The Holly chieftain., 1910-01-21


gone. and IL you'd have stuck 10 il
wouidH't have minded u year or NV"
II college TO finish off with. A il is.
you'll nave TO earn your living some
other way, and ! suppose rhe sooner
you set about il the better
I'm willing TO work. grandfather.
Hezakiah said. in some surprise.
"..es. Lnow. and | shouldn't Won
der If Silas Jones would give ynu
Job for month or two. He WAS say
Ing he'd like to get II boy to d" chores.
and. although you ain't much used TO
work If you get round spry you might
suit him
"Grnridfather"-
"Or." continued HE old man. If
you'd just us soon thrash peas III hire
you myself. I'll give you every tenth
bushel and you can pay me Sl.oO
week for board. What do you say 10
that:''
Just as you like grandfather.
VERY well. Then We'll cali ii bar
gain. and when yeu're through with
that maybe something else will iurn
up. and If you should he out of job.
why, your l;ttle room will be ready for
you. and l won't charge ii cent more
than Sl.5O week. seeing it's you.
HeZekiah."
Hezekiah was disagreeably surprised
at the turn affairs hid taken, IL had
never occurred to him that his; igrand-
father. who had cared Tor MIN ever
since he was left Il helpless little o.
phan ten years before. would cast him
Off simply because he had tried 10
thrash The master and wouldn't 80 to
school.
But he started for the barn. trying
very hard to look as ii things We're
turning ont exactly as lie 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 q hat his
grandfather had harvested so many
peas. There they were. brown and
crisp aud Inviting. piled in rough. I'M
even masses TO the top OF either NOW
and slowed away on the beams above
him.
The boy tossed down great heap
into the middle OF the thrashing iioof
picked up his tail and began opera
tions. But 1t was OF no use 10 try TO
make himself believe that he liked &c
thrash peas.
He tried to buoy himself up with the
hnrp pryt,t haf hn
but long before night even this thought
failed him as he began TO rea!iZe that
unless he got along considerably faster
than he vas then doing he would
barely earn his board
He kept steadily at his task for a
week and then cleaned up and nens-
ured what he had thrashed exactly
forty bushels, of which his share, OF
course. was four bushels. i'eas were
worth 60 cents a bushel; accordingly
he earned $40. After paying his
board he would have 30 cents left
an average of Is cents a day.
1t was discouraging. Grandfather
Griggs said not word. but the boy
knew well that il he would only ac-
knowledge himself in the wrong aud
promise to go back to 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, and all through the short De-
cember days and the first month of
the new year the regular cllp-clap of
the fail was heard without intermis-
sion and the heap of peas in the gram
ary grew and grew till it amounted to
$50 bushels.
Hezekiah had almost completed his
task and was rejoicing to think that
he and the fail. which, in spite of
their long Standing fellowship, he cor
daily hated, were about to part COM
pany.
i. A boy is like colt. Nothing is SO
well calculated to drive the nonsense
out of his head and make him trust
worthy rs II little regular work. Heze-
kiall did not know this. but he was
quite conscious that he did not feel as
he had felt six weeks before.
He had been doing some hard think
ing while swinging the tai! and had
begun 10 see that he was not altogeth-
er he fine fellow he had always imag-
ined himself to be-
He had worked haruer at this job of
| thrashing peas than he had ever done
at anything before. and yet his earn
ings We're barely sufficient to board
and clothe him while thus engaged.
| He thought the matter over and came