Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-07-29

hat suited him, he would pay good

that suited him, he would pay good
wages.
"Only try me !" cri, d eagerly.
"Try me for week, sir, and see if
l don't please you"
He consented, and / went TO
work. / learned fast and worked
with a will and before the week
was out l had got the run of the
store, and could wait ON customers
almost as well as my new employer.
| saw by his looks that he liked mn,
and considered my employment
sure. But ill-luck was after me.
On the seventh day my employer
came into the store with an open
letter in his hand and Il frowning
face. "Read it, he said, and hand
ed it to me. My heart sank as
saw thewriing-it was Sam Slade's
scrawling hand, and read .thus,
without date or signature:
"Sir: Beware Of him as you hev
taken for clerc! Hecs q states
prison bird just out. Get rid of
him at once"
I looked from the reading of
these words up into his face, and
found it dark and forbidding.
"Is that true ?" he demanded,
pointing to the letter. 81 canntt
deny, sir" l replied with a tremh-
ling voice, "that I have served n
term in the penitentiary but"
"That is quite enough" he inter
rupted. 81 want no convicts abont
here. Take q weeks wages and
go"
Oh, the world, the world! How
hard and cruel it is to those who
have fallen under its ban! went
out of that shop and travelled so far
that thought nothing Of my past
life could ever come to confront
me; and twice more did the hate
ful malignity of that man pursue
me, and twice more was / cast up
on the world. Then I bethought
me-there are occupations open to
me, though have the bad name of
a convict. I can labor with my
hands, and will not give up and
go to destruction because one bad
man is determined to force me to
it. was walking along the tow
path when I came to this resolution.
Presently I reached a village where
there was line of locks and be-
fore I had been there twenty min
utcs ! had hired for the season as
lock-tender.
went to work right off, My
business was to tend the gates,
twelve hours on and twelve hours
off, and to do anything about the
lock at odd times that the ovorscer
called for. Those who worked
with me were rough, but kind men,
and the oyerseer was one Of the
best men l ever knew-prompt
and exacting about the work to be
done, but good hearted and easy
to please, by those who wanted to
do well. One day a sudden notion
took me to so to the Office and tell
him all about myself, hoping that
he might help me to live down my
past life. 1t proved to be the best
thing l could have done. Ho
heard my story all through and
then looked very kindly at me and
said:
"Your future is in your own
hands my man. Stick to your good
resolutions, and all will be we'll
with you. I've heard from your
anonymous friend" and he held up
ono of Slade's scrawls. 81 have
watched you, and can't find a bit of
fault. All have to say is, stick to
your work and your good resolu-
tions, and let Sam Slade 60 10 tho
devil--as l am pretty sure he will"
I thanked him heartily, and went
back to the locks with a light heart.
That night we got news of bad
break ten miles east Of Us and be-
fore morning we heard Of another
twenty miles west. The few boats
that were between these points
came on and wero passed through
the locks and there was a pros
pect of a days rest, as it would
require at least twenty-four hours
to repair the breaks
"There's a new plank badly
wanted in the flooring of No. 9"
said the foreman, "and this will be
a capital time to fix it. Millard you
do it"
He spoke to me, and /, doubly
jealous to do well since my talk
with the overseer, gave the ready
/ assent aud ran to Tho fool house