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Read Ebook: The Boat Club; or The Bunkers of Rippleton by Optic Oliver
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Ebook has 2144 lines and 46479 words, and 43 pages
PAGE
I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT 71
I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS THERE 150
TIM SEIZED AN OAR 217
YOU MUST COME WITH ME 279
THE BOAT CLUB OR THE BUNKERS OF RIPPLETON
THE FOURTH OF JULY COMING
"How much money have you got, Frank?" asked Charles Hardy of his friend Frank Sedley.
"Four dollars and seventy-five cents."
"That is more than twice as much as I have. Won't you have a glorious time?"
It was the evening of the third of July, and the two boys were counting the money they had saved for Independence. Captain Sedley, the father of Frank, had promised to take him and his friend to Boston to attend the celebration; and they had long looked forward to the event with the liveliest anticipations of pleasure.
"I don't know, Charley," replied Frank Sedley, as he slid the money into his purse; "I was thinking of something else."
"What, Frank?"
"I was thinking how poor the widow Weston is, and how much good this money I am going to throw away on fire-crackers and gingerbread would do her."
"Perhaps it would."
"I know it would."
"But you are not going to spoil our fun by giving it to her, are you?"
"There are a great many boys who will have no money to spend to-morrow--Tony Weston, for instance," continued Frank.
"Tony is a good fellow."
"That he is; and his mother has a terrible hard time of it to support herself and her son and daughter."
"I suppose she has. Why don't you ask your father to help her?"
"He does help her. He gives her wood and flour, and a great many other things; and my mother employs her to do sewing. She is willing to work."
"And Tony works too."
"He is too young to do much; but he loves his mother, and tries to do all he can to lighten her burden."
"He makes a dollar a week sometimes."
"I was thinking just now that I would give Mrs. Weston the money I had saved for Independence."
"Pooh! Frank."
"It would do her a great deal of good."
"What is the use of going to Boston, if you have no money?" asked Charles, who was not a little disturbed by this proposed disbursement of the Fourth of July funds.
"I can stay at home, then."
"That wouldn't be fair, Frank."
"Why not?"
"You not only rob yourself of the fun, but me too."
"I really pity the poor woman so much that I cannot find it in my heart to spend the money foolishly, when it will buy so many comforts for her."
"Your father will give you some money for her."
"That isn't the thing."
"What do you mean?"
"You went to meeting last Sunday?"
"Yes."
"And heard the sermon?"
"Some of it," replied Charles, smiling.
"You remember the minister spoke of the luxury of doing good; of the benefit one gets by sacrificing his inclination for the good of others, or something like that; I can't express it as he did, though I have the idea."
Frank paused, and looked earnestly into the face of his friend, to ascertain whether he was likely to find any sympathy in the heart of Charles.
"I do remember it, Frank. He told a story to illustrate his meaning."
"That was it. I don't very often mind much about the sermon, but somehow I was very much interested in that one."
"And so you mean to give your money to the widow Weston, just to see how you will feel after it," added Charles with a laugh.
"No; that isn't it."
"What is it, then?"
"I will give it to her because I really feel that she needs it more than I do. I feel a pleasure in the thought of sacrificing my inclination for her happiness, which is more satisfactory than all the fun I anticipate to-morrow."
"You'll be a parson, Frank."
"No, I won't; I will do my duty."
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