The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-09

"Was the proiesSorship offered to your"
Eyes. The most absurd mistakel The
trustees wrote 10 mo making the PROPOSE.
tinn, and Of course [ accepted. Il was
Just after closed my school. i put my
letter In this pocket. No, l did not neg
lect to send Il, but when l did forgot Ia
put q stamp on It, 1t was TOO bad, too
bad !" growing seriouS! "Theys waited
| until their patience gaYe-uut, and then
Boehm, 0 German from Bonn, was push.
ed In by his friends. A month atteFward
my letter came out Of our village post
Office, quite clean and fFeah." ah- ~. NJ
1.-THE salary was large, ] supposed" y
"Yes. But one can make money any
where. But such 0 lens"
when will your furniture DO here,
SuSyS" said MellcGnt, to break the awk-
ward pause. III
Ben and his wife glanced at each other
aud laughed. ITO tell the truth, we have
none," said susy. "Ben being out Of work
OF any sort for SO long-you understand.
Its all gone somehow
"Oh we'll soon bring lew traps TO-
gether," said Ben, rising from the table.
"Well, boys, I am delighted to be with
you once more. I've been anxious to find
out what you think Of Darwin's last step,
ehP"
was obliged to leave home the next
morning Tor couple Of days, and, whenI
returned, the PllleyS were established Ii
No. SEQ. III
ave will drop in and look. at them,n
said Saul, who had come to the depot 10
meet me. When we reached the door,
the vigorous sound Of q violin met US.
The floors were carpetless. The furniture
consisted Of half dozen chairs, tables
aud iron bedsteads. But the windows
were flung wide open TO admit the balny
evening air. And the children In their
winter clothes tumbled over each other in
and out, while Ben fddled, and his wife,
soft and sweet rs May rose, sat plactdly
beside him. Al sic i..Isasl'
"But am more aud more In love every
day with your Ponteffact's Woods" said
Ben, after tho first welcome was over.
"Stitled? Not o bitotitl There's some.
thing vitalizing In the very pressure Of
human life about you. It's stimulaat.
Why, at home you know how l used to
creep out Of work and be of to the woods
hall the time l could not help 1t, La.
throp. Nature had her gripon me. But
here, when thousand or more OF US men
set off to our labor In the morning, /
feel quite as though l were marching In
an army. l keep step with humanity,
eh "
"What about the work when you reach
tho Officer m.--. .... ..
"Oh that's mere. bagatelle," indiiler.
emily. "PlenLy Of time for study. I've
found treatise Of Van achurz by the
way, in the Philadelphia library, that I've
wanted Tor years." IF.
"What do you Think" said Saul anx-
iOusly, alter we had gone out.
"As did at first 1t was q mistake"
"They would have starved il had not
brought him here"
"Better for man 10 starve than to at.
tempt any other work than his own.
There ia so much force wasted. Either
the man or the work ends in ruin"
VERY good in theory. But what about
the starving vile and children? Besides"
continued Saul, when he found l had
nothing to say, "the chief Of Ben's dc.
partment tells me that the work is, as he
says, Il mere bagatelle to him. Pillcy is
no dreaming book worm after oil, but
man OF sound ability and large grasp of
thought
/ said no more, having certainly no
right 10 interfere. But the belief was an
old one with me that every master work.
man in the world is fitted by God for an
especial task, and quits it OF his peril for
any consideration OF comfort or even life.
Looking back at Ben's story through the
horror that darkened it, the belief has
deepened into O superstition.
l had no opportunity of noting how he
performed his duties until a month or
two later, when went ono day out to
suburban station on the road to meet Mel.
icent, who, with tho baby, had been
down in Maryland for week. She had
telegraphed me to expect her on the 9:4O
p. NJ. express train from Baltimore, and
went out an hour before. found Ben
pacing up and down the little platform,
with no other duty in life apparently but
to drink in the beauty Of the indistinct
landscape asleep in themelow September
night.
"Yes, this Is my post now" after wiring.
ing my hand heartily. II was sent out
ten days ago-a kind Of promotion, l be-
lieve. There's more responsibility in
volved. Come in and look at my snug.
gerry" watching my surprise with boyish
delight. The neat little office was bright.
ened by vines and flowers in the win
dows; some fine drawings were on the
walls and rare books on the desk. The
violin lay near his hand.
"Plenty Of time for study. A man is
drawn TO his real work by sort Of gravi-
tatlon. eh? One can't sell all of ones
birthright for the mess OF pottage. But
what brings you here at night"
told him Mel was coming, and could
not help being gratided by his pleasure.
lie was q grateful, alleCtionate fellow, and
Melicents little kindness to them had
made him very fond Of her.
II had no idea she was coming back so
soon. Ponteiract's Woods has seemed
dull and lileless without her, especially to
Susy. On the $40 express, Ell? That's
one Of the heaviest trains usually. Break
of some flowers, Lsthrop, and have them
ready for your vile, while Here,
SamW tOa colored boy lounging on the
grass, "run of to the village for some ice
cream. Fly, you rascal! She'll be thirsty
withthe heat and dust" turning to me.
This was all years ago, but l often
waken still at nights with the cold sweat
Of terror on my lace, from dreaming that
l am standing again on the dimly.llghted
platform breaking the fragrant syringa
punches from the bush, and watching
Ben with an amused pleasure as he bus.
tied to and fro.
"Have you carrInge2" coming up to
me at the moment the telegraph operator
put dispatch in his hand.