How John Became a Man | Page 6

effort of the boys to secure the much-coveted tobacco was
made one day when they, while roaming about over the prairie,
discovered a man hard at work in a field. The man seemed to be lifting
something that was very heavy, and Will suggested to the boys that
they go and lend their services provided the man would give them each
a chew of his tobacco in return; and Will did not forget to add that they
must each take as generous a bite as their mouths could accommodate.
The man was glad to accept their help; and together with his own
efforts, the work was soon finished. Then, in fulfillment of his
agreement, he handed them his plug of tobacco that they might each
take the "chew" he had promised them.
According to Will's suggestion the boys did not stop with an ordinary
chew; but each took all that his mouth would contain. When they
returned the plug, it was so small that the boys were all afraid the man
would find fault with them; so they hurried away from the spot as

rapidly as possible. As soon as they were far enough away, they
removed the tobacco from their mouths; and they found that, by taking
very small chews at a time, the amount was sufficient to last them for
some time. Several times they succeeded in securing tobacco in this
way, and by economizing were able to get along pretty well for a while.
But the plan did not always work; for the neighbors' becoming aware of
the scheme, prepared themselves with a small piece of tobacco to offer
the greedy boys.
After that, in order to secure their tobacco, they were often forced to
pick up partly-chewed quids, found where they had been thrown away
by the owners. These the boys usually washed; sometimes, however, in
their eagerness they could not wait to attend to even this amount of
cleanliness, but crammed the tobacco into their mouths just as they had
found it. Even cigar stubs; in fact, everything in the form of tobacco,
that had been thrown away, they eagerly gathered and used to satisfy
their ravenous appetites.
With a foundation now laid for both lying and stealing and with their
consciences dulled, the boys were constantly laying plans to gratify
their evil desires. Many a pocket they robbed of its contents if it
happened to contain tobacco in any form. But this was a slow process
at best; even under the most favorable circumstances it yielded them
but very little returns for their efforts. But one day Will informed the
boys that he had made a discovery--that he had found out that there was
a lot of plug tobacco in the big chest in his father's room. "Now, if we
could think up some way to get into that chest when the old folks are
gone away to town," he suggested, "we could get all the chewing
tobacco we would want for a long while. I thought I would watch and
see where Dad put the key, but he took it with him. Guess he carries it
with him everywhere he goes. I wonder if we couldn't manage in some
way to break the lock. My, but I tell you we could get a big haul! I
wonder if we hadn't better try it some day when the old folks go to
town?"
"Hooray, that's just it!" shouted the smaller boys in the same breath.
And John asked quickly: "When will they go to town again? This is

only Wednesday."
"It won't be long, I'm sure," Will answered reassuringly. "They'll go
either Friday or Saturday sure. But we'll have to get busy and think out
a way to break that lock. My, but won't the old man be mad when he
finds out about it! We'll have to act just as if we couldn't see how on
earth such a thing could have happened."
"Yes; and we'll have to hide the tobacco good, or Pa might find it,"
chimed in Charley.
"Hey, Will," John exclaimed in a hurried undertone--for all the boys
had learned to speak low when mentioning their plans--"if we could
take the hinges off from the back of the chest, we wouldn't have to
break the lock at all."
"Why, John, that's just it! How in the world did you think of that
scheme?" Will exclaimed, as he slapped his little cousin on the back. "I
say, my boy, you had better look out or you'll be a man before your big
cousin! It doesn't matter, you know, about the height, if you have the
sense."
Now, John (although so young) was quite ingenious; and he often
suggested ideas that, for their shrewdness, were far beyond his years.
For such he was always