He did not answer for some time, and then he said he did not like to work. I asked him if he had ever tried to do any thing. Not much, he replied, they made me do a little at the Almshouse, but my task was more than the other boys, and so I would not do any thing if I could help it, and ran away whenever I could get a chance.
“But are you not willing, if I give you clothes, and food, and a comfortable bed to sleep on, to bring the bark and wood to make my fire of in the parlour, and sometimes go of errands for me?”
“I will, perhaps, if you do not beat me for every thing.”
“I hope you will behave well, and then you will not need punishment. You can do nothing till your frozen foot is healed; so I wish you to observe all that James does, and see if there is nothing you can do for him when you are well.”
With this proposal John seemed satisfied, and I left him to make some purchases for his more comfortable clothing.
I felt that great care was necessary, in order to reclaim him, and resolved to proceed with caution.
In a week he could walk about, and appeared favourably impressed with the kind treatment which he constantly received. He attached himself to James, who was a religious, orderly man, and helped him whenever he could find opportunity for so doing.
It was not long before he found a pleasure in work, and executed my little errands faithfully. I gave him short lessons daily, in the form of advice and counsel, and was happy to find him become attracted by the Bible lessons, which James read after the day’s work was ended. At prayers, too, he had learnt to fix his mind on what was passing, and it seemed he took great pleasure when the morning hymn was sung.
It was now time that he should learn to read, and I thought a school would be the best place for him. There lived in our neighbourhood a worthy man who kept several boys of this class, a few hours daily; and as I knew John had as yet no fondness himself for books, I did not wish to disgust him entirely, by sending him all day to the public school.
Mr. Brown, the master, heard John’s story with interest, and promised to exert his influence in teaching him whatever might be most important for him to learn.