The Black Forge Mills : $b or, Up the King's highway — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Black Forge Mills : $b or, Up the King's highway
John Stuart Mill · en
Before three months had passed away Ray had so fully gained the
confidence of his employer by his fidelity and industry, that that
gentleman hardly knew how he could get along without him. "Uncle
Jacob," he said one day as he was talking with him about the boy, "you
needn't pay that extra five dollars on the boy's monthly salary; he
earns every bit of it, and I can better afford to give it to him than
I can to have him go. He is the best help, without exception, I ever
hired; and do you know he is serving the Master as faithfully as he is
serving me. There is Smith, my hired man, and his two sons; they were
good moral fellows, but not a bit religious when Ray came. Now all
three are reading their Bibles and praying daily, and when they related
their experiences last week each one admitted it was something that boy
said to them that first started him on the heavenly road. Every animal
on the place loves him, and he can do almost anything he wants to with
them; and as for the children, any one of them will go to Ray sooner
than to their mother or to me. After this, Uncle Jacob, you may pick
out my help for me, if you will guarantee that they will all turn out
as well."
The old gentleman shook his head slowly: "I can't do it, George, for to
my mind, not one in ten is so thoroughly converted as he was; and to
think so many of us were afraid the Lord hadn't done it. Guess it will
be some time before the First Church people make another such mistake."
Then there came an incident in the Long Point Farm life long to be
remembered, and which so endeared Ray to Mr. and Mrs. Woodhull that
from that hour they regarded him as their son.
George and the twins had gone out to play. For a time they ran about
the lawn in front of the house, but the gate into the lane had been
left open, and the children soon discovered it. Though they had been
told again and again not to go out of the yard, the temptation was
great, and their little memories were short, and a bright idea crept
into Georgie's brain. So he proposed to the twins: "Ray has gone up to
the town, and will be back soon; let us go and meet him." The twins
were nothing loth, as a ride after Old Jim, the horse, was the height
of their childish ambitions, and away the three trudged down the lane.
Before a great while they grew tired and sat down to rest by a gate
opening into one of the pastures. Some bright flowers in the field
attracted the attention of one of the twins, and, clapping her tiny
hands, she cried:
"Pitty flow's! pitty flow's! Me get 'em for mamma."
"All right," said the undaunted Georgie; "I'll get them for you." And
he began to climb over the gate.
"Me come, too!" both twins screamed, and managed to squeeze their
little bodies between the bars of the gate, and the three children were
soon busy picking the flowers that grew in such profusion at their feet.