The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-09-12
WHEN WILLIE HIRED OUT.

aa "a lever could be; and the ache in his
L.srt seemed to swell, and the hurt in
~. throat choked him, and his eyes
i;mmed until he could no longer see
IRE him the tender western sky with
~. rapldly fading bands of gold. He
-..membered how happy and proud he
Hi been only three weeks before when
i,,,as inst offered a chance to work on
n, Ipamington's farm through the
..,Imry He felt then that at last he
,'5. cong to do something for himself,
.r3 he counted not among the little
..tav, of the village, but with the
old enough to earn money for
,-mselyes. He knew that in his fam
.. each one of the children must be
5.m.pded on for good, honest work
.,5ner or later, and he had no notion
X Sinking.
willie had done much to help his
o0t'ler and the others already; for he
5.d driven the cows, and chopped the
Innings. and filled the woodbox, and
.,.nt,.ed the horse, and fed the Great
lies an the farm, and carried the but
-.r ro town and dug potatoes, and ran
sauis for the summer boarders, and
.,,r.uues wiped the dishes or turned
d. .uln He was bright-faced,
I..i, little fellow; and that was why
m raudngton picked him out rather
4 III. a.,r of the older boys in the next
+.rn.louSe. who would have been glad
t.apt'e work.
". his life at home had not been all
9Irk and no play, by any means; and,
f. t.tt. as he looked back at it, after an
--.n,fV of SeparatiOn.-thr weeks
r il really seemed as if it had
,.a ai play and no work whatever.
-'- tought, with a throb of self-pity,
lr used to build wonderful dams
. -.4 brook. OF ride with full speed
sHd lie pasture on old Jennie's back,
UJl a game of checkers with his
,+tI the last thing before taking his
... amp and going up to bed. But
I'D. was d long, long time ago, and
...5nly he would never build dams in
M brook again.
see. Willie was homesick; and,
eve is anything worse than real
. Sickness, it is hard to say what it
m. could look across the valley
e sat and see, Just showing it
,.. tween the trees on the opposite
~ hills, the big. square chimney
tdmhouse. Oh, yes, MI. Lean
lad been good to him. He
spoken cross more than once or
r.., and he had given him no more
.e 10 do than Willie expected. one
t.. farm hands called him Bill: but
s.5a't know as he minded that very
and it wasn't anybody's fault if
nut really belong to anybody or
Nbody to say goodnight to him.
S he looked across to the square
..aHl. it came into his mind how
... we're all sitting round the long
tugether Probably his mother
-r everlasting workbasket at her
.. nut was taking time to read
...u to little Dorothy. Who would
49,. tYe goodnight game of checkers
father? And had brother Bob
,. sling. as he said he was going to,
DBL a many fish did he catch? Viii
his arm across his eyes and Sob
was the beginning After he
.dr his way, half blinded with
- Io the little lonesome room that
--I partitioned off for him i'll the
aH lie made up his mind. He would
~, mp the whole business. He tied
small bundle of his possessions,
.e ue than he could carry easily, and
tea IS way down the hill, not by the
o,r but through the pasture and
sl.ss the wood lot to the road. The
frees made queer shadows, but he
i-d ON. his whole heart filled with
fought that nobody could keep
rom home and mother if he wish
80 back Four long miles he ran
walked before he climbed the final
tlat took him to the farm. All the
U ip the hill he could see the light
t.. the window that showed him his
mother was still awake. Perhaps some
was sick, and his heart stood still
'ue thought.
~. rept up noiselessly at the last,
ang that he would surprise his
'rr if she were there alone, and,
"hcould by any possibility be sitting
ate, he would wait little before
.Hug himself. for of course Bob
mt understand. so he looked
ugh the vines that shaded the south
dow
lI, mothers hands lay folded in her
Though her workbasket was be
H' ler and the darning-n needle was
.. NltthlllS III d SUM CO, w llllt D
mat she had been darning
= John, she way saying. 'Tll go
to he'd now | know it's late, very late;
.'o IS no use sitting up any longer.
l1r somehow, | feel just as if Willie
AaIat gone to bed at all unless | can
Ssr .Hm lying there quiet and breathing
Isl night before | go to sleep myself.
Don't fret, SUSAN" responded the
eirry voice of Willie's father 'The
lad al right. I'm sure he has stouter
|eift than you have"
hats the trouble. If | were only
s.-e lie were happy, poor little fellow,
-f there by himself, then l could be
Apply too. If he is brave, then I can
le brave, too: for l know he'll be glad
'0rl it is all over and he can come
i"n4 WITH his money And We'll put
r'.'l cent of it away for his course at
school of Technology. How proud
s.7ld be of HIM"
warrant he has more pluck than
nave" chided his father, affection
a'F. Why, Susan, tell you, if you
3aIl have seen him straighten himself
D nd wave his hand when | came
a"aE from him. Mr.. bennington said
= i'e as we left him up there by the
lap That boy of yours is going to
MAKE a man you'll be proud of. There's
7" lack down to him. If he says he'll
g4 thing, he'll do it. -
Willie could see his mothers eyes
a0ne and her smile drive away the
.-arS Il know he'll be good, John. 1t
lN that. But he has never been
H"d in this way before, and you can
-9' tell what boy will be when he goes