Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-22


ing trees shaded long stretches of grass clumps
of paw-paws shumachs, and other smaller
growths
Across the road. directly in front of the shop,
was broad open field, at the further end of
which, in a locust grove, stood the school house.
a plain, low building of room, in which the
boys of the neghborhood, five days out of seven
assembled for instruction, or they expressed
1t, to "say" their lessons.
Traversing the field, and intersected by the
creek-over which fallen tree did duty
bridge-was a well-worn path, made by George
and Fred Wilber as, day after day, satchels swung
over shoulder they trudged to and from the school
house.
AS the stile was but few yards from the
smithy, it brought this interesting place in their
direct line of march; and it seldom these lit
tie students passed the wideopen door without
peeping in and exchanging salutations with their
leather-aproned friend And often, fully often
enough to have worn out their welcome with
less patient man, they made visits, varying in
length according they interested. If Mr.
Burrows making poughshare, how could
they tear themselves away while the red-hot metal
splintering off like shower of meteors; or If
he were shoeing Mr.. Burton's horses, or Mr.. Hen
ley's mules, 1t was just as hard to leave.
But the most interesting of all their visits were
those in which Mr. Burrows would talk to them
maybe tell them a story he sometimes did,
rainy day he mended his tools or looked
the little jobs that had collected in his box
They did not know the value of his words then.
They listened simply to be entertained, nor once
thought OF him as an educator, nor the shop as
school, but years afterward George from the pull
pit and Fred from the bench looked back on the
smithy the best college they had ever attended
and the smith their best professor!
1t was after heavy snowfall one afternoon that
the boys came bounding like young hares across
the trackless field making directly for the forge.
How beautiful the old shop looked-even to them,
boys they were-with its spotless surround
ings, the Lombardy poplar at its making a
marble turret for the roof.
How brightly glowed the fire in the cavernous
depth and how plainly outlined on its glare was
Mr.. Burrows as he passed back and forth in front
of it!
"Can we warm Mr. Burrows?" they cried,
they bounded through the open door and ap
proach ed the forge.
"Aye that you may my lads" he answered, and
kept with his work and song-teaching uncon
sciously the good lesson that man can sing while
he works.
Simply as a matter of form had the boys asked
the privilege of warming; for before 1t was grant
ed they had flung themselves the bench by the
fire and begun chattering and wrestling. They
had scarcely got rested from their wrestling, and
settled to semi-quiet, before they were startled
into activity by a slow jngling of bells that
brought them to their feet in time to old Mr.
Spruell drive by, in a very plain Sleigh drawn by
a very slow horse.
there's old Spruell the miser" cried Fred. 81
wish that old cob he's driving would off and
spill him out! Why don't he drive a spanking
team?-he's rich"
81 say so, too" echoed George "if I had his
money I'd go spinnin along In a red sleigh
scooped out like swan, with gilt wings at the
sides, and"
Lets SNOWFALL the old skinhint" interrupted
Fred
Agreed"
They rushed to the door,
mo, no. my young men, not from my shop" and
Mr. Burrows voice so firm and positive that
the boys turned back as promptly as If he had
laid his hands their shoulders.
"Why won't you let us?" asked Fred, sullenly,
dropping a haf-made SNOWFALL and coming back
to where Mr.. Burrows had taken his seat by the