Looking about,
he soon found the wood-shed; there was plenty of wood, but none cut
of a suitable length; it was all in cord sticks. Taking an axe, he
chopped an armful, and on taking it into the house, found the
family, had finished their suppers; the biscuits and meat were all
eaten.
"Come on here to your supper," said the maid-servant, angrily. "What
have you been doing?" and, without waiting for an answer, she filled
a tin basin with mush and skimmed milk, and set it before him. The
little boy did not attempt to speak, but sat down and ate what was
given him. Immediately after, he was sent into a loft to bed, where
he cried himself to sleep. Ah! when we count the thousand pulsations
that yield pain or pleasure to the human mind, what a power to do
good or evil is possessed by every one; and how often would a kind
word, or one sympathizing glance, gladden the hearts of those thus
prematurely forced upon the anxieties of the world! But how few
there are who care to bestow them! The next morning, long before
dawn, the farmer's family, with the exception of the younger
children were astir. The cattle were to be fed and attended to, the
horses harnessed, the oxen yoked, and great was the bustle until all
hands were fairly at work. As for Johnny, he was taken into the
field to assist in husking corn.
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