Rollo at Work

Preparations.

When Rollo got back into the yard, he found his father just getting into the wagon to go away. Jonas stood by the horse, having just finished harnessing him.

"Father," said Rollo, "I can work. You thought I could not work, but I can. I am going to work to-day while you are gone."

"Are you?" said his father. "Very well; I should be glad to have you."

"What should you like to have me do?" asked Rollo.

"O, you may pick up chips, or pile that short wood in the shed. But stand back from the wheel, for I am going to start now."

So Rollo stood back, and his father drew up the reins which Jonas had just put into his hands, and guided the horse slowly and carefully out of the yard. Rollo ran along behind the wagon as far as the gate, to see his father go off, and stood there a few minutes, watching him as he rode along, until he disappeared at a turn in the road. He then came back to the yard, and sat down on a log by the side of Jonas, who was busily at work mending the wheelbarrow.

Rollo sat singing to himself for some time, and then he said,

"Jonas, father thinks I am not big enough to work; don't you think I am?"

"I don't know," said Jonas, hesitating. "You do not seem to be very industrious just now."

"O, I am resting now," said Rollo; "I am going to work pretty soon."

"What are you resting from?" said Jonas.

"O, I am resting because I am tired."

"What are you tired of?" said Jonas. "What have you been doing?"

Rollo had no answer at hand, for he had not been doing any thing at all. The truth was, it was pleasanter for him to sit on the log and sing, and see Jonas mend the wheelbarrow, than to go to work himself; and he mistook that feeling for being tired. Boys often do so when they are set to work.

Rollo, finding that he had no excuse for sitting there any longer, presently got up, and sauntered along towards the house, saying that he was going to work, picking up chips.

Now there was, in a certain corner of the yard, a considerable space covered with chips, which were the ones that Rollo had to pick up. He knew that his father wished to have them put into a kind of a bin in the shed, called the chip-bin. So he went into the house for a basket.

He found his mother busy; and she said she could not go and get a basket for him; but she told him the chip-basket was probably in its place in the shed, and he might go and get that.

"But," said Rollo, "that is too large. I cannot lift that great basket full of chips."

"You need not fill it full then," said his mother. "Put in just as many as you can easily carry."

Rollo still objected, saying that he wanted her very much to go and get a smaller one. He could not work without a smaller one.

"Very well," said she, "I would rather that you should not work then. The interruption to me to get up now, and go to look for a smaller basket, will be greater than all the good you will do in picking up chips."

Rollo then told her that his father wanted him to work, and he related to her all the conversation they had had. She then thought that she had better do all in her power to give Rollo a fair experiment; so she left her work, went down, got him a basket which he said was just big enough, and left him at the door, going out to his work in the yard.