What Might Have Been Expected

ss in

speculation very profitable, it was really

ertain that it would never do for him to take his time, especially during school term, for that purpose. So, after consul

and it was also a wood station. Here the railroad company

act of forest land, and here Harry received permission to cut and take away all the wood that h

s. John Walker had a wagon, which was merely a set of wheels, with a board floor laid on the axletrees, and the use of this he contributed in consideratio

ness to collect the money at stated times, and divide the proceeds according to the rate agreed upon. Harry and his father

reek, on the village side, it was quite convenient for them. John Walker had a stable in which

roes who wished to cut wood for him, but he declined to hire any

could not cut wood, nor could he drive a team, bu

jist as easy as nuffin, early every mornin', and see dat dem boys does dere work, and don't chop down de w

rgument that the old man ought to be encouraged in making something toward his living, if he

dock made his appearance in the village, to demand his ten cents. Wh

m woods here, and I got to go all de way back home a

me to Hurry and declared that

matter?" a

gib up dat job

nted it bad enou

gib it up now,"

me your reasons for givi

silent for a few minu

op me up, ole wrapper an' all, and haul me off fur kindlin' wood. Dey say I was dry enough. An' dey needn't a made sich a fuss

d Harry, laughing, "I think

to Aunt Matilda's cabin, where, no doubt, he ate a

quite steadily, and sometimes they did not. Once every two weeks Harry rode over to the station,

e neighbors, who furnished the yarn and paid her a fair price. There were people who thought Mrs. Loudon did wrong in allowing her daughter to work for money

n, no matter how much money Harry made.

he paid to Aunt Matilda. She went over to the old woman's cabin ever

man, for her cabin soon began to look much neater,

s. The old woman was too stiff and rheumatic to keep at such work long at a time; but she was very proud of her whitewashing; and when she was tired of working at the insid

unt Matilda that if she persisted in surrounding her house with what look

da, in a mann

stance from the house, and the inclination to whitew

she said to herself, "dat it

h and a small brush to adorn the little birch-tree

and sometimes not more than two. Her parents intended christening her Minerva, but hearing the name of the well-known Hollywood Cemetery in Richmo

brought her only child, a wooden doll, which she was trying to teach to

and mind de house while I's gone,"

or a coat of whitewash; but she had not yet succeeded in convincing the doll of the impo

o come to the cabin with her, and who sometimes, when he got a

olly, "yer can't come in; dere's nobo

ar or did not care, for he s

home. Go 'way now, and tum bat in half an hour. Aun

y, Blinks trotted in, as

le course of his life, and it was quite right in him to bark and let her know what he thought of her conduct. Then Holly, in her fright, dropped her doll, and when Blinks approach

d a red freckled face, and a red bri

ut?" said he; and when he

og, he kicked him clear out of the door of the cabin. Then turning to Holly, he looked at her pretty much

ke h

oden child from the floor, she darted out of the door

e at the door. She had heard the barking and the s

the man, sh

r George! I

d the man. "Shake h

Mah'sr George," said the old woman; "a

It didn't suit me, down there. Fi

'r'aps!" said Aunt Mati

notice of her

your cabin, that I turned out of my way to see what the row was about. I'

Matilda; "he's dead. Mah

t that I was sneakin' around the village. Why, I'm mighty glad I s

emed to be getting into a bad humor. "There's others who kno

t meddling humbug, John

step toward the whitewash bucket; "jist you git out o' dat dar door!" and

-and then he left the cabin almost as qu

d Aunt Matilda, grimly, "he'd a gone on. Th