"AR JO"

Levin Daily Chronicle, 10 April 1917, Page 2

"AR JO"

(Written for The Chronicle.) "Ar Jo" had always been a forward hoy. At the early age of one he would firmly reject the pap meals prepared by liis solicitious nurse and clamorously assert his right to flesh his manly teetli on corn beef and carrots, 6ausageis or any other comestibles his elders indulged in. When he w.*nt to school he found that the teachers were such blockheads that it was not worth his while to' waste any more time there after he had passed the third standard. He then went to work. His spirits were somewhat dashed at first when he found he was expected to weed carrots, hoe turnips, clean out cowbails and pigsties and in short, do all the sordid and unskilled parts of the work. 'Hs lofty soul revolted at this treatment and he sought the first opportunity of having a pri"vate and confidential interview with his employer. He told him that he had chosen liis Farm to begin working on, partly because it was near his home, and partly because he thought that the Iboss was an honest and deserving person. Ho had nothing to complain of with regard to the other's honesty or mori,i;tv but he feared that he must ifx* intelligence when he kept so valuable an employee messing round with such sordid work.

The bluff farmer seemed struck, indeed rather overcome by the force of these arguments; 'but like all obstinate people, when they are stuck for an adequate reply, had recourse to bluster and ordered "Ar Jo" back to his work with a quite unnecessary, amount of violence. From noises that issued from tlie office where the colloquy had taken place, Jo concluded that the man's violent anger had (brought on

a fit of coughing or hysterics or both. At the end of the month Jo told the ignorant, stupid fellow that he was disapponted in him and must seek a place where his services would bo appreciated. "Right you are, my boy," said the despised one; "I fear I could never he worthy of you." Jo moved from one farm to another till he had had quite a large experience of bosses and methods; and he at least thought he was a first-class man. About this stage his mother told a friend in confidence "'e can do the work of a man Ar Joe; 'e can plough an' sow, an' reap and' mow an' arrer Ar Jo can." When Jo was nineteen ho met a girl about tlie'. same* age, the daughter of one of his employers. Tlie kindness of Jemima Giles induced Jo to stay an unusually long time with her father and to curb his natural haughtiness of disposition when the old man was so dense as to try and explain to Joe how he wanted things done. Joe's usual methods of dealing with the explaining kind of master "was "bo throw out numerous valuable suggestions of much better ways of doing the thing in question until the man hecame jealous of a subordinate who knew so much bettei than lie did and, in short, gave himself such airs that Jo would be com-

pelled to depart and leave him to muddle along the best way he could. But, as I said, Jo had been with Farmer Giles nearly two months and Jemima was most kind. You will remember Jemima was the young lady who was good at wool work, and when engaged to a certain young Scotchman made a lot of cushion covers which out of compliment to his nationality she worked all over with beautiful Scotch thistles. Before stowing these in the "glory box" she, with the innocent pride of an artist hung them on the line for' Mac to see when he came to visit her. You also remember how Fanner Giles's goat came

aloncr and ate the whole crop, never noticing tliat the taste did not come up to the appearance. "When Jemima in great distress told lver northern lover of the disaster, and he, thinking to console her, said that lie liked Scotch thistles, but not to sit on, she thought the remark so indelicate that she immediately cooled towards liim, and soon broke off tlie engagement. Now, Jo was "just the chap," and he, just as keen, would have offered to take her father into partnership m the farm but that lie had come to the conclusion that farming was a poor "game" for a man of his abiilty. He confided to Jemima a secret that he had cherished for some time and that was that that the way to make money was in "busness." Buying and selling was liis "game," he told her and she being absorbed in some strings of onions she was embroidering on a waistcoat for his birthday readily aspented. Jo started his new:occupation at once by strolling round to all liis acquaintances and offering to buy their cows, horses, pigs, poultry, carts, or in short any of their property, on condition that they would wait for their money till he sold them again at a profit. Some few people, temptel by offers of high prices, took him at his word, but Jo found that property so acquired was much harder to get rid of; so lie reluctantly decided to give farming another trial. Then, the war came on. He at first was very patriotic and quoted choice excerpts from the leading articles of the Dominion upon all occasions. Of course he would volunteer later on,but there wae no hurry. When N® found that farming paid better than soldiering and the war had got si bit stale he said anyone who went wae a fool. Then Jemima went to the registry office with a boy on his final leave and Jo was drawn in tlie ballot whore he now is.