Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-07-01
BY MABEL JoNEs-BusH.

Bennie's mother died when he was
barely three. His father, never COM
petent man, was at his wits end with
end with two babies to tend" and a
living to make. Naturally a sad end
ing came to the unequal struggle.
One day the man made a mistake in
his work, which together with his
record for many absences, accom-
plished his dismissal from the factory
where he worked; then Bonnie and
his brother went to the orphanage.
When Bennie was just entering his
teens he seemed old enough and big
enough to do work for the farmers
on neighboring farms. First it was
only light chores, like carrying water
to the men in the fields and gather
ing the eggs and running errands;
but soon he was doing harder work,
each succeeding year staying longer
away from the orphanage till finally
he did not return at all, his employer
at the time sending word to the Off
Gals of the institution that he thought
he could find work for Bonnie the
er plans for Bennie he had heard
of a farmer many miles away to the
north who was willing to pay $3.50
week as we'll as board and keep" for
a good, strong boy, so he shipped poor
Bonnie off, as he would COW or a
horse, without consulting him at all,
pocketed the money, and reported to
the orphanage only the name Of the
man to whom he had sent the boy
In his new place Bonnie had every
chance to test the truth of the adage
Cali work and no play makes Jack
dull boy" for he was not given an OPP
portunity to learn anything more than
how to work-and work hard. Had
he shown any disposition to read bout
the great world about him, he could
not well have done so because there
were few books in his new home, and
he was kept SO busy from early morn
! ing till late at night that when the
last stroke of work was done he was
just able to tumble into bed
About the only pleasures Bonnie had
were "house raisings" and apple
parings," at the neighbors, and these
came few and far between.
Such times as these were GASES in
Bennie's hard life. To be sure, Ben
ME had enough to eat, and his clothes
were warm, though queerlooking and
coarse; but plenty to eat and warm
clothes, and the very few good times
of the apple bearings" were not
much relief to an overworked boy.
Then Bonnie had another trouble.
Farmer John Brison, Bennie's master,
whom everybody called "OP John"
had three sons who made it their
main object in life to make Bonnie
miserable. When they shirked work,
Bonnie had to do a double share.
When they made mistakes, it was
Bennie's fault. Mrs. BrisOn was as
hard as her husband. On every occa-
sion she excused her sons and blamed
Bonnie when anything went wrong.
Why not? He was only a bound
boy" This remark, made often in
Bennie's presence, always hurt him.
He never knew what answer to make,
but just wondered idly if he was al
ways to be bound boy" and some
times the thought made him savage
inside.
One particular summer when Ben
ME was about sixteen, he had an ex-
perience. For two or three days prior
to the Fourth of July he heard people
talking about the Fourth" He asked
Sam, one of Farmer Brisons' sons,
"What Fourth?" Sam stared and
then shouted why, the Fourth"
Then he knocked off Bennies hat and
took to his heels shouting, What
Fourth! What Fourth! He wants to
know what Fourth"
Afterwards, while milking, Bonnie
caught portions of conversation be-
tween "Ol John" and one of the
neighbors; something about, chow
many are going to the picnic" zone
long table for everybody" "the flag
drill the teacher has gotten up" and
speeches." and then as the neighbor
climbed into his wagon and started
away, he heard, ''Of course you will
all stay for the fireworks. They're
goin' to be better than ever this
year.
Something in what the farmers said
and the tones of their voices stirred
Bonnie. He knew that something
great was going to happen Picking
UP his pail, he hurried SO fast and so
eagerly to ask Farmer Brison what it
was all about that he stumbled and
spilled half of the foamy milk, re-
ceiving a curse instead of the knowl-
edge he wanted. Later he asked the
farmers wife, but she was so fretful
over the loss of so much "stripplns"
that her replies were somewhat
vague.
"Why, yes, to be sure, the Fourth's
a holiday. Everybody's supposed to
have a good time On the Fourth.
(Now won't have as much A number
Il butter as Mrs. Reid). What, don't
you know? Why, the Father of His
Country, he freed the United States
on the Fourth. He freed us all q
had four pounds last week. from the
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