The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-05-19
"JEST LET 1T HURTr'

We were hunting among the Ten
nessee mountains and came upon a log
cabin on sunny southern slope. The
only evidences of prosperity were to be
found in a brood of tow-headed little
children who were scampering about
the dooryard. The oldest was a sturdy
lad of Il or 10. He told us his own
name in answer to our query. and then
we asked him that of a little shaver
of or 6, who was tagging him around
like a shadow.
His name? He amt got no name.
We Just call him Monkey. That's his
name-just Monkey, and he's meant"
What does he do?"
"Bothers! Bothers dad and mann and
all the young ones and me. He both
ers me when / work and when l play"
DO you have to work?"
Work? Well, I should say. I cut
all the wood that's cut for this here
place"
He was worker, sure enough; but
when he heard the guns go off, he went
off with them. He followed us over
hill and vale, through forest and clear
ing, through stubble fields and bram-
BILE patches. AS he emerged from one
of those tangled masses of blackberry
bushes which are so common in that
region, I noticed that his little bare
shins from his knee to his ankle were
just streaming with blood.
'Whew!" said l, sympathetically.
That's nothin,.'
Don't It hurt?"
Hurt? You bet it's hurts!"
What are you going to do about
it?"
DO? I amt a-goin' to do nothin' but
Jest let it hurt,''
Now, that is just the kind Of stuff
that makes meni
Jest let it hurt Don't squeal,
don't kick, don't put up your lip; but
Jest let it hurt" It is not such a bad
education as some others for a boy to
go stumbling barefooted around farm
or through a country village. 1 pity
the boy who has never done it. Some
of the little shavers one sees around
our city streets almost seem to have
been born with their shoes on! The
thumps and scratches which barefoot
ed boys have to take are good things
for them in the long run, although
they are no fun at the time. When a
little fellow is out after quail or speck-
led trout, and gets about five miles
from his mother and her arnica, and
then tears the hide off his legs or
knocks the nail off his toe, the very
best thing he can do is to Jest let it
huFt!"
And, for that matter, it is the best
thing a boy. after he has grown to be
man and come to wear 81 Shoes can
do in most of the troubles of life. There
are Just about so many stones and
bramble patches lying along the path
way of every mans life, and whoever
he is, he must go through them bare
footed! At least have never heard of
any kind of a protector that is stone
proof and bramble-proof, although I
have been looking for them induStri
ously ever since l lost the first toe
nail! And the sharpest and most care
full man cannot dodge them all! Emer-
gencies will come when he who has
been used to creeping carefully around
the thorny places will have to plunge
recklessly through, and he who has
been always looking down for stones
will have to just look up and wildly
take his chancesi Scratched and
bruised he will be, and the only ques-
ton of any Importance is how he is
going to take it?
Some of US set up mighty howl of
complaint. Some of us settle down in
to state of sullen and silent rebellion.
Some of US go whining around for other
peoples court-plaster and arnica.
But now and then you see some little
Spartan like my Tennessee mountain
eer grown to manhood, who straightens
himself up, puts on a cheerful smile
and lest lets it hurt!"
Those are the kind Of people we adj
mire and love to tie to. 1t will be many
a day before forget the sight of those
bleeding legs and the stern-set but
cheerful face of the little TennesSean.
Selected.