The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-11-03
OUR SATURDAY NIGHT.
ny BRTCK POMEROY.
Only a Poor Old Wood.sawyer.

- wa N-N ~ WV 49,"
Saturday Night, and the welcome rest it
brings And life spared. we hope, for some
good purpose, as time will tell when the string
of soven-day beads is counted!
He could not have been less than seventy
years of age. We SAW him this afternoon,
with his ragged clothes, wrinklcd face, bent
form, and thine white hair. working on the
sidewalk, saving a little pine kndling-wood,
and throwing it into the cellar, through lit
tie, round trup-holc. His battered hat was on
step hard-by. His little old saw hardly
felt the power that sent it slowly through the
wood, for the arm was feeble, as was the life
current Of the poor old man.
We paused in our walk to look at him.
Time was cutting away at him as he was at
the wood, and soon he too will drop ont of
sight. God give him good rest when come,
the day.
Good evening uncler
"Eh-cee' Eh-cce! Eh-cec! Eh-csc' Eh-c,ci'
He did not stop till the stick was in two,
and we spoke in q louder tone.
Good evening uncle, your job is most
done!"
He slowly raised from his labor, rubbed the
bare right arm across bis forehead, looked at
Us for half minute and slowly said:
Yes, my work is most donc"'
'Lct us saw few sticks-just for luck and
for old times"
li' ON NlAu u Ohtfl W us from uttl 10 1901
shook his head and said:
'Plcasc don't fool with nn old mani
Let me take your saw"
Mechanically he handed il tn us and we
finished his tnsk while he sat and rested. evil
IDENTITY wondering If the 'ncw man" ut the
job were crazy or myth. And we thought
sawed the dozen sticks. that the work
of the old man irStS almost dome, and wondered
if God would doom Us to live so long here
away from the beautiful cover therc!" And
we thought-nnd thought that man was much
like the saw-went mp and down, cutting his
way through lifc nt last to get through just in
time to see the stick he has sawed taken for
use by others Then, what do we amount to
more than the saw? This, there is Power.
u Grand Arm, that directs VIZ for purpose
that causes rs to cut blOClSs--tO shorten old
styles Of doing wOrk--tO fit Onr work To the
great temple being bnjlt silently in the Fast
Then we sat aud talked few moments with
tho old man. And he told us the simple sto-
ry OF lifc-thc first time he had over told it,
No romance, but plain truth. And this it
was:
Born Reared by wealthy parents near
Rochester. Game to New York years ago,
when young man. Clerk in hardware
store on lower Pearl street Gay fellow with
the boys MnTricd Spent his wifc's fortune
buried hcr-livcd in disSipation-"uck'
went against him when his old Cronics saw
him going rninward--ten years he Ind lived
in cellars and garrots, on floors, straw mat
tresses. coarse food, anil sometimes none.
and sometimes good meals, ns those for whom
he had done odd jobs at times called him into
the kitchen.
This was the story. Hardly more words
than years 10 his life. But hc waa almost
done work. little longer aud then good
10y old saw and weary tramps for u little
work. lie said the saw was better than none.
when file the saw 1t works well. But men
don't do 50. Sometimes they don't do my
thing for what you do for them This is
what the old man said, and il struck us ns n
great truth sawed out Of life by nearly eighty
years OF toll
Then we walked and talked. Tho heart of
the old man had gone. No home. No one
70 love or care for him. What mnttcrcd
houses or lands to him-Or horses, or car.
rlnges' or diamonds, or jcwclry2 M one was
kuHd when he came or sorry when hc went
Inc Joyous echoes of the past woro drowned
80 dcep IN the dissipation Of years agoIe, they
came to him only in dreams!
What mn ending to life, Gods gift toward
announcement frittcrod awnyl Thrown away
1cSPlSed' uodden under feet. ignored
drowned in dissipation and murdered Will,
good fellows clanked glassca and lnuchcf
NJ the iools who rnyod of life, of love, of hon
OF, OF manhood, Of earniugs-thnt when cam,
,ne hny 10 rest thcro might he u pnco Eve,
., n,rus save bits Of down 'and lint. carryin.
'huiu lniIeh 10 soften their nests
ANA We came homo thinking of life md Il,
nu'ics and tho poor old men all over th,
inhd. OF those who had 10 regard for ,ho fl
ture when They dullcd their lives foolishly
and tossed the days down their thronts Ar,
oi tho poor old men in shops, aud ON farms
hu una working by the d.sdo to catch nm i,
.no race aud. 10 help bury in pnuper'
f,nyes those still poorer than Themselves
na oi the poor old men whose NIGHTS nrc r,,l
thc Ihsi,"ts h,iu and ugly dreams rs they sleep or
S,' ,ars and thorns of that life from vhicI
they cot ont tic beautiful to snyc ih"boJ NV
mnn, would you, honest reader, saw 10
and M wuo should go into his flower garden
"' WIN knife, shears, pincors. fingers, O