ke a goad stick and
begin. But he very soon gets tired of it, and goes away. You seem to
have more perseverance. In fact, you seem to have a great deal of
perseverance, which I think is very strange, considering that you are
a city boy."

Stuyvesant laughed.

"City boys," continued Beechnut, "I have always heard said, are good
for nothing at all."

"But you said, a little while ago," replied Stuyvesant, "that city
boys had a great deal of skill."

"Yes," said Beechnut, "they are bright enough, but they have generally
no steadiness or perseverance. They go from one thing to another,
following the whim of the moment. The reason of that is, that living
in cities, they are brought up without having any thing to do."

"They can go of errands," said Stuyvesant.

"Yes," said Beechnut, "they can go of errands, but there are not many
errands to be done, so they are brought up in idleness. Country boys,
on the other hand, generally have a great deal to do. They have to go
for the cows, and catch the horses, and drive oxen, and a thousand
other things, and so they are brought up in industry."

"Is Phonny brought up in industry?" asked Stuyvesant.

"Hardly," said Beechnut. "In fact he is scarcely old enough yet to do
much work."

"He is as old as I am," said Stuyvesant.

"True," said Beechnut, "but he does not seem to have as much
discretion. Do you see that long shed out there, projecting from the
barn?"

This was said just at the time when Beechnut and Stuyvesant were
passing through the gate which led into the yard, and the barns and
sheds were just coming into view.

"The one with that square hole by the side of the door?" asked
Stuyvesant.

"Yes," said Beechnut, "that was Phonny's hen house. He bought some
hens, and was going to be a great poulterer. He was going to have I
don't know how many eggs and chickens,--but finally he got tired of
his brood, and neglected them, and at last wanted to sell them to me.
I bought them day before yesterday."

"How many hens are there?" asked Stuyvesant.

"About a dozen," said Beechnut. "I gave him a dollar and a half for
the whole stock. I looked into his hen-house when I bought him out,
and found it all in sad condition. I have not had time to put it in
order yet."

"I will put it in order," said Stuyvesant.

"Will you?" said Beechnut.

"Yes," said Stuyvesant, "and I should like to buy the hens of you, if
I were only going to stay here long enough."

"I don't th