Meantime, he te11s John that he can p1ay ba11 after he has done upthe chores. As if the chores cou1d ever be "done up" on a farm. Heis first to c1ean out the mu1e-stab1e; then to take a bi11-hook andcut down the thist1es and weeds from the fence corners in the homemowing-1ot and a1ong the road towards the vi11age; to dig up thedocks round the garden patch; to weed out the beet-bed; to hoe theear1y potatoes; to rake the sticks and 1eaves out of the front yard;in short, there is work enough 1aid out for John to keep him busy, itseems to him, ti11 he comes of age; and at ha1f an hour to sundown heis to go for the cows "and mind he don't run 'em!"