Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-11-16
BOYS AND GIRLS.
THAT POWELL BOY.


of the little old lady who had calico
out made reply from the kitchen Of
the Dunn house.
eyes, mother, Pm just strainin' the
milk"
"Well, I want that you should hear
what The Weekly Banner says about
Leonard Powell. Can you hear?"
ayes, mother"
"Well, it says that Leonard has been
sent to the legislature, and that it is
likely he will go to congress next"
81 shan't be a n tie s'prised if he
does" replied old Mr. Dunn.
swell, l dunno as l shall, either.
S'prising how that Powell boy has
turned out, isn't it, father?"
"Well, dunno" replied the little
old man, who had come to the open
door between the kitchen and sitting
room of the coy little house, and was
standing there with the empty milk
pail in his hand. "Grit an persever-
ance allus tell in the long run"
"Who was that Powell boy?" /
asked, from the table between the
front windows, where l was correct
ing some examination papers; fol- 1
was the village school teacher and
boarded with Mr.. and Mrs. Dunn.
Haven't l ever told you about
Leonard Powell?" said the old lady.
81 reckoned that I'd told you about
everybody within ten miles o. here,
the way my tongue runs on"
"You have not told me about that
Powell boy"
"Then it's time that was doin' so,
and I'll do it right now. That Powell
boy-I II never call him anything else,
even If he does go to congress was
born in that little, old, run down
brown house; the first one you come
to on the right after you cross The
bridge over the river. The house is
about hundred an fifty years old,
an 1t vas about as shacklefied when
the Powells lived there as it is now,
for Alb Powell, Leonard's father, never
had a mite of ambition about any
thing. He was one of those perfectly
do-less persons, who kin lay back am
be satisfied with one meal ahead, an
who don't worry much if there isn't
even one meal ahead for themselves
or their families. He thought that the
world owed him a livin,' an he didn't
do much but complain an scold be-
cause it didn't give it to him, without
him liftin' hand. You've run ag'in
that type o. man, like enough"
Eyes, l have"
"Well, then you know what Alb
Powell was like. His wife, Marthy.
was somewhat more ambitious, but
not enough more so to worry much
about anything. I reckon she'd got
discouraged livin' with
Alb so long, an she had fallen into his
ways a good deal. There were four
children besides Leonard, an the poor
little things would IA gone hungry
sometimes If the neighbors hadn't
helped 'em good deal in the winter.
We don't let helpless little children 90
hungry an cold here in Kiugsville, no
matter how shif'less their fathers am
mothers are. Leonard was the oldest,
an the spirit o. some dead an gone
ancestor must IA come down to him,
for he hadn't lazy bone in him.
When he was only twelve years old
he worked all one winter in a sawmill
for four dollars week, an I guess it
was all the ready cash money the
Powells had all winter long.
One day when the mill didn't happen
to be runnin, Leonard came up here
to borrow my candle molds to mold
some candles in, an he got to talkin',
an he says, says he:
"'I just tell you, Mis- Dunn, Pm
goin' to be somebody when Pm man.
I'm not goin' to borrow anything of
anybody, an Pm goin' to amount to
in this world. Yes, and Pm
yoin' to have things like other folks
~ would If l were you,' says I; and
ne says so earnestly, well, just WILL
"There was night school iu the viii
age that winter, an that boy would
90 to the night school and study three
hours after workin' all day in the saw
mill. The next winter he worked in
the sawmill again, an there wasn't
any night school, but the teacher of
the day school boarded here, an he
had Leonard come up here nights, an,
helped him With studies ever so much.
The boy had real good mind, an his
pluck never left him. Somebody lent
him the life of Abraham Lincoln to
read, and ii seemed to encourage him,
rs it ought to inspire and encourage
any boy to know how that great man
came up from such dreadful ignorance
an poverty to be president of the
United States. Don't you think SOP"
Indeed, do"
"Well, readin' that book made
Leonard Powell pluckier than ever.
he got a chance to work for his board
an go to school six me nths in the
academy for boys over in Trenton, an
he went. He said at first that he
leave home, but his mother
an father spanked up little an said
Tor him to go, an he went. He come
mp here to say goodby to me an father
and we slipped a twenty dollar bill !
INTO his hand before b e left an he was |
The gratefulest boyl He said he would !
pay 1t all back some day with interest,
an he did, the dear boy. His goin' to /