Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-11-21
BEN PILLEY.
The Man Out ofHis Place.

Coming home late one evening, /
met DIR. Saul at the door, radiant. I've
done q good stroke of work this week,
Isathrop. Found situation for Ben
Piliey." fi sz.
SIN town." i.a.:,.s.
"Yes. Why not?'' a.-s.Es4
"What sane human being would
ever tether Ben Pilley in town ?"
The DOCTORS countenance fell, but he
recovered himself. A ~
"You're hungry,i Tom, and cross.
waiting. Nown-after he had
seated himself and unfolded his napkin
cit was the merest chance Of luck /
heard of clerkship vscant in the Penn
sylvania Central railroad Office, remem-
bered that the Pilleys were hard up"
"As usual.
"As usual-and nailed the place for
Ben."
"You don't mean to say you would
put Pilley in railroad Officer"
"It is Pegasus in cart-harness, sure
enough, "..said my wife scornfully. SIN
his own profession, my cousin Benja-
min ranks as one Of the first astrono-
mers In the country. Among the
young men, of eourse.n
"Certainly, certainly said the doc
tor depreeiatingly. "rhe position is, I
know, a miserable make5hift for a
man of Mr.. PiIley's learning. But it
was case of-well, bread and butter,
madam, to state the thing plainly. The
Pilley's, since Ben lost his school, really
have been in that condition, that"
finishing the sentence by a solemn
draught of coffee and shake. of the
head.
"The question Is not the fitness of the
Office to Ben, but Ben's fitness for the
Office" said. RAILROAD work de.
Inands, as understand it, above all
other things, promptitude and accura-
cy." =. - ..s.;s -a
Benjamin viii probably fulfill any
obligation into which he may enter" "
said my wife coldly. "My family usu-
ally do.n ~. .fis
Now, the Pilleys hang on the very
outermost branches of Melicent's FAINT
ly tree. But the doctor and I made nc
reply. We knew what it was to touch
root or twig ofthat sacred growth. 'a .
81 only hope he may not lose the
chance,n said Saul anxiously. "He
was duehefe two days ago." i,
ben is. dilatory, l confess" said
Mel, with an awkward laugh aud glanee
at me. "But when. he sees the necessi-
by of punetuality in business matters
he will acquire it. Anybody can dc
that.n s.. =. ..,li e.. d, ~ s..
81 thought you liked Pilley, La
throp? 2" said the doctor, uneasily.
$; Liking is hardly the word. My
feeling for Ben has a far off resemblance
to that which had for. Melicent here
in our old days ofcourtship. learned
20 know him tolerably well when we
went out fishing together last summer
never knew sweetef moral nature
l never received from any mans many
glimpses Of fnoble thought or high intu
ition.. His wife is admirably suited Il
him, too. She is q CLEAN Of sunshine
for any shady piace." J" : s.,1;t ~
"I really never saw all that IN Ben, :
said my wife, turning against hersel
for some inscrutable reason. She:
clever enough, / grant you. ~ There's 6
tradition in the family, though, that he
was born a day too late, and has never
caught up with the lost time. He ever
put of taking all childish disease unit
be was grown. Why, last fall the ab
surd creature had the thrush--the
thrushi And as for his wife, of all tbs
incapable, indolent-I can. bear every
thing about that woman, DIR. Saul, bu
her folded hands and good humor, but
that drives me frantic. Sunshinep
You'll have them in POntefract'i
Woods as neighbors. / took No. 32t
for them," said Saul. .sYOu can look
s1nor, fba u,hala fo ,,,;lxx aO Y,,ioo;
ground, and go to work in 1t. PiIley
will bring them up in week or two,
1 suppose. -rs 81. -. .,..;
CAT least Pll attend to having the
house set in order for them.n The
door bell rang at that moment and her
face changed. "Therethey arel Thai
is Susan Pilley's gurgle Of a laugh il
she's alive, and the children as usual
all talking at eneep ..i. ....,z..
h We rose in confusion and followed
her. Now Mel's heart would warm to
a Thug if he came as guest. was
not at all surprised when ]. reached the
hall to find her with swarm of young
Pilleys clinging to her, while she
laughed and kissed and hugged their
mother with the sineerest affection.
$50 good in you to surprise US in this
way, Susien Speculation meanwhile
in her eye as to where in this box of a
house they were to sleep,
"It was Ben's doing. The doctor tel
egraphed for him to come up last Tues
day, but he said, no. He would bring
the whole family and show all that he
could act with decision and promptly
for once" with, the usual running ac-
oOxr, nj m nnf nf laIrnh
: "But where is Ben ?"
'sOhl he's lost one of the checks for
the largest trunk, I believe, and those
stupid. baggage-people would make q
difficulty. So he sent US before him.
Here he comes," and Ben, tall and
thin as ever, and with the usual appear
anee of having just been blown by q
violent wind into an excited good
hum3r, came ill.,. ,..e 49,.
!, "God bless you boysi'. seizing the old
doctors hand and mine. / melted al
the first touch. There certainly never
was fellow as gentle and genuine as
P;lley. Melicent, when he turned to
her gave him a motherly kiss. Her
keen eyes had seen already the patches
on his coat, and that Susan and all the
children, just as it was, were still pre-
spring Ia their winter clothes. The
water stood in her eyes with all their
keenness. 49, ....,.- -.
snow, could anything be better than
this ?" cried Ben, fiinging hat and va
lise in one corner. @'
"All here together once morei had
no hope ofseeing the doctor tonight.
I tell you, doctor, that offer of yours
was the plank to the drowning man.
had well nigh gone under. And you're
just at supper! We're slways Just in
time, Sue. Here joe. and Jim, and
Molly" ticking then OFF with enor-
nous slices of bread and jam. "We're
all half starved-forgot somehow to
bring lunch"
"What about the lost trunk ?" inter-
posed Melicent.
sob! 1t will turn up sometime. I
put the matter in the handss5f cab
man down there, an honest, reliable
r I--W -.