Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-11-14

MUST luI NOus
But | haven't any money"
"Never mind;ye can pay me when
you get to congress. =
Thank YOU" said Tom. 4 won't
forget 1t, sir.
The gentleman looked down at him
with quiuical smile, and the two rode
on in silence until they reached the
school house.
please don't forget the grammar"
suggested Tom, as he lifted the old cap
again.
Not l" returned the gentleman. "A
man who cannot keep promise should
not make one-hey, my lad -
Nell tossed her head, and the boy
soon lost sight of tina driver. Then he
looked down at his shoes. ut his coat,
and his old cap as he hung il on peg
in the entry, and silently contrasted
them all with the fur-trimmed over
coat and outfit of the stranger. Never
mind" said Tom to himself. Il will
have them too, when | am member
OF congress-
At the end of two weeks a bundle
Of books was left at the school house.
There was not only Latin grammar,
but a well-worn copy of Virgil,
"Esop's Fables" and sundry other vol
umes such as Tom had never seen.
Pine-knots We're plentiful where Tom
lived, and he sat up until midnight all
the rest of the winter, bordering over
the mysteries of these books.
As good luck would have it, the
schoolmaSter, who boarded around with
his pupils, had not eaten the rations
due him at Toms fathers. When he
arrived he entered warmly into Il lad
ambitious projects, and as he had a
smattering of Latin himself, was quail
fled to aid bis pupil.
Although the schoolmaster was al
lowed the use of tallow candle, he
vastly preferred the more brilliant
light of Toms pine knot; so that as
often as the long Winter evening set
in, the master and pupil might be seen
(and were seem sitting before the large
fire place with their heads buried III
the pages of the books, along which
they plodded slowly, but to such pur-
pose that at the end of the Winter Tom
could read his fable and solve his prob
lem i'll manner very creditable to him
self and master.
1t was uphill work with poor Tom
but he never lost what little he gained
and managed to make what little he &C.
complished tell in the future.
One day his father brought home a
stranger, and told Tom that he was APP,
prentced, during his minority, to this
man. who would make him black
smith.
But am not going to be black
smith, cried Tom, in passion; "Tn1
going to Congress-"
The more nee6 that you should learr
to shoe the horse that carries you there,
replied the father, with II shrug.
Tom packed up his worldly goods
not forgetting his books, and trudgec
away 70 distant village, where he
pared horses hoofs by day and studieC
and read at night by stealth, for he was
allowed neither knot or candle.
Six months the poor fellow was faith
ful to his duty; but one night, when hi,
master had thrown his grammar into
the fire, and upbraided him for his dis.
obedience, Tom took leave of the work.
shop. He made his way, barefooted rs
he was, over boys and briers, until he
ventured into the main road, and by
dint of begging ride now and then
reached the city, whereas Ben Frank.
lin had done before him-with his roll
under his arms, hesought and obtained
employment.
Perhaps the happiest day of Toms
life was when he found himself in the
antiquarian bookstore with plenty oil
leisure, plenty Of books and nothing to
fear from friend or foe. 1t was wonder
full how he read-and read, The
parched earth does not more greedily
devour the summer rain.
When his intellectual thirst VAS par.
tally satisfied, he began to work. He
saw the ladder up which he must climb
and, Selling the lowest round, he made
his way steadily upward. We all know
by what steps an ambitious man makes
progress-by patient toll-by self-de.
nial-by courteous deportment-by the
acquisition of knowledge.
Years passed by, during all of which
Tom had looked in vain for his early
friend, the stranger. In his timid awk-
wardness, he had not thought to ask
the name of his benefactor, and the
only opportunity to do SO had been lost.
Well, years slid away, and Tom was
elected member of congress from the
very county where he spent his
struggling boyhood. He went to Wash
ington, not In cowdide shoes and
butternut colored homespun, but
dressed something as imagination had
pictured, as he looked after his bene-
factor on the eventful day of the sleigh
ride. A nobler looking man, the ladies
in the galleries said, never mad appeared
upon the floor than this Yankee mem.
Der, who, if he spoke through bis nose,
always drove his arrows home to the
mark.
One day thel appeared in the house
the venerable form Of an ex.member,
whom all present delighted to honor.
1t needed but one glance at that genial
face for Tom to recognize in him the
giver Of the Latin grammer. "He had
come" he said, ito listen to the gentle
man who mad solemnly defended the
rioht and IN wish him Godsnpedtp