The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-09-25
The Practical Man.

He sat beside us in a Street-car. he
looked over our shoulder ut the new
copy of the Scientific american,
which, fresh from the press, was receiv.
ing our final scrutiny, and requested
the loan of the paper for a moment
when we had finished. He glanced at
the first page, skinned over the middle,
and peeped into the inside.
II suppose that paper interests
great many people" he remarked.
We modestly signifed our assent.
6 Wa II, it don't me, he interrupted
sharply. !" 1t doesn't take no books or
papers to learn me my business, you
know. Never learned nuthin' from
books in my life. Didn't have but
quarters schoolin', and then went into
the shop. Served my time with old
Pete Reynolds of Boston. You knows
him mebbe dead now. Was his fore
mar now I'm boss of my own works in
the city. Tn a practical man, am.
All yer hollergeys and hosserphys may
do we'll enough to write about; but
they amt no sorter use in the shop.
They Just git inter mems heads and set
'em a thinkin' about other things than
their work, and then they git inventin'
and that's the last of 'em. Why, had
a likely young feller, who used to buy
that paper and read on it, dinner hour.
Sometimes he sticks it mp on his lathe,
until ] stopped taat, mighty sudden.
| Wall, one day caught him scribblin'
with piece of chalk on bit of board
/ then [ know'd the invention fit had got
| hold of him, aud that he was a goner.
A few weeks after he comes to the office,
and says he Boss, I've got little ar
rangement here that'll make the old
! lathe do better work, and he out with
one of them reg'lar printed paytents,
and showed me new attachment for
making gearins and SUCH Wall,
says ], to humor him like, sonny says
], you can go make yer masheen and
sit it up on the lathe. if yer wanter.
But the ungrateful yillin began to say
something about royalty and shop
rights. and I told the bookkeeper to pay
! him right off and let him clear out.
Blow me if he didn't go over to Smiths,
across the street, and rig his affair
there; and the first thing I know'd,
Smith was turnin' out work at half my
prices. Then I had to go find that
teller, and pay him his blamed royalty,
and heap it was, too.
Now, there was a good hand just
spilled by a-readin' if he'd let that
ere paper of yourn alone he might ha
been good, stiddy man, gitten his 50
a day comfortable and reg lar. Now
they say he's maxim stamps by thou
sands, but he's spilled Won't be
worth nuthin' ever for work agin.
Where'ud 1 have been if I'd pegged
away at books and noozepapers-eh p
Our practical friend did not wait for
an answer, for while we were cogitating
a suitable response he suddenly made
bolt out of the ear and rushed down
side street toward a dilapidated-
looking edifce, which, we coDjec-
tured, was none other than the
st works
Our acquaintance carried off our pa
per. He honestly mailed it back to us
the other day. We smiled as we saw
the thumb marks on all the pages, and
opposite an engraving there was a pen
ell note of 81 kno better plan than
this" Perhaps, after all, latent idea
in his brain has been al oused, or has he
taken the invention fit Should he see
this, he will probably scout the idea
that our humble efforts have awakened
him, for " it doesn't take no papers to
learn me my business, you know. >
[ojro2Yifn 4 merriam