The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1902-01-16
isG's OXEN.

Anens bis reishbor, job Haiess uss
considered pretty i.lr sor, Of msa lie
bed settled 10 . little tovn 10 The southern
pert OF Ksrsss. sttrs be lived - 40 I'm
uisrsns from Nss Hampshire. snd be
bronshi bic Y.ntse shsfpBsss With bin.
bat 40 be deal, fair ssd sitsuded 10 bis
own BUSINESS be passed. The orIs nen
Der OF ths i.uily bssisss Job snd bis vile
vu ie. . nephew shom Job bad taken
TO brlns up. ss be bad 90 children OF his
own. Ite ..s typical Sss Easisnd boy
sbout nfieea years old. he hst bsea
brooshi up 10 one Of The cosst villages OF
Msiae and bad sres, love for the ses
job. like the majority Of Ysnhse farm
ere. sass . nrm believer 10 cattle and Jid
most Of bis work sth oIsn. 0ae day b.
.sii 70 iie. Ike. II yoa'll take ttsi pair Of
OF yenlins steers spd btesk them to
sora, you can have item. Ite sss eI
csedinsly veil pleased st that and at once
sssnned ehsrse OF his nes possessions.
II ever . psir Of youDg oxen were veil
taken care Of. they were. He sroomed
them ~ carefully as the horses. 90 that
their sleek ccs,s shobe rs glossy as elk,
aud be vas so kiod with them that they
were ss gentle ss sheep He named them
Jack and Billy.
In lie wsstern home Ike never forgot
the far oa ocean. II bad been the one
hope oi his life TO be . sailor, bot bis be
ias sent ~est had Destroyed 1t. When bis
uncle gave him the steers to break, the
idea csme TO bin tttt though be could
never expect to trest the deck OF bis osn
ship be could use ship phrases in the
education OF bis oxen and thus sl~sys be
reminded OF bis own home beside the ses.
Thus il vas that Jack and Billy we're ed
uos,ed to work, "brokep." totally ignorant
OF the usual Commands by which oxen are
mspssed. "Gsep and "haw, git mp
and "whos' had no meaning for them
vbsteyer. 1t was "hsul away" and port
and s.srboard" and "belsy." S'ern
slp' was back. The oxen grew snd saIsd
strong. and bis uncle often remsrkei that
he never saw q team ths. could do more
work than those oxen and Ike. No enc
bot Ike ever thought OF handling them.
ftt. n
vss Ds,con Merwiu, q good msn spd pii
lar OF the church. The good deacon saw
,ts, Ikes yoke Of oxen we're workers. and
. desire cane over him to possess them.
de offered 10 bay them several iimes, bot
Job always said tbst they belonged to Ike
snd were not Tor s'le. The deacon ssked
Ike IL be could sell them, but met with
such IN iodigusnt refusal that be felt sne
cred. bat did oot give up the idea OF pos
sessins the cattle. Finally be went to job
aud said:
Neisbbor Hsiues. il them csttle'll work
good every way III give You $4OO Tor en-
They're too much property for boy like
Ike to have. and IL Is apt to create 10 him
. bad spsrrit aud make him feel above his
elders.
Well, l don't know, deacon. The boy
sets . great desl by them cattle. and .
promise is promise. l gave them to him
Il be would bresk 'em, and be hss. 90 I'm
bonnd 10 keep my part
Ths. oil true enough, Neiehbor haines,
bu, Iks's only boy, and then. remember
s400 sin't offered every dsy for yoke OF
cattle, Why not sell me these and give
him another pair to break; that nd do him
jist - welf
The descon's S400 aud persussions DO
slly weakened Jobs scruples, and he gave
10. The deacon was to try them. and II
they worked ell right vas 10 have them
for $500. How 10 tell Ike what be had
done wss poser to bis uncle. His aunt
declared IL . downright mesn piece OF bus
iness and told Job plsinly what she
thought Of him.
|. wss fnslly decided not to ssy sny
thius to Ike un,il siler the sale bad been
and the cattle gone 10 order that Ike
might ool be on hand to zee bis pets sold
be wss given bolidsy and cent to spend
the day at q neighbours. couple of miles
away, where there wss . boy OF bic age
Who was . sort Of cbnm OF bis.
Tbs next morning Ike wss { q bright and
early, and the deacon vas on hand ehortly
after. II would not be fair to JOB 10 say
,hs, be did not have any miseivipgs. de
vould have backed oui Of the bargain st
the Issst ch.ucs, and be really hoped tbss
the deacon would not be Satisfied With
them. The oxen we're brought ont spd
yoked 10 the cart without difficulty,
though the deacon remarked that they
die seem "kinde, stoopid." job and the
deacon climb bed up ir,o The cart.
Gee upl :,
The oxen turned their big eyes ionnd 10
auisinsly. Gee up. thereI repeated job
But they did not move hooi
Tbs. don't appear like good breaking, 70
marked the deacon.
They're broks oil risbt, replied Job
Come, gee up. therel Al the same lime be
rave each . prod viih The Rosd. 10 re
spouse TO the proddins The cattle walked
81 ,o-srd The open gate. 10 wtieh dirse
,ion their beads hsppened TO be turned.
Job did not vent them TO 20 on The road,
90 be shouted ons, Hoy. boy TO inrn them
around; bu, the oxen bad DO idea shs'
"hoy" meant, snd so kept going straight
ahead. Job shouted louder and .ssruck
Billy with the sosd They quickeoed
ihs,r esi, into q ,rot and turned ont into
the road. Then Job shouted, Whos,
vbost Bat they al ! not mind ihst either.