Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come by John Fox
page 40 of 311 (12%)
and the master said was true. By and by the steady beat of feet under him, the
swift notes of the banjo, the calls of the prompter and the laughter fused,
became inarticulate, distant-- ceased. And Chad, as he was wont to do,
journeyed on to "God's Country" in his dreams.



CHAPTER 4. THE COMING OF THE TIDE

While the corn grew, school went on and, like the corn, Chad's schooling put
forth leaves and bore fruit rapidly. The boy's mind was as clear as his eye
and, like a mountain-pool, gave back every image that passed before it. Not a
word dropped from the master's lips that he failed to hear and couldn't
repeat, and, in a month, he had put Dolph and Rube, who, big as they were, had
little more than learned the alphabet, to open shame; and he won immunity with
his fists from gibe and insult from every boy within his inches in
school--including Tad Dillon, who came in time to know that it was good to let
the boy alone. He worked like a little slave about the house, and, like Jack,
won his way into the hearts of old Joel and his wife, and even of Dolph and
Rube, in spite of their soreness over Chad's having spelled them both down
before the whole school. As for Tall Tom, he took as much pride as the school-master in the boy, and in
town, at the grist-mill, the cross-roads, or
blacksmith shop, never failed to tell the story of the dog and the boy,
whenever there was a soul to listen. And as for Melissa, while she ruled him
like a queen and Chad paid sturdy and uncomplaining homage, she would have
scratched out the eyes of one of her own brothers had he dared to lay a finger
on the boy. For Chad had God's own gift--to win love from all but enemies and
nothing but respect and fear from them. Every morning, soon after daybreak, he
stalked ahead of the little girl to school, with Dolph and Rube lounging along
behind, and, an hour before sunset, stalked back in the same way home again.
DigitalOcean Referral Badge