weeding onion beds?"

"Very well, sir," said the boy.

"And would you like to keep at it all the afternoon?"

"I would like to please you, sir. That's what I came here for."

The old man was so much delighted with this answer, that he not only
laughed at it all the time he was at dinner, but he told it all over
the neighborhood in less than a week.

"Well, Fred," said he, "I guess you've done enough of that sort of
work for one day. I want you to do two or three errands after you have
done your dinner."

And he sent the lad to I don't know how many different places, to do
all sorts of errands. Among other things he directed him to do, was to
go to the store with money, to purchase some little articles for his
wife. You see the old man wanted to try the new comer, and see if he
was faithful.

Well, every thing was done properly, and Uncle Mike was satisfied.

The next day, Fred had other tasks given to him. His employer
selected those which were hardest and most unpleasant, as he said, "to
break the little fellow in." I'll tell you one thing he did. He sent
him out to catch the old mare. Now the old mare had a knack of kicking
those who came to catch her, when she was not perfectly satisfied with
their mode of doing the business; and she did not at all like the sly
and timid way in which Fred came up to her, with the bridle concealed
behind his back. She was a great lover of fair and open dealing;
though, like some others of her race, that I am acquainted with, as
well as some who belong to quite a different race, and who have the
name of being a good deal wiser, she did not always practice herself
the virtues she so highly commended in others.

She waited until the lad had got within a few feet of her, and then
she whirled round, before the poor fellow, who was half frightened out
of his wits, could have time to get out of her way, and let her heels
fly into the air over his head. It was well for the boy that she took
her aim so high. If it had been a foot or two lower, the _breaking
in_ would have been an expensive one to Fred--a very expensive one,
indeed.

In such ways as those I have named, and in a great many other ways,
which I need not name, Uncle Mike tried the boy, to see what he was
made of. He found out, before long, what he was made of. He found out
that there was just such stuff in him as he liked. The more he tried
him--the more he "broke him in"--the better he was pleased with him.

Well, I'