The Glenwood post., 1919-11-01
hcIe Tets BED Time Stories
Current Events For the Children
and 0rown-ups, Too
BOATS. NUTS, SHIPS, AND TRADE

"Well, well, why this dark cloud of
gloon o'er-spreading the usually sun
shiny face of little Jacki"
It was Uncle Ted coming up the
walk and expressing surprise at the
appearance of his nephew sitting alone
on the bottom step of the porch, his
elbows on his knees and his chin rest
ing in his hands. "What's gone wrong
with tho world now3" inquired Uncle
Ted.
"Oh, nothing much," replied Jack,
'but it does make me sore to sec
boy as selfish as Fred Strong. You
remember, uncle, over on the hills
across the river north of town, there
are q lot Of nut trees. The trees are
on sort Of waste land and anybody
can 60 and get nuts. There g a bridge
across the river down south of town,
but the road runs back long way
from the river and it's too far to
walk. I had counted on gathering a
lot of nuts and selling them to get
some Christmas money, and thought
Fred Strong would let me use his
boat. Several Of the neighbors told
me they would buy NUTS from me.
But when l went to see Fred last night
he said he and his two brothers were
going after nuts today-this is Sat
urday, you know-and that there
wouldn't be any room in the boat.
The boat will hold four easily but ne
said they would need all the room for
their baskets and lunch. That was
just and excuse to keep me from go
ing. He knows he can sell more nuts
if don't 60. And then, too, if he
gets nuts for people this year, they
will be the more likely to buy from
him next year,
where's your papa's boat?" ask
cd Uncle Ted. "He had one, I know,
for I used it to go fishing once, two
years ago.
eyes, daddy did have boat" an.
swered Jack, "and he took Ruth and
me over to gather nuts last year; but
we didn't use the boat often and ne
elected it, and the high water last
spring carried it away. I hope we
have one next year before the nuts
fall.
81 hope so, Jack, and since it is
sort of all in the family, I'll make a
boat if you'll help. If you want to
put in some of the money you made
ont of your war garden to help pay
for the lumber and boards and paint,
all right, and Wen own it together.
Then you won't have to depend on
Fred Strong or anybody else.' To
this Jack agreed, and then asked I'm
Gle Ted for a story.
81 haven't any story in mind just
now,' said Uncle Ted, "but do you
know, Jack, your trouble over boat
reminds me that this country of ours
the United States-has had very
much the same trouble in regard to
ships to carry goods across the ocean
and to carry soldiers and guns and
powder when we were in war. Years
and years ago, before you were born,
there were lots of men in the United
States who not only built ships but
sailed them on the ocean. Yankee
sailors were about the best in the
world, and in some of the rivers and
bays along the Atlantic coast there
were shipyards where they made ships
as good as any that were then sailing
on the ocean anywhere.
"You see, when this country was
first settled, all up and down the At
lantic coast, the best way to travel
was by water, and people had to have
ships to get goods from Europe and
they began building ships as soon as
they came here, and they planned bet
ter ships than had even been used be
fore. They invented the schooner
which could be more easily sailed IN
the harbors and rivers and later ,he
clipper which was the fastest sail
ing ship ever built. When the colon
ies started the Revolution against
Great Britain they had no navy IF
fighting ships but all the ships carried
guns in those days to fight pirates
and the colonial government sent ont
what were called 'privateers, owned
by people who were glad to fight for
America. Those privateers pnyei
hob with the Brit .sh merchant ships
and really made it possible for the
coloni,ts to win the war by keeping
the sea free enough to bring supplies
for the war.
uWhen the United States became