Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-10-23
CHILDREN TO
GATHER The NUTS
PRESENT PREDICAMENT RE-
MINDS TED OF THE EARLY
DAYS OF OUR COUNTRY

well, well, why this dark cloud
of gloom DER spreading the usually
sunshiny face of little Jack?'
1t was Uncle Ted coming up the
walk and expressing surprise at the
appearance of his nephew sitting
alone in the bottom step of the
porch, his elbows on his knees and
his chin resting in his hands.
What's gone wrong with the world
now" inquired Uncle Ted.
"Oh, nothing much, replied Jack,
"but it does make me sore to see a
boy as selfish as Fred Strong. You
remember, Uncle, over on the hills
across the river, north of town, there
are a lot of nut trees. The trees
are on sort of waste land and any
body can go and get nuts. There's
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. had counted on
gathering lot of nuts and selling
them to get Christmas money, and |
thought Fred Strong would let me
use his boat. Several of the neigh
bors told me they would buy nuts
from me. But when / went to see
Fred last night he said he and his
two brothers were going after nuts
today---this is Saturday, you know
and that there wouldn't be any room
in the boat. The boat will hold
four easily but he said they would
need all the room for their baskets
and lunch. That was just an ex
| cuse to keep me from going. He
knows he can sell more nuts il
don't go. And then, too, if he gets
nuts for people this year, they will
be more likely to buy them from him
next year"
where's your daddy's boat?" ask
ed Uncle Ted. ''He had one,>
know, for | used it to go fishing
once, two years ago."
Eyes, daddy did have a 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
neglected it, and the high water last
spring carried it away. I hope we
have one next year before the nuts
! fall"
1" 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
|
| for the lumber and boards and paint,
all right, and we'll own it together.
Then you won't have to depend on
Fred Strong or anybody else" To
this Jack agreed, and then asked
Uncle Ted for story.
"I 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 re-
gard 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 ship
yards 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 to trade with the West Indies.
/ So they began building ships as soon
as they came here, and they planned
better ships than had eyed been used
before. They invented the 'schoon-
err which could be more easily sail
ed in the harbors and rivers and lat