Father Howard was a hard master, and
a sorry time had poor Henry during the
long summer days that succeeded this in
terview with his mother. It was work,
with no relaxation, from the earliest dawn
until the twilight had quite faded. Ofteu
did his courage fail, and despondency and
indolence urged him to stop, but a stern
necessity was on him, he must do it or
starve; and hence he kept at it, wearily
enough to be sure, until the last apple was
in the cellar v the last ear of corn in the
crib, and all things secured against the
winter, with the most painstaking thor
oughness.
The winter, tardy as its approach ap
peared to Henry, came at last, with its
three months privilege of school, audits
[glorious long evenings that he might spend
as he chose, with no spectres of huge heaps
of corn to husk, or vast fields of potatoes
to dig, loomed up in the distance.
How well those hours for study were
■ improved, or how highly prized, the bright
'light which the blazing pine splinter shed
from the attic window, until long past the
hour of 12, might tell, (zk pine splinter,
because the mistress Was a careful soul,
and saved the candle-ends to light Henry
to bed.) He advanced with surprising ra
pidity in his studies, and what wonder? —
Ardent, persevering effort was never un
successful. When the spring came he was
quite master of the Latin graramer, and
was beginning to read in this language
with some degree of ease. The summer,
with its wearisome round of duties, could
not damp his desire for knowledge. Every
spare moment was carefully seized and
[sedulously employed in bis favorite study.
