let his father do as he
pleased.

As they were going home, his father said,

"That was a very pretty wheelbarrow, Rollo, I think myself."

"Yes, it was beautiful, father. It was so light, and went so easy! I wish
you would buy me one, father."

"I would, my son, but I think a wheelbarrow will give you more pleasure at
some future time, than it will now."

"When do you mean?"

"When you have learned to work."

"But I want the wheelbarrow to _play_ with."

"I know you do; but you would take a great deal more solid and permanent
satisfaction in such a thing, if you were to use it for doing some useful
work."

"When shall I learn to work, father?" said Rollo.

"I have been thinking that it is full time now. You are about six years
old, and they say that a boy of _seven_ years old is able to earn his
living."

"Well, father, I wish you would teach me to work. What should you do
first?"

"The first lesson would be to teach you to do some common, easy work,
_steadily_."

"Why, father, I can do that now, without being taught."

"I think you are mistaken about that. A boy works steadily when he goes
directly forward in his work, without stopping to rest, or to contrive new
ways of doing it, or to see other people, or to talk. Now, do you think
you could work steadily an hour, without stopping for any of these
reasons?"

"Why--yes," said Rollo.

"I will try you to-morrow," said his father.

The Old Nails.

The next morning, after breakfast, Rollo's father told him he was ready
for him to go to his work. He took a small basket in his hand, and led
Rollo out into the barn, and told him to wait there a few minutes, and he
would bring him something to do.

Rollo sat down on a little bundle of straw, wondering what his work was
going to be.

Presently his father came back, bringing in his hands a box full of old
nails, which he got out of an old store-room, in a corner of the barn. He
brought it along, and set it down on the barn floor.

"Why, father," said Rollo, "what am I going to do with those old nails?"

"You are going to _sort_ them. Here are a great many kinds, all together.
I want them all picked over--those that are alike put by themselves. I
will tell you exactly how to do it."

Rollo put his hand into the box, and began to pick up some of the nails,
and look them over, while his father was speaking; but his father told him
to put them down, and not begin until he had got all his dir