omas began to take
more notice of him, and to instruct him as I said above. As James
soon grew able to do him more considerable service, he would now and
then give him a sixpence. This he constantly saved till it became a
little sum, with which he bought shoes and stockings; well knowing
that his poor father, with a large family and low wages, could not
buy them for him. As to what little money he earned himself by his
daily labor in the field, he constantly carried it to his mother
every Saturday night, to buy bread for the family, which was a
pretty help to them.

As James was not overstout in his make, his father thankfully
accepted the offer of the parish officers to bind out his son to a
trade. This good man, however, had not, like farmer Brown, the
liberty of choosing a master for his son; or he would carefully have
inquired if he was a proper man to have the care of youth; but
Williams the shoemaker was already fixed on, by those who were to
put the boy out, who told him if he wanted a master it must be him
or none; for the overseers had a better opinion of Williams than he
deserved, and thought it would be the making of the boy to go to
him. The father knew that beggars must not be choosers, so he fitted
out James for his new place, having indeed little to give him
besides his blessing.

The worthy Mr. Thomas, however, kindly gave him an old coat and
waistcoat, which his mother, who was a neat and notable woman,
contrived to make up for him herself without a farthing expense, and
when it was turned and made fit for his size, it made a very
handsome suit for Sundays, and lasted him a couple of years.

And here let me stop to remark what a pity it is, that poor women so
seldom are able or willing to do these sort of little handy jobs
themselves; and that they do not oftener bring up their daughters to
be more useful in family work. They are great losers by it every
way, not only as they are disqualifying their girls from making good
wives hereafter but they are losers in point of present advantage;
for gentry could much oftener afford to give a poor boy a jacket or
a waistcoat, if it was not for the expense of making it, which adds
very much to the cost. To my certain knowledge, many poor women
would often get an old coat, or a bit of coarse new cloth given to
them to fit out a boy, if the mother or sisters were known to be
able to cut out to advantage, and to make it up decently themselves.
But half a crown