the swiftly flowing stream,
rowing when he felt so inclined, or
lying back watching the clouds or
the pretty banks as they passed them
by! He would stop for Charlie,
whose home was on the river mile
below, and they would have their
lunch on certain little island. But
no; before they went there they would
try some fishing, for, though the day
was rather bright, there was spot
where the trees met in an arch over
head, casting deep, still shadows on
the water, where they were almost
certain to get enough to make very
pleasant addition to their MONDAY
meal. What delightful picture for
a warm summer morningl Ned had
seated himself upon the chopping
log as he let his fancy wander
through these pleasant paths, and
by the time that the fishing grounds
had been reached, as he imagined
himself and Charlie seated beneath
the trees upon the island, the fish
broiling in the Goals before them (he
could almost smell the delicious
odor), Ned had nearly persuaded