The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-15
THE JoURNEYMAN'S SECRET.
A PRINTERS STORY.

"You can take this case,' said the
foreman; here is a stick-here il
some copy; and if you like a quiet,
steady partner, you will find this
gentleman still enough in sill con.
SCIENCE"
The ''partner" merely looked up
and family smiled in acknowledg.
ment of the foreman's complimen
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 were In hurry to get
the paper out, without exchanging a
word, or even a look. In the after
noon l had more leisure to study the
physiognomy of my neighbor. He
was a young man of about three or
four and twenty, with handsome
features and rather intellectual least
of countenance. His face quite p ale,
and the raven darkness of his hair,
eyebrows and eyes, made me i'm
mediately come to the conclusion,
after thoroughly studying his physi.
ognomy, that he was hard student
during his leisure hours, or that
depriving himself of the recreation
of books or other sources of enjoy
ment, he spent all his waking hours
at the case. The latter supposition
proved correct.
AS day after day passed by 1 be-
came more acquainted with him !;
and found him to be a singular
character. Beneath his stand he
had constructed kind of closet !;
which contained a spirit lamp, mat
tress, with bedding, few cooking
utensils, and a small stock of the
plainest kind of food. When the
hour for meals arrived, he would
light his lamp, and putting some
food over 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 worked in
cessantly during work hours, hardly
leaving the office unless to purchase
food or some errand of that kind.
Morning, noon and night, when /
returned from my meals, l invaria-
bly, found him at his case, working
away with all his might, az if some
great issue depended upon the i'm
provement of every minute. l sup.
pose he slept upon the cot which he
kept in his closet, but as he was al.
ways at work when / left at night,
and when returned in the morning,
l could not positively assert that he
did so. l am not very garrulous,
especially when employed at the
case, and as he would not first ad-
dress me, l would not speak to him !;
80 when the fun and jokes were
passing round the other cases we
were as silen: as the grave. l was
not loug in discovering that there
was some mystery connected with
him, and that his intense application
to labor was not prompted merely
by desire to make money; for if
there is anything in phrenology,
judging from the formation of his
head, he was the very one whom
would have selected from a score
for spendthrift. Occasionally his
cheek would flush, his eyes light up,
and happy smile overspread his
features, then the smile would 90
away, his eyes would fill with tears
while look of sadness, almost
despair-would seat itself upon his
countenance. l had been tempted
a thousand times to ask him the
cause of this, but as he appeared so
cold and isolated, l refrained from
doing SO, as it is not pleasant proffer-
ing sympathy unasked.
"Well, how do you like your
neighbor ?" asked one of the Jour.
neymen of me, as we were descend.
ing the stairs one evening.
81 can hardly mako him OUT
said l, che appears to be strange
sort of being. You are better &C.
quainted than / am with him, how
do you like him.
'For my part, l hate him, and
what is more he has not friend in
the whole Office. That fellow has
been here for three months, and he
has hardly spoken to any one. A
man who makes such bills as he does.
and boards up his money like a
miser, l have little sympathy for.
We wouldn't any of us care so much
if he would be a little sociable and
spend dollar, or even a dime oc.
casionally, but no-every fve.cent
piece he gets be hangs onto as if he
was afraid the eagle on it would
spresd his wings and fly away with
it, doing him out of a five.cent piece.
But he can't stay here long. We've
insulted him dozen times, and he
has less spunk than / think he has il
he don't resent it some day. Well
get him into quarrel then, and have
him discharged"
"But," said ! "do you know any
thing about his history? He NAV
have some all absordino end to az.