Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-11-07
The Boy With Spunk.

Jimmie was little fellow, but he had
red hair and swapping eyes; there was a
very businesslike air about him as he
dragged the big shovel across the yard
and down the road.
A little while before, man had said,
"Nobody round here seems to have any
spunk," and Jimmie was now going to
prove that the man was mistaken. The
man made the remark while he stood be-
side his automobile and looked at brok-
en- spring. The spring had been broken
when the car jolted and bumped over a
bad place in the road. The bad place
had been caused by the action of the wa
ter in the ditch, which had quilted and
washed away the side of the road; teams
and automobiles had been humping and
iolting over the spot all summer, for it
was hard TO turn out round it. No doubt
il was the duty OF somebody 10 repair the
place, but the work had not been attend
ed to.
Jimmie had been playing on the stone
wall beside the road when the accident
happened to the automobile, and he could
not help hearing what was said. "That
place is a disgrace to the town p de-
clared the man. at could easily be re-
paired, but nobody round here seems to
have any spunk." Then the man and
the ladies with him climbed back into
the car, and it moved slowly down the
| road.
That was how it happened that Jim
mie, the little fellow with red hair and
swapping eyes, was dragging the big
shovel down to the side of the road. If
"spunk" could do the job, assisted by
rocks and sods and dirt, he was gong to
mend the bad place that the strange man
had said was disgrace to the town.
1t proved a much longer and harder
task than Jimmie had expected. The
hole was not deep, but it was an ugly
irregular cash that extended almost half
way across the road. First Jimmie put
in a lot OF small rocks that he found in a
gravel bank on the other side of the road,
and then he covered these with gravel
and such small SodS as he was able to
dig up with the big shovel. The day
was hot and the sun poured down. JIM
mics back and arms ached after little
while and his hands were soon bliStered.
But at last the hole was well filled. There
would be but little jar to the next wagon
or automobile that came along. 1t was
almost supper-time, but Jimmie fingered
10 give few finishing pats TO the dirt
with his shovel.
Just then along came the big automo-
bile that had broken down there in the
forenoon. The spring had been repaired
at the village, and the man and those
with him were on their way back 10 the
distant city where they lived. The man
stopped the Car when he saw Jimmie.
"Well, well!" he said in surprise.
"Did you do all this ?"
eyes, sir" answered Jimmie.
"How did you happen TO ?" went on
the man.
81 heard you said when your car broke
down-that this hole was a disgrace TO
the town, and that nobody round here
had any spunk."
The women in the car clapped their
hands, and the man laughed loud and
long. AT last the man stopped laughing
and looked hard at the blushing Jimmie.
81 was certainly mistaken as to the
spunk," he said, for you are the spunk-
lest and pluckiest boy have seen in a
long time"
This praise made Jimmie feel more un-
comfortable than the laughter had done,
and he was edging away toward the house
when the man stopped him with another
question:
"Why didn't your father do this ?"
"a haven't any father" answered Jim
mie, simply. "My mother and live in
the little house over there"
al see," said the man. He repeated
this slowly several times, watching Jim
mie all the time, and then he talked mo-
ment in a low tone with the others in the
car.
care you going to school in the fall ?"
he asked, turning to Jimmie.
Eyes, sir, answered Jimmie.
That's good" said the man. "a hope
you will put the same spunk into your
lessons that you put into this work on
the road today. shall remember you,
and next summer, when | come along
this way, will stop and talk things over
with YOU"
He reached out his hand, and when the
blushing jimmie clasped it, he felt fold
ed bill slip from the hand OF tile man into
his own.
Then the big car sped down the road
in cloud of dust.