The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-02-06
"I'm not afraid Of him.


youth is sailing on it. They had
showed me out of the quiet cove into
the swift current-those dear, kindly,
thoughtless people Sally ran away
into the house as their laughter con-
tinued and my uncle and I walked
down the street. How happy 1 was!
observed with satisfaction that
the village boys did not make fun
of me when passed them as they did
when / woie the petticoat trousers.
Mr.. and Mrs. Wright came along with
the crowd, by and by, and Colonel
Medad Moody. We had supper with
the Senator on the seat with us. He
and my uncle began to tall about the
tiyhtness Of money and the banking
laws and / remember remark of
my uncle, for there was that in his
tone which could never forget:
eve poor people are trusting you
to look out for us--we poor people
are trusting you to see that we get
treated fair. We're havin' a hard
time"
My uncle told him about the note
and the visit Of Mr.. Grimshaw and of
his threats and upbraidings.
"Did he say that in Bart's hearing?"
asked the Senator.
"Ayes right out plain"
"Too bad! I'm going to tell you
frankly. Baynes, that the best thing
1 know about you Is "rar conduct to-
ward this boy. / like - The next
best thing is the fact that IA signed
the note. 1t was bad business but
it was good Christian conduct to help
your friend. Don't regret it. You
were poor and Of an age when the
boys pranks were troublesome to both
of you, but you took him in. I'll
lend you the interest and try to get
another holder for the mortgage on
one condition. You must let me at
tend TO Bart's schooling. 1 want to
be boss about that. We have great
schoolmaster in Canton and when Bart
is a little older 1 want him to go
there to school. I'll try to find him
place where he can work for his
board"
"We'll miss Bart but we'll be tickled
to death--tnere's no two ways about
that" said Cncle Peabody.
The Senator tested my arithmetic
and grammar and geography as we
rode along in the darkness and said
by and by:
you'll have to work hard, Bart.
You'll have to take your book into
the field as / did. After every row
of corn learned rule Of syntax or
arithmetic or a fact in geography while
l rested, and my thought and memory
took hold Of it as I piled the hoe. !
don't want you to stop the reading,
but from now on you must spend half
of every evening on your lessons"
AS l was going to bed the Senator
called me to him and said:
81 shall be gone when you are up
In the morning. 1t may be a long
time before see you; shall leave
something for you In sealed envel-
ope with your name on 1t. You are
not to open the envelope until you
60 away to school. l know how you
will feel that first day. When night
falls yen will think Of your aunt and
uncle and be very lonely. When you
go to your room for the night want
you to sit down all by yourself and
open the envelope and read what I
shall write. They will be, think, the
most impressive words you ever read.
You will think them over but you
will not understand them for long
time. Ask every wise man you meet
to explain them to you, for all your
happiness will depend upon your I'M
Outstanding Of those few words in the
envelope"
In the morning Aunt Deel put it
in my hands.
II wonder what in the world he
wrote there-ayes said she. "We
must keep 1t careful-ayes I'll put
it in my trunk an give it to We when
We 60 to Canton to school,"
"Has Mr.. Wright goneT I asked
rather sadly.
"Ayesl Land o. mercy! He went
away long before daylight with lot
O. jerked meat in pack basket
ayes! Yer uncle is goin' down to the
village to see bout the mortgage this
afternoon, ayes"
1t was a Saturday and I spent its
hours cording wood in the shed, paus-
ing now and then for a look into
my grammar.
What day 1t was !-the first of
many like 1t. / never think of those
days without saying to myself: what
a Gods blessing a man like Silas
Wright can be in the community In
which his heart and soul are as an
open book J"
AS the evening came on / took
long look at my cords. The shed was
nearly half full Of them. Pour rules
of syntax, also, had been carefully
stored away in my brain. 1 said
them over as hurried down into the
pasture with old Shep and brought in