Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-27

all an pie QII SluSt Qe 10 WDuT MI u
be handy 70 yo' nanny. No. no.
honey. I cayn't go fishin' nohow. Yo'
mus do de fishin' yo'se'f now"
Wash dropped his gaze TO the ground
an unusual thing for him. but. then.
the woodcutfing was one OF the chores
he so studiously siIirked.
ais gwine wuk hard wen rs big
GER" he muttered deprecatingly. MY
nanny say boys mus make mos o.
dere playtime. Wen rs a man rs
gwine wuk hard lax my pap. an'-an'
be a soger." for In spite of their an
tagonism. WASH regarded his father as
embodying all that was manly and
heroic.
"Yo'U nebber be lax yo' pap" Uncle
Nose said. He study an wuk hard
wen he's a boy. Yo' mo- lax ole rag
ged Jake" Then his gnze dropped in
sudden abashed consciousness OF hav-
Ing upbraided bis favorite, ana IL the
boy had waited a moment longer he
would have heard the most AFFECT apol-
oRy and a contrite Don 20 min.
honey: hits jes' de ole man a talkin'.
Yo's a good boy. q sho' nough good
boy"
But Wash did not hear. He was
speeding toward the woods with dim
eyes and heaving- breast. He like dis
reputable Jake. the scott Of the entire
community. If bis father or any OF
those who were accustomed to upbraid
him had said the words be would not
have remembered them a minute after
they were spoken. but Uncle Nose.
who had never scolded him I'm all his
life before and from whom a harsh
word could not be wrung except by
direful provocationl
The words were true. He knew 1t
even while combating them In impo-
tent anger and wrath. And they stung
and dashed him to the big tree. to his
traps. to a spot in a dense thicket
where he lay for full hour picking
vindictively at the leaves and finally
to his bed in the loft. He not to be
like his father when everybody said
be was growing up big and strong and
would some time be his very image:
And this was his last thought when.
far in the night. he fell asleep with
two big tears still undried on bis black
cheeks.
The next morning Uncle Moses first
thought was of reconciliation with
Wash. But the boy was not In his bed
nor IN the kitchen below, and only
when he went to the door and heard
q faint click clicking from the truck
patch did he understand that Wash
was digging bait for an unusually
early start. Shutting In the direction
of the sound. the old man stopped at
the corner Of the cow shed in sudden
increduIous amazement, for there was
the boy, not digging bait. as he had
supposed. but hoeing potatoes.
Wash looked up with an odd smile
on his good natured face.
"Yo' better go hep nanny wild her
chickens. gran'pGp," he commented.
not even pausing to rest on bis hoe
handle as he spoke. but working Wig
orously on. 81 finish desc taters."
Then, as the old man opened bis
mouth without seeming able to make
a sound. the boy continued:
81 t'ink bout what 20 say. gran
pap. an rs gwine be lax pap. an l
aim gwine be lax ole Jake. An
reckon yo' right bout nanny. l ain
nebber motifs befo'. but dis mnwnin'
l low she do look porely. Wen desc
taters is done rs gwine chop dat wood
an do lots odder things. Now 20 bet
ter go long. gran'pap. case is in a
hurry"
This was the beginning of a big
reformation in Wash-a reformation
brought about by the force of exam
pie. And this is the origin Of all refor-
nations Great military leaders have
not said go" but Follow me-" The
Christian martyrs supported the in
FAINT religion by an example that was
effective not only 1900 years ago. but
is a shining light to millions OF Chris
tians to the present day.
And so IL Is In our everyday life.
Uncle Nose. II is true. spoke to the
boy about what he was doing, but only
to explain why he did 1t, that he might
make the lesson of his own industry
the more effective.
A week later there was not a weed
left in the truck patch. not a stick OF
wood that was uncut and not a chore
about the place that was In urgent
need of being done.
Uncle Nose was acquiring chronic
habit OF rubbing his hands, NANNY
was smiling to herself almost contin-
ually. and Wash grinned even while
bis hands were being blistered by the
unaccustomed tools.
And then one day, at mammy's In
stigation. Uncle Nose and Wash made
a compact. IL was to spend every Sat
urday afternoon under the big tree
on the Suwanee.
And what Saturdays they were!
Wash hns learned that pleasure is
mainly n contrast with work. One
cannot enjoy rest without being tired.
One cannot enjoy idleness without
having been busy. So Wash. after a
hard weeks work. knew the pleasure
of Incidence.
Vaaaries Of Cold.
In winter cold may settle in the