The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1909-12-31

i
you myself Ill give you every tenth
bushcl. and you can pay me $3.50 a
week for board. What do you say TO
that?"
Jus, as you like. grandfather"
| Very well. Then well call II bar
gain. and when you're through with
that maybe something else will turn
up. and IL yen should be out of job
why. your little room will be ready for
you. and Won't charge Il cent more
than Si.50 y week. seeing it's you.
| Hezekiah."
| Hezekiah was disagreeably surprised
at the turn affairs had taken. 1t had
never occurred to him that his grand
father. who had cared for him ever
| since he was left helpless little or
phan ten years before, would east him
OF simply because he had tried 10
| thrash the master and wouldn't go Ia
school.
| But he started for the barn. tryin.
very bard 10 look as IL things wert
| turning ont exactly rs he had expect
ed they would. He even managed to
whistle family as he passed the win
| dow. through which he felt his grand
| father was regarding him, but the last
melancholy note died away long before
| he reached the barn.
| Hezekiah never knew before that his
grandfather had harvested so many
peas. There they We're. brown and
crisp and inviting. piled in rough. IN,
even MASSES 10 the top of either NOV
! and slowed away on the beams aboy.
! him.
| The boy tossed down a great heap
into The middle of The thrashiug floor
picked up his hail and began opera
tions. But il was of no use TO try to
make himself believe that he liked to
thrash peas,
He tried 10 buoy himself up with the
| thought that he was earning money,
but long before night even this thought
failed him as he began TO realize that
unless he got along considerably faster
than he was then doing he would
| barely earn his board.
He kept steadily at his task for n
week and then cleaned up and meas
ured what he had thrashed exactly
forty bushels. of which his share, of
course. was four bushels. Peas were
worth 10 cents bushel; accordingly
he earned $40. After paying his
board he would have 10 cents left
an average of IL cents day.
1t was discouragiug. Grandfather
Griggs said not Il word. but the boy
knew well that if he would only ac-
knowledge himself in the wrong and
promise to 20 back 10 school and obey
the master the old place in his grand
fathers heart and home was ready for
him
But pride would not permit him to
yield. aud all through the short De-
cember days and the first month of
the new year the regular clip-clap of
the fail was heard without intermis-
sion and the heap Of peas in the gran
airy grew and grew till it amounted to
$50 bushels.
Hezekiah had almost completed his
task and was rejoicing 10 think that
he and the fail, which. in spite of
their long standing fellowship, he cor
daily hated, were about 10 part COM
pany
A boy is like colt. Nothing is so
well calculated to drive the nonsense
out of his head and make him trust
worthy as a little regular work. Heze-
kiah did not know this. but lie was
quite conscious that he did not feel a.
he had felt six weeks before.
He had been doing some hard think
ing while swinging the fail and had
begun to see that he was not altogeth-
er the inc fellow he had always mag
ined himself to be.
He had worked harder at this job Of
thrashiug peas, than he hadEeXer done
at anything before and yet his earn
ings were barely sufficient ia board
and clothe him while thus engaged
He thought the matter over and came
to the conclusion that he owed his
grandfather something for all those
years of helpless childhood, wherein
the old mans love and care had been
watchful and unremitting.
HeZekiah had a conscience. II was
very like other boys conscieuccs, full
of contradictions and absurdities: but,
for all that, it pointed out that the
least he could render to bis GRANDPA
Their for all his kindness was IL willing
obedience.
He made up his mind he would do 1t,
and as he welded the fail above the
last flooring" he was bravery resolv-
ing to tell his grandfather all that was
in his heart. So deeply engrossed
was he in bordering over this good
resolution that he did not observe a
dark shadow which fell between him
and the sunlight that streamed through
the open door till voice said:
We'll. Hezekiah. you're just about
done. | see"
The boy looked up and saw the
benevolent face of his good grand
father smiling down upon him.
you've done very well-very well.
continued the old man approvingly.
I n