Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-07
How Jonathan Conquered Shyness,

Jonathan Jones was shy, he was dread
| fully shy. II YOU had seen him lodging
out OF sight from the girls you would have
pitied him. even If you had smiled wick
ediy at his awkwardness. II you had been
Jonathan himself you would have known
that shyness like his was not only embar-
RAISING. but positively painful.
But Jonathan Jones had another feeling
that was even worse. 1t was a feeling of
Incidence. His father called him the lazi-
est rogue alive. Why, Jonathan would
great deal rather stay In bed than get up
for breakfast
As for play. the farthest he ever got was
to smile family If he saw some very anus
ing game. Once, when his father took him
to the county fair where, there was
Punch and Judy show. he had laughed
right out loud. This so impressed Mr..
Jones that he had to tell everywhere he
went how Jonathan had laughed out loud
| at the Punch and Judy show.
The boy was now nearly fourteen years
old and his bashfulness was growing upon
him. So was his laziness though both
seemed about as bad as they could ever
become.
One thing that troubled Jonathan sadly
was the fact that next to the horse lot by
his fathers barn there was girls board
ing school, When that school closed for
the summer vacation and the girls cleared
out. the village where he lived seemed like
paradise. When they came back in the
| fall he was in constant hot water, fearing
| they might see him.
OF all the chores Jonathan had to do
milking the two cows was one he despised
most. To make the chore doubly disagree
able the milking was done in the horse lot.
and some evenings the girls would come
out and look ever the fence while he was
| busy. This made the boy roaring mad, II
| they had come near enough he would have
sprinkled them well with sprays of warm
| milk.
One evening, while he was at the dis
! tasteful task. one Of the girls whom he had
| often looked at from window in the barn
| and whom he had sized up as regular
| tonboy. climbed to the top Of the fence
and shouted:
Hey, Charlie! win you let me milk?''
Jonathan dug his head still closer against
| Bossy's side and MIXED desperately. But
| tomboy was not so easily repulsed. She
called again:
Charlie! JIMMY Or whatever your name
| Is, please let me milk. will your"
| How 1t did provoke Jonathan. For a
while he did not answer. By and by. think
| ing how he hated the work and what hne
revenge 1t would be to have a creature he
| so heartily disliked do the distasteful work
| for him, he turned his face half way toward
| the fence and bawled out. Yes"
In a twinkling the tomboy was there.
By good luck the cow was gentle, she
went sleepily on chewing her cud while the
tomboy took the stool to learn the art OF
milking.
How do you do it?'' she asked, laughing
1T looked so easy" And Jonathan had TO
show her.
NOW, smarty" he said. you needn't
think you know it all just because you
go to boarding school,.
'T'm bound to learn, though, II you let
me try she answered, good naturedly
whats your manner?
None O. your business, was the QUICK
hat ic
Belle" said the girl.
"AII right, Bill I'm going to call you
Tom. because know you're tomboy.
Belle laughed at his funny speech ana
said she didn't care. "Oh, look. she cried'
II can milk real well with one hand"
She was learning fast and before Bossy
was MIXED dry she managed pretty Wen
with both hands ''Will you let me do 1t
again tomorrow EVENING"" she asked coax
ingly.
Jonathan told her she could If she came
alone. II wouldn't have whole lot OF
sissy girls around here for anything, he
declared.
Belle laughed again. and said she thought
1t was nice in him to let her learn Ihen
she said goodbye and ran tripping away.
Jonathan watched her half way across
the lot and then called out, "Hey!
She turned to listen, and he SAID, MY
names Jonathan"
"Oh, is it?" she said What funny
name! Goodbye, Jonathan.
Goodbye, Bill" he replied He did not
want to tease her, though he could not help
wondering If all girls were so good natured
as the first one he ever got acquainted
with.