Smyrna times., 1879-08-13


mysteries of those books.
AS good luck would have it, the school |
master, who boarded around with his pupils,
had not eaten the rations due him at Toms |
fathers When he arrived he entered warmly
into the lads ambitious projects, and as he
had a smattering of Latin himself, was
qualified to aid his pupil.
Although the school-master was allowed
the use of tallow-candle, he vastly pre-
ferred the more brilliant light of TOMS
pitch knot; so that, as often as the long
winter evening set in, the master and pupil
might be seen land were seen) sitting
before the large fireplace with their heads
buried in the pages of the books, along
which they plodded slowly, but to such
purpose that at the end of the winter Tom
could read his fable and solve his problem
in a manner very creditable to himself and
master.
1t was uphill work with poor Tom, but
he never lost what little he gained, and
managed to make what little he accom-
plished to tell in the future.
One day his father brought home a
stranger, and told Tom that he was ap.
prenticed, during his minority, to this man,
blacksmith.
"But 1 am not going to be black
smithP' cried Tom, in passion; I'm
going to Congressp
"The more need that you should learn
to shoe the horse that CARRIES you there"
replied the father, with a shrug.
Tom packed up his worldly goods, not
| forgetting his books, and trudged away to
distant village, where he pared horses
hoofs by day, and studied and read at night
by stealth, for he was allowed neither knot
nor candle.
Six months the poor fellow was faithful
to his duty; but one night, when his
master had thrown his grammar into the
fire, and lathed him for his disobedience,
Tom took leave of the workshop. He
made his way, barefooted as he was, over
bogs and briars, until he ventured into the
main road, and by dint of begging ride
now and then, reached the city, where as
Ben Franklin had done before him, with
his roll under him arm-he sought and
obtained employment.
Perhaps the happiest day of Toms life
was when he found himself in the anti
ouarian bookstore with plenty of leisure
plenty of books, and nothing to fear from
friend or foe. 1t was wonderful how he
, read-and read-and read The parcheo
earth does not more greedily take in the
summer rain
/, When his intellectual thirst was partially
! satisfied, he began to work. He saw the
ladder up which he must climb, and seiz
ing the lowest round, he made his wa!
steadily upward. We all know by wha
steps an ambitious man makes progress
bv patient toil-by selfdenial-by court
, eous deportment--by the constant acquisi
! ton of knowledge.
! Years passed by, during all Of which Ton
> had looked in vein for his early friend, tn
stranger In his timid awkwardness, h
: had not thought to ask the name Of hi
:, benefactor, and the only opportunity to d
y I SO had been lost.
' Well, years slid away and Tom wa
elected member of Congress from the yer
. county where he spent his struggling boy
! hood. He went to Washington, not j
. cowhde shoes and butter-nut coloer
; homspun, but dressed something as inag
i nation had pictured, as he looked after h
benafactor on the eventful day Of tn
II sleigh-ride.
y A nobler looking man, the ladies in tn
h galleries said, never had appeared upon tn
i floor than this Yankee member, who, if h
. did speak through his nose, always droV
his arrows home to the mark.
One day there appeared in the Hou:
=, the venerable form of an eX-membe
:. whom all present delighted to honor.
needed but one glance at that genial faC
= for Tom to recognize in him the giver
the Latin grammar. He had come he
+. said, "to hear the gentleman who had
" manfully defended the right, and to wis
II him Godspeedr
- - eff" said Tom with his old modesty, "
ID has been my good fortune to do anythir
~ - for our country in the hour of her peril,
n, owe my ability to do so, in great measur
to yourself"
:, ITO me T. echoed the astonished gent
H. man: "to me! l do not recollect ev
lg' having had the pleasure of meeting "
before in my life"
"Ah, sir, have you forgotten, then, L
n' little school.boy among the hills of M
2w Hampshire, to whom you SO kindly SO
ne Latin grammar"
us The gentleman unused.
ID; Sold-sold Latin grammar! N,
Oh that you recall the incident, / do recollC
little fellow who interested me, and
ne whom gave some school-books"
M "Well, sir, am that boy. You told l
ey that 1 might pay for them when l got
er, Congress. If you will honor me by me
ea ing few friends at dinner will settle
~ iiS bill"