The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-06-15
B,LLy's GRASS CUTTING

He was a cheerful, hopeful youth, and
his gay optimism seemed contaaionf' lie
was not only hopeful himself, but he In
spired others to hope.
He was a promising lad In more ways
than one but It is one thing to be promis'
Ing person and quite another to keep ones
promises. Billy Blanchard meant to be ab-
solutely honest; one could see that by look
ing into his wide.open, fearle" eyes which
was one reason why so many victims a.
ways fell with Billy whenever any OF his
enterprises csme to grief.
For his enterprises usually did ctme to
giiei bis ambitious soul often ran away
with Lis sturdy fiiteen-year-old body.
From the time when Billy was four, he
was always full Of plans for earning
money. Even at that early ageit WAS easy
TO see that be WAS not conscious OF his own
Limitations. As Ihe grew older bis plans
gre " larger, but he still lacked reaiiziog
sense Of proportion. 1t still surprised the
ambitious lad to find that be could cot pile
ten cords Of wood In the same time that II
usually takes to pile one cord.
Uncle, Jerry biz the nail on the heac
squarely II not with elegance, when DC
drawled, "Ths. Billy always does bite OIL
more than he can chew"
Some persons ideas come tagging alonl
lust day or two too late. Billy's was a.
wsys ahead Of time. There wert
twelve thousand inhabitants In Billv's tus
urban town, and many Of them lived II
houes with either large or small lawns
Before the snow was fairly of the greune
one spring Billy'ssomewhat crippled print
log press bad loboriously ground out lara'
stack of contracts. These read:
| u -, do herepy fRree "
employ william Blanchard all summer tt
cut my lawn, and to pay him twenty-five
c, nts each time for doing 1t.
| |. william Blanchard, do hereby promis
to cut - -'s lawn, and not L
charge him or her more than twenty.hv
cents each time for dolngit.
These fbi.hcd, Billy sailed forth to cal
at every house that boasted lawn.
Owing to bis early start, Billy, CT course
was fret Ia the field. Twenty-Five cent
was really a surprisingly modest price TO
prass.cutting too modest, the boy discov
cred later,-and Billy had a"takipR" coun
teustce. He bad no trouble fading pat
ron,. for most OF The men spent their cay
| In Il adjacent city, with no leisure or II
elm s,ion for ersss cutting; ard feninin
ht usehold,rs wee ouly TO glad too tia
Bnly's butiness.like contracts.
The snow depsrted ard the grsss took II
place. Billy withdrew bis entire fortun
from the ssvings.bank to buy lawr
mower.
The streets in Billy's town were pam'
for trees. Billy began operations oa Wa
nut Street, and the cheerful click OF hl
bright new machine sang enc. urseenent
the people waiting farther down the stree
for the young mans cheerful services.
Indeed, his services began early to |
needed, for II raibed 9; night, the sun shor
brightly by day, and the grass grew rspi'
ly.
Billy, owing to his iorethought and b
contracts, Was entirely alore 10 ,hs Del
o.her boys who had counted on gras''cu
ting Jobs bad, on nndips everythin pror
: ,ssd already to Billy, secured more OF ls
psruauens summer employment 10 9th
d,rc,ions. The town was llsays rsth
shpr, Of men willing TO do odd ,oi.
Biily bad not counted, however, on u
recuperatlve powers OF thriving lawn
there WAS ssusllv something tha. Billy fo
GOT b eoun, Oh.
Before one end oi Walnut Street was CT
the other wss clearly ripe for the law
!, mower, and the sras on supDv Chestr
Street WAS urdeniably over-rire.
Industrious Billy rose =, dawn aud lab
!. I'd til du,k, bu, stlll unmosn hsns ttr'
cbed before him. II ~as hard work. i
less sched and bis arms were lsmr. \
only VA his body KEEP. busy, but bis mi
ws troubled.
His wsking hoar were q led with ~o'
ard bis dreams were filled with gral
oil csns and impatient pa.ront--ior Bill,