Lesson Two - Writing Assignment

Character Class - Lesson Two – Story Assignment

         Jack Clinton dropped onto the bank of the stream and stuffed his feet into his old boots.  They were scuffed and too tight, but he wasn’t about to wear his good boots to go fishing—at least not while he could still walk in these.  He tied the boot laces, jumped to his feet, and scooped up his fishing pole and fish then headed home for breakfast. 

         It was only Labor Day, but there was a crispness in the early morning air.  Well, there was no predicating the weather—especially in upstate New York.  Chilled, he broke into a jog.  Once clear of the woods, however, the sun warmed him like a blanket.  Above him, the sky was a cloudless, azure blue.  It would be a great day for a picnic.

         He burst into the kitchen of the little house he and his uncle lived in, the screen door slamming behind him.

         “Jack . . . don’t make all that racket.”  His uncle entered the room.  He was tall and gaunt, and he wore a short, old-fashioned beard.  It was no wonder that he was sometimes called ‘Abe’ by some of the younger men who worked at the mill. 

         “Sorry, Uncle Jim.”  Jack allowed his head to hang for a moment before he lifted it along with his string of fish.  “I caught us breakfast.”

         “I figured as much when you weren’t anywhere around.  You got the fun of catching them, and I get the work of cleaning and cooking them.  Thanks,” Uncle Jim said.  His frown morphed into a wide smile, and he added, “Hand them over.  Put your things away and then come back to, at least, help.”

         Jack grinned.  “It won’t be so bad—I gutted them already.  I want to change my shoes, at least.  Then I’ll be back to do whatever you want to,” he said before dashing from the room.

         He returned a few minutes later.  He’d stripped down to his undershirt and bare feet.  His uncle, standing over a sizzling skillet on the stove, looked over at him and laughed.  “I thought you were changing your shoes.”

         “Well, winter’s on the way.  As sunny and warm as it is now, the cold and snow will be here before we know it.  I thought I’d take advantage of the day and let my toes wiggle a little more.  Besides, those old boots are brutal. Just wearing them to and from the stream this morning was terrible.  As much as I hate the notion of wearing my good boots in snow and slush, I’m afraid I’ll have to.”  He grimace before he continued, “I’ll just have to make sure that they’re always waxed and polished."

         “We’re not paupers, Jack.  You get a good wage.  If you need something—buy it.  And if you can’t afford it for some reason, tell me.  We’ll manage.”

         “I know, Uncle Jim.  You know that I’m trying to save all my earnings, and you know why.  Farm land doesn’t come cheap, even out in Montana or Idaho.”

         “There’s plenty of good land around here.  I still don’t understand why you need to go all that way to farm.”

         “Because,” Jack said in a voice of restrained annoyance, “I want to raise sheep, as well.  I don’t want to farm more than what my family needs.  It’s to be a sheep ranch.  I’ve researched all this, and that area of the country is the perfect place for sheep.  There, they’ll grow thick, good quality fleece.”

         “Well, you’re the family expert on raising sheep and judging fleeces.  I just keep the looms running.  Now, grab the plates.  These fish are ready.”