The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-10-07
and with something approaching q
Echuckle, said to himself:

: II
Echuckle, said to himself:
1T will do hun good. The lad wants
rousing. There's prime st,,ff in hin,
Dut 4 les IDLE on the shelf, as unsaleab-
le and useless to him as rank butter to
fair dealing tradesman. ''ssess,s
The immediate result of the pump in.
cident was that the villa at Finchlv did
not see Fred for some time, to the won
der and not a little the anger Of Nelly.
and her guardian being seized with TT
of humorous experiment, resolved that
the ancient litter of water from the
depths Of the earth, should be nut TO
some profitable use.
Being guardian Of the poor, he hated
tramps and vagabonds, whom he regard
ed as among the worst Of impostors, and
the pump suggested to him ready
means of testing their rascaity.
Like most suburban places, Finchly
was infested with tramps of the mendi-
cant class, consequently opportunities
for putting the scheme into execution
were soon furnished IN abundance. and
Mr.: Hughes bundle of experiences grew
tast, but extremely monotonous in its I'M
attractive bulk.
HIS mode of proceeding whenever
beggar a man Of the sturdy class Of
course came to solicit aims, was to have
him conducted into the small back yard,
where he thus addressed him:
"Look you here, my man, never give
money in charity, but if you like to try
your strength on that pump for an hour,
you shall have shilling"
All eagerly set to work at first. but
when they found their labor attended
with no result, the expression on their
grimy visages was comical. The ex-
treme wonder, temper, disgust, rage,
shooting forth in turn or together, were
q study IN human nature by no means
Improbable. I'll. .,a......, %.-
The most prevalent sentiment among
the entire lot seemed to be that of indig-
)na6on at being made fun of, for howev-
er much the most depraved of men,. as
regard honest labor, may be averse to
work as work, they have constitutional
objection to being put to anything which
tends to make them feel small and con-
temptible. sa.se.. as,t
Your lazy fellow and your rogue alike
dread ridicule. And as to the peculiari-
ties Of the nstonalities, Nh. Hughes had
his humorous curiosity literally gratl6ed.
The English, one and all, denounced the
pump as swindle, the national objurga-
ton which for generations was the ter
TOR of France being invariably added.
Many huge fellow swere that he had
rather took turn on ''the mill" 80
Tho only Scotsman who tried his hand
at the business, threw down the handle
at the end Of twenty minutes, and de-
clared it was 'san awful waste of human
energy" As for the Irish. who were le-
g1on, and generally earned the shilling,
they described the affair as mighty dhry,'
and departed, wishing the 'ould gint':''
IN warmer place than the one he occu-
pied. Not one in fifty came second hme,
and at the end Of. three months, Mr..
Hughes Pump handle Hughes as he got
to be called in the neighborho found
his newly created occupation gone, and
the old pump once more stood idle in It's
rusty decrepitude, to the great relief of
Nelly and the servants, for the boys of
Finchley had begun to launch after them
comments more pungent than polite. i.
The noise of these proceedings spread:
and as matter of certainty, reached the
ears Of Fred's mother, who, resenting the
infrequency Of checks, did not visit at
the villa as formerly, and was in the hab-
it Of declaring that her brother had lost
his senses, and ought to be looked after.
she is as sound as you, or I, ''said her
son; "indeed in my opinion good deal
sounder than am, OF rather was, for
there is method in his madness; good,
honest method, which was not the case
with me little while ago, for IN my mad
ness there was q sagacity of idleness."
His mother, who had never solled her
fingers at the trade behind her fathers
counter, but had married gentleman Of
"high attainments, who, having spent
all her money he could lay his hands on,
died, leaving her widow in genteel pow
erty. sighed, and in the shadows of her
feeble brain wondered what the world
was coming to, when her only and idol
lied son seemed to be forgetting that on
his fathers side, he came from an excel
lent family.
Fred had altered, and for so young a
man wonderfully. That one turn at his
uncle's pump had turned him, as it were,
clean round in his moral organization.
Aimless before, he had set himself reso-
lutely to look something tangible in the
face. ~
81 am not a genius" he resumed, ''but
surely with health and strength l., can
set to work at something honorable and
profitable, and will" 80. ~.ri
And he did. That II wilp' of firm
textured brain can bring to its owner a
power which no magician with his palty
wand ever called from the Vastly deep Of
dark nothingness. Having q fair howl-
edge Of several languages, he applied for
and obtained the situation of correspond
ing clerk in city firm, and after few
weeks initiation, found that six hours a
day employment in such an occupation,
instead of doing him harm, did him
great deal of good.
HIS uncle, well posted as to his pro-
eeedmgs, wrote him encouragingly, and
at the end of the first quarter of his pro-
baton, insisted on his visiting the villa
as usual. "Nelly wishes it, and that
was enough for Fred; "but,'' added Mr..
Hughes, sslet us see what the other nine.