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

Johnnie Wrinkles world was narrow. 1t
consisted of two or three square miles of
farm land, bounded by an irregular horizon
Of timber out Of which the sun rose each
morning and into which it disappeared each
night. Strange uncanny shadows flied this
sylvan borderland and beyond lay mystery
impenetrable: but the sky reached to stu
pendous height and was very blue above.
Across this world, even as the milky way
grit the heavens, ran the country road a
wonderful unknown path, leading out Of
space into space and joining together a
universe of planetary systems of a vast
ness and Importance but dimly guessed 1t
was a small world, but it was a very busy
and contented one, full of life and sunshine
and SO abundant in production that its har-
vests annually overfowed into other
worlds.
To sojourner from the sulphurous,
Mars-like city it might have presented a
somewhat drowsy, humdrum appearance at
times-its peace might have been mistaken
for dullness. it's quietude for loneliness; but
to it's native inhabitants who knew its un-
derlife and the subtle, silent magic Of the
seasons, it Vas the best and most beautiful
of worlds. It's grand opera opened with a
mighty frog chorus and closed with rare
solo by Madam Whip-poor-w Each
Fourth of July nature sent forth myriads
of glowing fire-flies and hung out glittering
lanterns; and the moon and stars
occupied the armament night after night
Bon-bons clustered on every bush and
bramble to be had for the picking Mulber-
ries grew luscious in May, strawberries in
June, blackberries in July and all sorts of
nuts, not to mention pawpaws and persim-
mons, ripened during the fall. There was
plenty of fish in the brooks, game in the
woods-health, wealth and happiness every
where.
Such was Johnnie's world, such was the
Garden of Eden; but the tree of knowledge
was there, and the serpent, and when one
had tasted the fruit he was sure to realize
his own nakedness and recognize good and
evil in paradise. Moreover his bread was
not to be acquired except by profuse per-
spiration, and Johnnie early learned this
lesson. Chief among his duties was doing
cEores"-a term which includes all manner
of unclassifed labor upon the farm-hewing
of wood, drawing water, feeding cattle
milking, driving, riding, walking, running
the catalogue was simply endless. Chores
awoke him early each morning, and always
babe him a tardy, tired goodnight. They
were never done. They took on protean
shapes and assumed titanic dimensions. Ee
turned the horses into the pasture at night
only to trudge after them in the morning
He weeded the onion bed to-day, to hoe the
potatoes tomorrow and weed the onions
again the day after. Whatsoever he sowed
that also he had to reap, and sow and reap
again. Nay. the biblical axiom did not ex-
press it by half, for not only must he SOW
and reap, but prepare the soil and till it..
One of the most formidable subdivisions
of the chores was known as running
errandS. 1t was always run-neyer walk
or ride-run to Mr.. Smiths and borrow
their post auger, run to Aunt Mary's and
fetch jug or water run to the field and
call the Lnen to dinner, run the calf out of
the yard run the pigs out of the corn, run
nome, run aWay-run, run everywhere.
That was Johnnie's strongest reason for
wanting W1ngS-So that he might rest his
weary limbs now and then by flying. Some
people seemed TO think boys never grew
tired AS If they were not always tired,
except when playing! Running errands
would doubtless exhaust every boy and
dwarf his nature beyond repair, were Ii not
for his genius of eyading things and pre-
varicating. Imagine Johnnie running all
the way TO Aunt Marys and back again,
for instance, without once stopping He
knew IL was impracticable, preposferous
for how could he run over fences and
through the creek? No boy could run in
water up TO his neck. and the only other
slippery log. Being thus convinced that
the admoniiion could not be obeyed liter
ally, Johnnie did not undertake. it He
usually started on rum but when he came
to the creek he stripped and swan II dog
fashion-baek and forth several times-and