Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-11-14

We will drop in and look at them,
said Saul. who had come 20 the depo,
10 meet me. When we reached lie
door, the vigorous sound of violin
met US. The floors were carpetless.
The furniture consisted of half dozen
chairs, table and iron bedstcads. But
the windows were flung wide open to
admit the evening air. And the chill
dren in their winter clothes tumbled
over each other in and out, while Ben
tiddlcd, and his wife, soft and sweet As
a May rose, sat placidly beside him.
But am more and more in love
every day with your Pontefract's ;
Woods, said Ben, after the first wei
come was over. 'Stfed? Not a bit
OF il There's something vitalizing in
the very pressure of human life about
You. It's a stimulant. Why, at home
you know how used to creep out OF
WORK and bc of TO the woods half the
time. | could not help it, Lathrop.
Nature had her grip on me. But here,
when thousand or more OF us men
set oil II our labor in the morning.
feel quite rs though | were marching
IN an army. keep step with humani-
", eh:'
What about the work when vou
reach the office:
oh it's a mere bagatelIe,' indiffer-
entity. Plenty of time for study. I've
found treatise o: Van Schurz. by the
way, in the Philadelphia library. that
I've wanted for years
What do you think z said saul anx-
iously. after we had gone out.
AS did at first. 1t was mis-
take
They would have starved if had
not brought him here
Better for a man TO starvc than 10
attempt any other work than his own.
4 There Is so much force wasted. Either
I The lnan or the work ends in ruin.
Very good in theory. But what
ahon; the starving wife and children /:
Besides continued Saul, when he
7 found ! had nothing 10 say. the chief
! of Bcn's department tells me tha, the
work is. As he says, mere bagatelle
to him. rilly is no dreaming book
worm. after All. but a man Of sound
ability and large grasp of thought.
+ | said no more. having certainly no
right to interfere But the belief was
an old one with me, that every mas
+ tcr-workman IN the woili is fitted hy
+ God for an especial task, and quits it
at his peril for any consideration of
comfort or even life. Looking back
at Ben's story through the horror that
darkened il, the belief has deepened
I
into superstition.
| had no opportunity of noting how
he performed his duties until month
I or two later, when went one la, ill.,
/ 10 a suburban station on the road TO
! meet Mellcent, who, with the baby,
had been down in Maryland for week.
She had telegraphe'l me to expect her
/ on the > 40 p. IN. express train from
J baltimore. and | went out an hour be-
fore, found Ben pacing up and down
the little platform, with no other duty
in life apparently but to drink in the
I beauty of the indstinct laEuscape
asleep IN the mellow September nj ght
Yes, this is my post now after
wringing my hand heartily. 4 was
/ sent out ten days ago-a kind of pro-
motion, believe. There's more re-
4 sponslbility Involved. Come in and
look at my snuggery.' watching ms
surprise with boyish delight. The neat
( little Office Was frightened by vines
and flowers in the windows some fine
| drawings were ON the walls and rare
books on the desk The violin lay near
1 his hand.
Plenty of time for study. A man
is drawn to his real work by sort of
/ gravitation, eh! One cant sell all of
ones hirihrght for the mess of pot
tage. But what brings you here at
/ night
| | told him Mel was coming, and
corld not help being gratitied by his
pleasure. He was grateful, atfec-
tlonate fellow. and Melicent's little
Kindness To them had made him very
| fond Of her
Il had no idea she was coming back
SO soon. Pontefract's Woods has
seemed dull and liieless without her,
especially to Susv On the . 40 ex-
press, eh! That's one of the heaviest
trains usually. Break off some how-
ers, Lathrop. and have them ready for
your wife, while -, Here, Sam =
to colorsd boy lounging on the grass,
run off to the village for some ice
| cream FIy Won rascal Sha'll hA
thirsty with the heat and DUST turn
ing to me.
This was all years ago, but l often
waken still at nights with the cold
sweat of terror on my face, from
dreaming that l am standing again, on
the dimly-lighted platform breaking
the fragrant syringa lunches from the