The Story of a Country Town

r; so it was agreed, at a convention attended by my father and my grandmother, that he should be apprenticed for two years to Damon Barker, of the establishment on Bull River. Barke

sent there to learn milling as a business. When it was announced to Jo that the arrangement had

position to commence my mill in earnest. I am seventeen years old now; I shall be nineteen then, and by the time I am twenty-on

was brave and capable, and that he had always been treated unjustly in Fairview. I was thinking-it had not occurr

and I am very dull: but I shall be a man then, and in any event one need not be old to be useful. People here think differently, but it is because the community is slow and ignorant. Here the man who owns a piece of land and a team is supposed to have accomplished all that it is possible for a man to accomplish; but Barker told me once that there are men who make a Fairview fortune in a day. I don't want to be like the people here, for none of them are contented or happy; but I inte

happy man in Fairview, and I hoped with all my

r it is sad depravity, but I cannot help it. They have never treated me well, and care nothing for me, and I cannot feel kindly toward them, for no one can love without a reason. You do not fall in love with the woman that wounds

I knew so well it was true, that I could only reply through my tears that he wa

all the unkindness I have received here, and that I was as idle and unworthy as they seem to think me; but I never did, and I hope you honestly think so. You are the only one among

adily refused to give him the credit he deserved; I think so now, a

educated, and who will willingly teach me, and I intend to tax his patience with my studies. Barker is not only learned, but he is courteous, and I can learn something of polite manners. He bows like a king; only a very few men are able to make a really good

other were not polite to e

e burned it), and although I know now it was hideously ugly, I thought then that it made me very handsome. I bought it of a boy who had lived in town, and I had seen town boys wear them. So I shuffled into their parlor wearing your father's boots, with a pair of his pantaloons tucked into their tops, and the cap on my head. The

u; I am very com

remove my cap in the presence of ladies, and being of a poor family, I did not know it with

ld have laughed, but Jo was so s

spected it. I had heard your father sing the same song a hundred times, and I supposed it was all right. 'Is that all?' they asked when I had finished. I regretted that it was, thinking they were entertained, and I came very near singing it all over again. I told Barker about it, and he

en note, and after I had signified an

an explanation, and I write this to confess candidly that it was caused by my ignora

ition of the offence. With reference to the tiresome song I sang, I have only the same plea; I did not know any better. I know now that I cannot sing; I can only bellow. When I tell you that the noise I made is regarded as music in Fairview, you will realize mor

truly

Err

putting it back in the envelope from

you thi

it was neat and appropriate, and the best thing that could be done under

, for they can never understand how a young man of my age could be so uncouth, but other families of good manners will perhaps come to Fairview, and I intend to take lessons from Barker, and cultivate their acquaintance. I have great respect for polished people, bu

I answered, and feeling

or his kindness to me. If I am apt at anything-which I sometimes doubt-it is with machinery, and there is so little of it at Barker's that I hope I will be able to master

while, busy with our own

-morrow. When are y

xt day after his departure, and impossible, I said instead that I wou

brother I ever had. I don't intend to come here much, and as you enjoy visiting at Barker's we will arrange it in that way. They will perhaps tolerate me here once in a lo

ould say nothing, although Jo spoke of it in a husky voice,

She often comes into my room at night, if she suspects that I am not well, and asks if she can do anything for me; but I know she is always tired, and I feel more like hel

icture, and taking it from my pocket I gave it to Jo, but he did not care to l

true woman-and she is one, if ever one lived-this makes her very unhappy. I know less of your father every day, and I fear that something unfortunate will come of his discontent. I hope it will not turn out that religion is a bad thing for him, as Barker predicts. I never mentioned it to you before, but the night you were away your mother came so

ough I do not ask him, for I am afraid). He thinks all day at his work, you have told me, and I believe he thinks all night, for I have known him to get up at midnight, and walk the floor until day. He is always considerate of me, and never speaks unkindly, but he has never been my hus

is out of the house to-night, and farther away from me then ever before since he was born. After you two have gone to sleep here in this room, I always come in to kiss him good-night. And, Jo, I frequently kiss you, too. Si

remained so quiet that I could hear her t

or me after he put on boots and mittens, and went out with his father to work, but I was afraid, for none of that is allowed in this house, as you know. I do not feel free to

am not. I love him as every mother loves her only child, but he

o, that it is his father who did it, and that I always protested against it. I want you to take good care of him after I am dead, and I believe you will, for I can see you are very fond of him, as he is of you. I believe you will both become good and intelligent men some day; men who will love your wives and children, instead of treating them as they are treated in Fairview, and I want you to believe when you are grown up that I raised you as best I could. You have lived here nearly as long a

er understood her strange disposition toward us. I do not know that we had ever been more inconsiderate than other boys, but we all seemed to be waiting at our house f

s position since we went out of the room, an hour or two before, and I think he regretted he could not go out int

u glad

Jo promptl

nd he kept on thinking, as though he

ht, and that the course I have pursued with you was the best one. But to show you that I am anxious for your success, I offer to help you start the mill at The Ford, if you apply yourself at

s that although he always did that which was

ull of people giving good advice to others, but I have thought we should all be better off if we would advise ourselves more, and others less. If I could take the good advice I am capable of giving, I should have no occ

el grateful to him now instead of in the future (he was sure he would then), afte

.

remained in deep study a long while. I could not see her face, but I was certain it was thoughtful and sad, and that she felt ill at ease, and wretched. The moon was shining

hurriedly from the other room to inquire what was the matter. But only her sobbing answered him, and s

d, as the door closed upon them. "I was awake