and where the Bible was written by God's
order, when people want to soften any hard meat, they put it into a pot
with a top and put the pot into a hole full of hot coals, and then they
pile more hot coals over the top, so that all parts of the pot are hot;
so that to heap coals of fire on a man's head has come to mean, to
soften his heart by many kind deeds--heaping them upon his head.
Mark Page did not know what a kind man Farmer Grey was. The miller had
a man to help in the mill, Sam Green by name. There is a saying, "Like
master, like man." Sam was very like the miller--may be worse. Sam was
a man of few words, the miller did not speak much--young Ben was like
his father. One night the talk was about the new road. "Why not go and
dig it up?" asked young Ben Page. "Best thing to do," growled out Sam
Green. It was moonlight, so they all three went out with spades and
picks to the road. "Where shall we dig, father?" asked Ben. The miller
looked about; his farm was on the left of the road. "Stop these two or
three drains here," he said, as he struck his spade on the left side.
"But it seems to me that most of the water runs to the right, off into
the brook; still I don't see what cause Farmer Grey had to go and make
this road." The next day, Farmer Grey rode by and saw where the drains
had been stopped. He might have known who did it. He said not a word,
but sent a man to put them to rights.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER 2.
The more harm the miller tried to do to James Grey, the more he wished
to do. When he could, he or Ben or Sam let his cows into the farmer's
fields; and much mischief they did. Ben, too, who might often be met
with a gun in his hands, shot the farmer's game, and his rabbits and
pigeons.
One day, a fine dog the farmer was very fond of, came into one of Mark
Page's fields. Mark had a gun in his hand, and shot the dog. Farmer
Grey met Mark soon after this.
"You shot my dog, Trust, I am told," said the farmer.
"Your dog came after my rabbits," said Mark.
"Friend, did I say one word to man or boy when your son not only came to
my fields, but shot well-nigh half a score of my rabbits and my hares?"
asked the farmer. "You know he came."
"I shoot all dogs that come to my fields," said Mark, walking on, with
his eyes on the ground, and a frown on his brow. He did not speak much
that day when he got home. In the evening there was a breeze, and the
mill went round and round quite r
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