Show THE bar bae carpenters PENTE ra S apprentices W r abw all by Y SYLVESTER id adow roland stood with her hand on the I 1 aeja headon NE her lier bo boy he lie was a bright eyed robust healthy heal thy looking cooki ng fellow with a as face re of marked intelligence telli telf gence and a genial good natured expression of countenance ile he had a bund bond bundle 1 iu in his bis hand and close by was a small eruik all lashed up ready for travel mark spoke the widow ayou ou are the only child I 1 have in the world ivorid the only being eing I 1 have left to whom my hopeful love can cling the boy drew more closely to his mother but did not speak ile he hid bid his face that she might not fee pee ee the tears that came to 10 his eyes thus far my son the widow re burned returned keeping down her own tears 1 I have done for you the best that I 1 could I 1 have taught you yon what I 1 thought was right and have been more than repaid by your loving kindness towards me but now you are goinz going going to leave me it is hard for us to part but it if is for your best good you must begin to prepare for the business of ilfe life and aud workout work out your own sup bup portIle support supportive since the means of supporting us both are not within within my reach before I 1 bound you to mr Ham nam hammond mond nond Las I 1 assured myself that he was an excellent man a man upright kindhearted kind hearted and strictly moral so you will not fail to find a good example in you master now mark I 1 have one very important imports n t question to ask of you dodou do you know what kind of a man you wish to be when you grov grow up cupl yes ayes mother the bov boy replied and what is ity A good man and you would be respected and belove dand honored by all who know you added the mother yes yes then my child let this una be the rule of your life ilfe until that time if you yon are ever tempted to take a step not in the ordinary course of your daiy duly top and ask yourself this simple question will it help to make me what I 1 wish to be and then you may ask would my mother advise me to do it I 1 would not have you mean and penu i lious long but still there is a proper care to be exercised over whatever sums sams of money may come into your possession remember that there are two kinds of pleasure there is a pleasure which fades away with the excitement which produces it and there Is a pleasure which conduces to our lasting good and thus remains with us beyond the mere hour of its birth do you yon understand me myson yes mother 1 then I 1 shall not fear for my boy in a little while the stage rolled up and stopped before the door and the tiie stout driver put on the trunk and bound it in its place mark roland kissed his mother received her blessing heard one shot short prayer from her lips and then hurried into the stage stags and alkhis face away in his hands late in the afternoon he reached a large village and was set down at the door of a fine house ile he wondered if he was to live in such a dwelling ng g it was handsomer and larger than any house bonse in the town from whence he be had come and he was beginning 11 to fear that ha he should never feel at home in such a place when bis his meditations meditation 8 were cut short by the appearance of a middle aged man who had bad just come out upon the pizza and asked if it this was mark roland mark recognised recognized mr BIT hammond as ai he hai had seen him at his mothers house once and he replied that he was the boy loy HIS trunk was carried into the house and ho he was then conducted into the dining room where th the family were ejust just ready to sit down to supper he was introduced to mrs hammond and to the larger children and also to two other apprentices who were about his own age he could eat but little PO so he had more time to look about him and observe the countenances of those with whom he was to live he liked the looks of mrs hammond and he felt sure that she must be kind and affectionate and then there was a little girl whom the hooters called cady caddy but whose real name he found to be caroline that thac he thought he would like very much she was wag yot yoi younger inger than he was and a great deal smaller bit but she looked good and kind and pleasant and he wondered it if she he would ever learn to love him as his own sweet bister sister loved him before bhe she died he cast many furtive glances at mr hammond but he could not tell exactly what to make of him the man had a very sober look and at times seemed to be stern but yet there was nothing unpleasant in his look and when ie t e spoke his big voice was very kind and considerate in its tones when it came bed tinn tina mark found that he was to sleep in a room with th other two apprentices their names were james prout and thomas wilson itelson they seemed to be good na tired boys andoor and our hero thou thought eilt alit he should like them very well but he could not talk much that night for he thought of his mother he had never been away orom from her lier a nh ht before and he could think of nothing else before he slept however he be remember ei all the instruction she had received and he lie pledged himself that he would live up to them lie he would be a good man if he be lived mr fl ammonds hammonds shop was a very large one and quite a number of hands worked in it he was the only aliouse carpenter of bf any consequence in the place nd be had irad as much busi buit ness nesy as he could attend to mark soon learned how bow hofto to use the common tools and at the end of a week be ike had the satisfaction of hearing his master er praise him film for his application andwood and good lood behavior lon As soon as he got over his homesickness he became very happy in his new home arsham mond treated mm film as though he were a child of her own and caddy wn was not long in lo 10 loving vi n g him as he had hoped she would he ald aid not then realize how bow much of this was ewing owing to his big own gentleness and faithfulness though he did know that ha he had resolved from the first to beall beail be all ail that a faithful boy should be alp aap r t at length t there ble bre ile came al holiday y nothing in particular going on in that village but them the it was a holiday and the apprentices wire were ellow allowed ed to haveit ta to spend as they pleased and their employer gave them half a dollar each to use as they might think proper I 1 well mark said james prout as soon as they had done dona breakfast what begoin ye goin to do today d why hy returned mark 61 1 I thought I 1 should take a walk down by the river this mor then come home and go to 0 o work what cried tom wilson in surprise work on lection day the old man give ye any money yes tes and arnt ye goine coiner to spend il it not now dow replied ie plied mark its the firt fira money he has given me and aud ill keep it for some good burp purpose ose IV what at do you yon mean by thisel this asked james you cyon are goin to commence early to be a miser no no not that james I 1 mean to save this for the mere gratification of having money but for the purpose of having something on hand in case I 1 may need it in tact fact Jim you and 1 I both of us hope hopa to be men one of these days day and we may want to go into business and hava have a good home of our own and we must have money to do this with no I 1 have got to begin to save at some time and I 1 know of no place so good to begin 11 at as the very beginning of the opportunity port unity all very well to talk of but it wont go down said thomas come well go to the tavern and see up there and then go over to the bowling saloon well have a good time corm corn no returned mark 11 1 have no desire to togo logo go to either of the places for I 1 am sure it would do me no good and I 1 should take no pleasure the other apprentices both laughed and james told him he ought to have been a minister instead of a carpenter A carpenter ought to be a good upright virtuous man and as far as manhood is concerned a minister can be no more said mark alark rather promptly the boys laughed again but not quite so forcibly this time and the then n went away now it so kapp bapp happened ened that this conversation had taken place in the sink room and aa as mrs ilam liam mond was in an adjoining gintry at work wash ing the breakfast dishes she overheard the whole ot of it and it was perfectly natural that she should go and tell her husband about it in the meantime mark walked away down by the river where the spring flowers grew in wild luxuriance and here he sat eat down by the waters edge and reflected upon the occurrences of the morning ile he threw a chip into info the river andas and as he saw it sail away a lesson was suggested to his mind how flow like a human being was that tiny chip and how like human life the water the current was fortune and it must bear a man down to the great ocean if he once gives up to the tha tide was wag it well to go to the oceana ocean if you on would be well then take the currett and sail away mark was perfectly satisfied wih with the course he had pursued andi anti by and by he be arose from his seat and plucked a lot of the sweet flowers that grew around him which he made cade lulo iulo two bo and then he went home one of the bo he gave pave to mrs hammond and the other to caddy they thanked him very kindly caddy gave him a kiss and he be thought that his mistress regarded him with more tenderness than usual with a light heart he lie went to the shop where he found his master what at work today to day asked mr hammond yes sir replied mark 11 would rather work here than spend my time doing nothing I 1 well owell well rejoined the carpenter with a look and tone of gratification 1 I am glad you feel so for I 1 have work that I 1 want ant done and fop foe what you do today to day I 1 will pay you I 1 want the rails tails got out for the doors of mr richardsons Richard sons house if I 1 gave you the dimensions do think you could saw them out and plane them mark said he would like to try and he was allowed to do so and by the middle of the of afternoon ter he had th them all done and had earned a dollar mr hammond complimented him very highly upon the manner in which the work was done and told him that he should soon have an opportunity to earn something so for tor himself after an early supper caldy caldy came running out into thenard the yard and asked mark if he would not like togo to go and ride papa says he lie would like to have you go there are two seats in the carriage you know and papa and mamma can have one and ind you and I 1 can have the other 2 at first the boy hesitated but when he understood that it was his masters wish that be he should go he assented rhe the carriage was a very easy one and it was very pleasant to ride by caddas side they rode through a beautiful wood and around through a fine village which mark had never before seen and got home about nine weli twell said mr Harn hammond mond as mark started for his chamber dont you you yon feel as well as you would if you had gone off and spent your money and your time for trifling amusement 10 0 1 I feel a great deal be better ter sir sin replied the b boy tam am glad it is so added his master and there the conversation ended when the three apprentices had been with their employer a ye yea gearhe arhe rha nha told them that when his work was so that it could be done don t they hey might have bave their scents set for them and he would pay them for all the over work they could conid do they were very much pleased with this and for some time they were able to earn from one to two dollars a week what do vou you do with your money mark asked james prout front as the three apprentices came out from supper together one evening 41 1 I an am laying it up the answer 13 1 3 wilson yeii you neter dla cint wah r us sail said thomas because L have do nocie occasion to spend any re piled mark but enjoy a good time as well as any of us if only otly think so 1 I do enjoy good times how flow id lie lige lle ile to know why in in hoping that I 1 may be a man one yf these days and be able to do some glod in the world fol de rol roi de diddle diddie dum oled died james what a pattern make it if vou you grow up hell make a pattern youir wih wi h you had copied said a voice from the woodshed but the boys did not hear it come added tom go down to the saloon with usand leps lets have a game of ten pins the use of being so mean with your ioie more tr 1 11 I am not mean with it replied mrk rather warmly for ii it was not the first timo they had made the fling at him tell me when you have spent a single penny that was not for or amusement when have you laid out a single copper for the good or pleasure of aej body beside yourselves vours elves tell me that I 1 well returned james of after ter consid considerable erble erbie lie lle liei 1 I tation for the question was a knockdown knock down blow to him we do spend it for our own amusement and one more than you can say no no rejoined mark 1 11 I can just say that though I 1 might better use the he word happiness than amusement if I 1 thought I 1 should find more happiness iu in some other course I 1 should most certainly pursue it I 1 would not ask you to S pend spend a penny for my pleasure nor would I 1 urge you to du any thing which I 1 did not think was wai for your good you have asked me to go with you to the saloon now I 1 ask you to go with me to the shop I 1 am going golu to earn half a dollar tonight to night 1 tom and jim laughed at him and then went off while lie he went to the shop and rolled up his bis sleeves and set about his work mr hammond went into the house and told his wife what he had heard aud and then be he remal k ed 51 1 I am I 1 going to give that boy one final tri aland if he be proves trite true in that he shall have all the care and confidence I 1 could give a son he ile put on his hig hat ard and went out and when he stopped it was before a small mean hut but at the outskirts of the village in which lived an old woman named polly brun mr hammond opened the door and went in and found poliy folly poll poil heit heli snug baher by her sheet iron stove steeping some heib tea ah ab poll how dyon ayou dot do said the visitor god bless bles ye mr BIT hammond im jeb jea so eo as I 1 was when I 1 seed ye last then youre no worse woree 1 added the carpenter taking a sat seat bat upon an old chest no eno sir replied the old woman while god elves gives elves gives me such noble generous friends as you yoh are I 1 cant get much worse and live heaven knows i what poor polly would adone the lorg winter passed if it been for you sir 11 1 I am glad d you are grateful polly for that ts a part eart rt of tile the reward I 1 get for doing such thines things rot wot but I 1 have coma on business now just Justl listen nten to mei mel have three apprentices you vou know them yes sirl sir siri 1 I l have seen them often orlen well I 1 want to try them they all know you and they all know that you are poor and worthy they know that you have suffered great misfortunes and that you arb are a fit object I 1 of charity now will you contrive con trie it for me will you try them on the first opportunity and let me know the result polly promised that eliat she would and mr hammond then took his leave A Afew few davs after this polly brun met james prout and thomas wilson iu in the street they had done work and were on their way to find amusement for the evening she stopped them and begged for charity she site told her sufferings and her wants and said bald that any sum no matter how small would help her you must go to somebody got more money than we have said james but a few nence vence urged the woman we got it to spare so dont trouble us even the money ye paid for them segars yere would help me more than ye can imagine pursued polly and it will help us too retorted tom and trenwith |