Henry Gardener Hunting

“ My dear Neil: A contract ‘s a contract, and should always be binding to the letter. You may think I ‘m a funny old fellow; but I hired you, and made the conditious as hard as I could, because I love grit in boys, and wanted to see yours come out. It came, and I am well repaid. But this pony is for the boy who can keep the spirit of his promise better than the letter of his contract, and for one who cares more to be “square” than for any other consideration.
Your very true friend,Ferris‍
John Ferris. ”

“ There were mornings when the boy asked himself if it were worth while, and was disposed to laugh at the strict instructions under which he worked, There seemed little need, indeed, to sweep an unused barn floor every morning, and certainly there could be little reason why that sweeping could not be done as well after breakfasts before. Then this matter of sweeping east or west grew to appear more and more an absurdity as the weeks passed, and sometimes Neil thought no sane man could ever have required such a thing. ”

“ For more than an hour the boy thought the matter over, till his aching brain was tired out with it, and then suddenly his weariness overcame him and he dropped off to sleep.
It was nearly noon when he awoke. His first sensation on opening his eyes was the pleasant one that his headache was gone and that mind and body were rested and refreshed. ”

“ It seemed an easy enough matter to Neil. How could it ever be hard to get up a little earlier than usual each morning and go and sweep a neighbor’s barn? And as for the queer instructions he had received about the manner of sweeping, it would be no harder to sweep in one direction than in another, while he could easily keep count by getting a little calendar on which to mark each day “E” or “W,” according to its turn. It was simple enough, surely, Of course he would do the work well, and his wages would amount to more than sixty dollars, And then, oh, that pony! ”

“ By the time he reached home Neil’s head was aching with the worry, the tumult of thoughts, and the consciousness of his failure; but he tried to make nothing of it, and met the others at breakfast with an attempt to cover his real feelings. But his mother saw the signs of pain in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Neil?” she asked anxiously, as the boy tried to look at her bravely; but he was obliged to drop his eyes to his plate. “Are you sick? What is it?” ”

“ And then he crept into his bed, a very tired boy indeed, and slept so soundly that he did not hear the alarm, after all, when it buzzed out its warning at six o’clock.
But a habit often has a surprising influence, and it was not long till, even against the weight of his weariness, which had been quite proof against the alarm, Neil’s habit of waking early was strong enough to open his eyes. The quick certainty that he must be very late filled his mind. ”