The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-06-06
vent back to Texas, and wrote to an agent

to sell my land. What cost q few hundred
to begin on, sold for over forty thousand
if I'd kept it till now, 'twould have been
worth ten times that; that's 80, but got
enough for it. l soon, turned that forty
thousand into eighty thousand, and that into
twice as much, and SO on, till don't know
nor don't care what Pm worth; that's so.-
! work hard, am the same rough customer,
remember every day of my life what my
mother taught me; never drink nor fight;
wish | didn't swear and chaw; but them's
got to be kind o. second natur' like, and the
only thing troubles me is my money-hayn't
got no wife nor children, and Pm going now
to hunt up brother and his folks. If his
boys is clever and Industrious, aint ashamed
of nay big boots and old fashioned ways,
and his gals is young women and not ladies:
if they help their mother, and don't put on
MORN two frocks day, why then, I'll make
'em rich, every one on 'em.
Snow, gentlemen, 'taint often Pm led to
tell on myself after this fashion; but these
old places, where trapped when l was a
boy made me feel like child agin-and 1
just felt like telling these youngsters here
about the changes and chances fellow may
meet in life, if he only tries to make the
most of himself. s5s.
"But, boys" said he, turning to party
of young men, s'there's something better
than money. Get education. Why, boys,
if had as much larnin as money, could be
President in 1857 just as easy. Why,
could buy up half the North and not miss it
out of my pile. Get larnin'; don't chaw to-
bacco; don't take no liquor; don't swear,
and mind your mothers-that's the advice
of real live Sucker; and if you mind what
| say, you may be men, (and it amt every
feller that wears goatee and breeches that's
man by long ways.) Foller out her
counsels; never do a thing that will make
you ashamed to meet her in heaven. Why,
boys, never done bad thing but heard
my mothers voice reprovin' me; and new
er done good thing and made good move,
but Eve seemed to hear her say, 'That's
right, jack and that has been the best Of
all. Nothin' like a mother, boys; nothin'
like mother-that's SOP .'s~
All this had passed while waiting to wood,
just out of Chicago. The great man was
swelling with emotions called up from the
dark shadows of the past; his big rough
frame heaved like great billow upon the
ocean. Tears sprang to his deep set and
earnest eyes-they welled up to the brim-
and swan round asking to be let fall as tri-
butes to the love of the past. But he choked
them down, and Eumming an old snatch Of
an old ballad, he thrust his hands down into
his pockets, walked back 10 the end of the
car, pulled the gigantic collar of his shaggy
coat up around his ears, and leaned back in
silence.
The cars ratified on. What mind was
there; what a giant intellect, sleeping, buried
away from light and usefulness by a rubbish
of prejudice, habit and custom-dong but
half work for want Of culture.
GA mute inglorious Milton," or rather
Webster, going about the world struggling
with his own soul, yet bound by the chains
of ignorance, which always precluded his
doing but moiety Of the good it lay in his
power to do.
| All the way on our tedious journeyhe had
been on the watch to do good. He gave up
his seat by the fire to an Irish woman and
her child, and took one farther back; soon a
young girl seated herself by his side; as the
night hours wore on, and she nodded weari-
| ly, he rose, spread his beautiful leopard skin
with its soft rich Inning, on the seat, made
pillow of a carpet-bag, and insisted that
she should lie down and sleep.
land Whit Will you do!'' asked she naive
ly.
ssNever mind me- can stand up and
sleep like buffalo; Pm used to it. THAT's
so.'5
A little boy, pulled up from sound nap
to give place to incomers, was pacitied and
made happy by handful of chestnuts and
glowing bit of candy out of the big mans
| pocket. When he left the cars for refresh
ments he brought back his hands full of
pies and distributed them among the weary
| passengers.
A mother and seven little children, the eld-
est not twelve years old, whose husband and
! father left the cars at every stopping place,
and retui ned more stupid and beastly each
time, scold;ng the little tired restless ones
with thick tongue, and glaring his furious
red eyes upon the poor grisved victim of a
wife, like tiger upon his prey, ''because
she did not keep her young ones still; they
would disturb everybody" No bite of re-
freshment, no exhilerating draught, no rest
from that fat, cross baby, came to her all
the long night, save when the big man
Baby boy for an hour, and let him play
with his watch to keep him quiet.
'''ll giveyer thousand dollars for him,
saiu He, ds ue nahaeu Hlm udeh w uei
| arms.
"You may have the whole lot for that
answerned the drunken father with swine
| like grunt.
''lt's bargain," said the big man, s'pro-
| vidin' the mothers willing" .
''lndade, sir, its not the one Of them can
be had for money!" was the quiet yet de-
termined response of the mothers heart.
How kindly he helped her off the cars
when, at the break of day, they came to
| their journeys end.
Thus all night had he been attracting the
attention of the waking ones in the cars
But his kindness and rough politeness would
soon have been forgotten by the mass of the
passengers, had he not stamped it upon our
memories with his gold.
81 wonder who he is," and "where did
he get in.'' "What an interesting charac-
ter" ..-g..s ...s.
sEducation would spoil him." What
rich furs." ''Did you notice what splen-
did watch he carries:' He's some great
man incog." ~ ..a
Such were few Of the queries that pass
ed from lip to lip. But there came no an
swer; for he, who alone could have answered,
sat crouched in his fur coat, seeming uncon-
scious of all but his own deep thoughts.
'sChicago!'' shouted the breakman, and in
an instant all was confusion, and our hero
was lost in the crowd. The next we saw of
him was at the baggage stand, looking up a
band-box for Il sweet looking country
girl, who was going to learn the milliner's
trade in the city. As We passed to our car
riage, we discovered him again, holding an
old man by the hand, while he grasped the
shoulder Of the conductor of another train
with the other, getting for the deaf, gray
haired sire the right information as to the
route he should take to get ''his darter, who
lived near Muscatine, Iowa." Ea.y.z...
t'God bless him for his good deeds!" was
our earnest aspiration, as We whirled around
the corner. May his shadow never grow
less, or the gold in his pocket diminish, for
in his unnumbered charities and mercies
dropped SO unostentatiously here and there,
he is perhaps, doing more good in this day
and generation, than he who donates his
thousands to build charitable institutions,
to give honor to his own name. sH
Oh how much the world needs great hearts
that are able to comprehend little things
and yet how often it happens that the learned
the wise and the rich. outgrOw the everyday