The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-19

then walked carefully over the log; and
when he reached home he explained that
run so fast!
But running the pigs out Of the corn pre-
scented no such pretext for diversion. There
was no creek in the cornfeld, and If there
had been, the pigs would never have gone
near it. Pigs are peculiar creatures john
ME oeh 6tii that every one was possessed
ness which made them circle round and
round the field. apparently unable to find
had entered. He would come upon them.
SAMMY SAMMY, roofing IN the midst of the field.
Woof! wool! they would snort, and go
scampering OFF in more directions than there
We're pigs. Selecting some particular one,
johnnie would follow it in zigzag race to
the fence. Just ahead appeared the space
between two rails marked by mud and bris-
Ties, where the marauder had got in and
straight to this crack the pig would gallop
until within a hairs breadth of escape,
when, with frightened look it would ut
Ter another Woof. and go chasing away
at O right angle In the meantime its COM
panions in mischief had reassembIed and
were quietly feeding again before, and.
SIN undaunted. Johnnie would choose an
other Tor second heat. Again the same
provoking course would be followed, with
similar results. And then. finally when he
had become absolutely worn out and had
flung himself into fence corner to breathe,
the whole herd of swine would file gently
past MIN, and, with many a reproachful
Srunt ana whine march deliberately out of
their own accord.
There are some kinds of work which can
preference, Johnnie would always have
CHOSEN these. For example, when sent alone
70 plant pint OF beans by sticking holes
near hills of corn, one for each bean, he
could economic time at the expense Of
beans by depositing a dozen at each place
and dropping the last double handful into
bottomless crawfish hole. But. perhaps,
the very best sort of labor was that which,
Oy stretch of the imagination, he could
persuade himself was not work at all but
play, or, at least, some novel and wonder
fully lucrative employment Digging pota-
n ffCalf anl n rcrlFN bFf hNP
making believe that each potato was mug
get of gold and himself a delving miner, It
became a really splendid vocation. Nor was
cutting thistles in the pasture pastime
when taken literally; yet, when he called
each hristling plant an armed enemy end
pretended to be bold knight-errant, ii be-
came delight. So with many other forms
of chOre work, but he could never conjure
up any satisfactory glamor for the tedious
onions. Johnnie Wrinkle was not an utterly
lazy boy. 1t was not action he disliked, hut
tedium and restraint. Chiefly he desired to
40 mans work, TO accomplish great
things.
All in all his vacation was very far from
being empty, and during the little intervals
which sometimes occurred between chores
he devised many ways of amusing himself.
The dearth of boy companions was largely
most as good playmate and a better
friend than boy. He never tires of being
sorts of imposition without complaining.
Pluto was democratic dog, having no more
OF pedigree than his master. He had GER
tain traits which led Johnnie to believe that
he was full-blooded, but his ancestry was
unknown, and his yellow hair and squatty
legs lent color and form to the conviction
ME and Pluto were inseparable and much
OF the formers spare time was spent in
teaching the dog tricks. These, for the
most part, were much more wonderful to
relate than to witness, for ii required a
boys sympathetic imagination to perceive
their marvellous ''cuteness.
E. O. LAUGHIIN