The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-01-14

muS'n ieabe wuk 70 good times, honey
mout fix de truck patch wuk. lax 70
say. but dar's odder things. aim Il
hep yo' nanny bout her chickens
an washin' an housewuk. She ain
strong lax she mout me-"
Wash dug his heels deeper into the
sand and shifted. AS he heard it 9
sudden hardness came into the old
mans eyes.
AN dar's anudder ting" be con
tnued. leaning again upon bis hoe
handle and looking straight at Wash
II aim to chop an pile up heap o
nice wood TO- 20 nanny. She hat
to 60 out un'er de trees mos ebery
day to pick up bits O stick an bark
an chips to kin'le her fire. case dey
ain not'in' round de wood pile 'cep'in
big sticks witch 20 pap brung an
witch ain chop up. ! aim to cut hit
all an pile hit 'ginst de do whar hit'll
be handy TO- yo' nanny. No. no,
honey. I cayn't 60 tishin' nohow. 70
mus do de fishin' yo'se'f now"
Wash dropped his gaze to the ground,
an unusual thing for him; but. then.
the woodcutting was one Of the chores
he 80 studiously shirked.
us gwine wuk hard wen Is big.
ger" he muttered deprecatingly. my
nanny say boys mus make mos O.
dere playtime. Wen rs 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'll nebber be lax yo' pap Uncle
Nose said. He study an wuk hard
wen he's boy. Yo' mo- lax ole rag
ged Jake" Then his gaze dropped in
sudden abashed consciousness of hav-
ing upbraided his favorite, and If the
boy had waited moment longer be
would have heard the most abject apol-
ogy and a contrite Don yo' min
honey; hits jes' de ole man a talkin
Yo's good boy. 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 his father or any Of
those who were accustomed TO upbraid
him had said the words he would not
have remembered them a minute after
they were spoken, but Uncle Nose,
who had never scolded him in all his
life before and from whom harsh
word could not he wrung except by
direful provocation.
The words were true. He anew it
even while combating them in impo-
tent anger anG wrath. And they stung
and dashed him to the big tree. to his
traps. 10 n spot in a dense thicket
where he lay for a full hour picking
vindictively at the leaves and finally
to his bed in the loft. He not to be
like his father when verybody said
he 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 his 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
a faint click clicking from the truck
hn nd ~
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
incredulous 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. grau'pap," he commented.
not even pausing to rest on his hoe
handle as he spoke, but working Wig
orously on. Il finish desc taters."
Then. as the old man opened his
mouth without seeming able TO make
a sound, the boy continued:
II tink bout what yo' say, gran
pap. an rs gwine be lax pap. an |
ain gwine be lax ole Jake. An
reckon yo' right bout nanny. ain
nebber notis befo', but dis mawniD
low she do look porely. Wen desc
taters is done rs gwine chop dat wood
an do lots odder tings. Now 20 bet
ter so long. gran'pap, case Is in
hurry"
This was the beginning of 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 60" 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 10 millions of Chris
tians to the present day.
And so il is in our everyday life.
Uncle Nose. il is true, spoke TO the
boy about what he was doing. but only
to explain why he did it. that be might
make the lesson of his own industry
the more effective.