Barn-Building

The Carpenter’s Call—Learning to Frame a Barn—The Price—Doing Things Well—Knowing Certainly—Seeing with the Brains—Plan of the Barn—Use of Plan or System—The Lord’s System—System Indispensable—The Barn Completed—Fifty Cents a Day— How Improved Evenings—In Advance of his Teacher—An Incident in School—Reading “Robinson Crusoe”—Its Impression— Reading Josephus—Refusal to Break the Sabbath—His Bravery to Resist Wrong—Kindness to Animals, and his Friend David— Defending the Little Boy—Another Barn Built—Same Pay—At School—Another Book, “Alonzo and Melissa”—Growing Aspirations— Love of Sports—A Stalwart Boy—Trip to Cleveland— The Bully Beaten

James’s job at Treat’s carpenter-shop introduced him into further business in that line. The winter school, however, intervened, and James attended it without the loss of a single day. The day after the school closed, Mr. Treat called.

“I’m after James,” said he to Mrs. Garfield. “I have a barn to build for Mr. Boynton, and can give him a job before his farm-work begins.”

“That will suit him,” replied Mrs. Garfield. “I think he likes that kind of work better than farming.”

Just then James made his appearance.

“Young man, I’m after you,” said Mr. Treat to him.

“For what?” asked James.

“Another job of work.”

“Planing boards?”

“No. Better than that.”

“What?”

“Building a barn for Mr. Boynton.”

“I’d like that,” said James; “I want to learn to build a barn myself.”

“You can, easily. That’s not much of a job.”

“When do you want me?”

“Right off—to-morrow, if you can.”

“To-morrow it is, then.”

“With other work I have in the shop I can keep you at it until farming begins.”

“That will just suit me. Shall I work by the day?”

“Yes, by the day, if you will. I’ll give you not less than forty cents a day, nor more than fifty, according as you get along with it.”

“I’ll be satisfied with that, and will be on had tomorrow morning,” James answered, as Mr. Treat was leaving.

“Nothing like trying,’ mother,” said James, after the carpenter was gone, repeating her old, familiar saw. “I shouldn’t have got this job if I hadn’t tried for one last fall.”