The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-10

ustuuSs was tAo WOTcV CuoA 0CCcI COA-
ceivable.
Somebody started the report that the
pepper-bOx man buried his wages each
month under the floor of his domicile
that he boarded himself on crackers and
Goldfish, and never had a decent meal,
nor smoke, nor a chew. They did not
say he never took a drink, for they
knew he could not keep his job in that
event, and many of them were tee.
totalers themselves.
One moonlight night in autumn q
company of the hands who had come
in on the different trains, thinking to
have some fun by frightening Old Sc
rious, marched in Indian file from the
freight depot up the track to the pepper.
box, and cncircling the funny little
structure, looked in at the windows.
The blood-red signal light was burn.
ing brightly, casting lurid glow about
the premises. The poor cripple was
fast asleep on the floor, wrapped in q
blanket, his head and shoulders in the
pcpper-box, and his feet stretched out
through the little aperture in the wall
into the dry-goods box. His Bible Law
open in the armchair, and few pieces
of charcoal were family glowing in an
old iron kettle. over which, in a tin
pail, some kind Of broth was simmer
ing.
The hands expressed their Indignation
ut his miserly habits in low whispers,
and presently Bill Edison shouted:
"Get up, old pinch-penny, and hand
over enough of your hoard to buy us
all hot supper and cigars for the
crowd"
YES" said another, "shell out or
we'll carry you up here apiece and
throw you down the cliff into the river,
and poke you over the falls.'
The crippled Waterman not showing
the least fright, incensed the whole
company into roundly abusing and in
sulting "Old Serious"
He slowly raised himself up, opened
the door of his domicile, and said:
"Boys, l would invite you in were
not my quarters SO circumscribed.
Perhaps you will sit down here on this
dry sand while tell you a bit of a
story.
''For many years 1 have been es-
tranged from home and friends and
family, by drink. shall not weary you
with the details of my life. will SIM
ply say that at the time my foot was
cut of, | had not seen my wife and
children for five years. As soon as l
was able to write, sent my wife let
ter telling her that 1 was trying to be
a man again, and asking her would she
live with me again. She Immediately
replied that she would gladly do so,
provided could keep my resolution to
let liquor alone. l don't suppose she
had much faith in me at first, but l
have written to her every week, and l
can see by her letters to me that there
is a new and growing hope springing
up in her heart. Now's there not 4
man among you will wonder why l
look serious, or that l do double duty
here, although it does wear on ne q
little. But l get extra pay, and have
had no time to fall into temptation.
You will now see the reason why live
so cheaply is to save money enough to
bring my family half across the CONT
nent before the snow falls, that they
and may have a home together once
more"
There was pause, broken by the
sonorous voice of Bill Edison:
"Hurrah for odd Serious'-hurrah
for Mr.. Serus,' shouted Bill, correct
ing himself. II say, boys, payday
was yesterday, and we've all got stamps
about us; let's take up a collection"
and pulling off his grimy cap he passed
it around, getting generous contribu-
tions from all hands. Then turning
his own greasy pockets inside out, and
shaking them in II droll way over the
cap, he said:
"There, cOmrade, take that; and do
you see that little white cottage up
there on the cliff? It's empty. Tom
Reynolds moved up to the other end of
the road to-day. It's handy to your
job; just the thing. l will see about it
myself as soon as it's daylight. You
just send for them folks o yourn right
off, and if You hain't got money enough
yet to pay the bills, us fellers will see
that's all right"
Paurs family arrived in due time,
and every one of those wild but kind
hearted railroad "boys'' had hand in
setting them to housekeeping. And as
they point to that little peppcr-box to
this day, and tell this simple story, they
say that Paul Serus was hero, and
that somehow they feel as if they owned
a share of him, and in his happy,
thrifty family, living in the neat little
white cottage on the cliff above the
crossing.
They also say that Paul Seru: fur
nishes another notable illustration of
the difference which the drinking of
whisky and the letting it alone makes
in man.-Mrs. A,snie A. Preston, in
Christian I,atelliQencer.