The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-05-10

Ma death and disaster, John Hsaly We |
thankl
-Lales;ds for Nay.
THE JOURNEYMAN's SECRET.
A PRINTERS STORY.
stYou can take this case, said the
foreman; sshere is stick-here is
some copy; and if you like quiet,
steady partner, you viii find this
gentleman still enough in all con
science"
The partner merely looked up
and family smiled in acknowledg-
ment of the foreman's compliment
and kept on at his work, while the
foreman turned away to attend to
something else.
We worked on steadily until din
ner, as we we're in q hurry to get
the paper out, without exchanging q
word, or even look. In the af
ternoon I had more leisure to study
the physiognomy of my neighbor.
He was q young man of about three
or four and twenty, with handsome
features and rather intellectual cast
of countenance. His face was quite
pale, and the raven darkness of his
hair, eyebrows and eyes, made me
Immediately come to the conclusion,
after thoroughly studying his phys
iognomy, that he was hard stu
dent during his leisure hours, or
that depriving himself of the recre-
alton of books or other sources of
enjoyment, he spent all his waking
hours at the case. The latter sup
position time proved correct. .
As day after day passed by I be-
came more acquainted with him;
and / found him to be q singular
character. Beneath his stand he
had constructed . kind of q closet;
which contained . spirit lamp, mat
tress, with bedding, q few cooking
utensils, and small stock Of the
plainest kind Of food. When the
hours for meals arrived, he would
light his lamp, and putting some
food over it to cook, would work
until all the rest of the hands had
left the Office, when he would sit
down to his frugal repast He work
ed inoessantly during work hours,
hardly leaving the Office unless to
purchase food or on some errand
| Of that kind Morning, noon and
night, when I returned from my
meals, I invariably found him al
the case, working away with all his
might, as if some great issue de
pended upon the Improvement o.
every minute. I suppose he SLEPT
upon the cot which he kept in hii
closet, but as he was always at worl
when I left at night, and when !
returned in the morning, I couli
not positively assert that he did 80
I am not very garrulous, especially
when employed at the case, and a
he would not first address me,
would not speak to him; so whe1
the fun and Jokes were passing
round the other cases we were q
silent as the grave. / was not Ion,
in discovering that there was som
mystery connected with him, an,
that his intense application to labo
was not prompted merely by dc
sire to make money; for if there j
anything in phrenology, judgin,
from the formation Of -1is head, b
was the very one WHOM I woul
have selected from Q score for
spendthrift Occasionally his chez
would flush, his eyes light up, an
happy smile overspread his feat
4 ures, then the smile would 60 away
his eyes would fill with tears Will
an expression of sadness -almos
despair would seat itself upon h
countenance. I had been temple
q thousand times to ask him th
cause of this, but as he appeared g
cold and isolated, I refrained fol
doing so, as it is not pleasant prof
, fering sympathy unasked.
swell, how do you like you
, neighbour askel one Of the jour
neymen of me, as we were descen,
ing the stairs one evening.
81 can hardly make him out
said !, che appears to be a stran(
sort of being. You are better as
quainted than / am with him, ho
> do you like himl"
sFor my part I hate him, an
what is more he has not q friend
= the whole Office. That fellow b,
been here for three months, and
, has hardly spoken to anyone
man who makes such bills as
does, and boards up his money Ill
:. a miser, I have very little symp,
thy for. We wouldn't any of /,
3 care SO much if he would be Ii
tie sociable and spend a dollar,
even q dime occasionally, but no
; every five cent piece he gets
hangs onto as if he was afraid Il
;. eagle on it would spread his win,
= and fly away with it, doing him O
Of q i've cent piece. But he car
stay here long. We've insulted hi
" dozen times, and he has le
spunk than I think he has If
;: don't resent it some day. We
rok him into a nrorro1 &hor =,