The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-12-23
TEDDY.



The Youths Companion.
In 1855 We lived in one OF the hill towns
on the upper Ohio. 1t was n dingy, dis.
heartening place. The streets along the
river were lined with glass and steel mills,
and the hills walling in the back OF the
town were lioneycombrd with coal mines.
The air was heavy with the rolling btu
minous smoke, and the low brick houses
were streaked with SCOT.
1t was as commonplace and ignoble Il
spot, perhaps, rs any in which men work
and live. Yet, there, rs everywhere else,
heroic deeds were simply and uncon.
sciolsly done. 'Epaminondas did not need
Olympus to help him die, nor the Syrian
sunshine"
One little incident Of our life there may
be worth telling.
Honor Neal WIS II plump merry little
Irish widow, who worked early and late rs
q washer#oaan, to support herself and
her son.
One dry Mrs. Spront, one OF her employ
crs-a lady who controlled her own tnmily
SO well that she had time to manage the
affairs Of ull her neighbors-stopped her
nj the gate.
"iionor, II is high time that great boy OF
yours was put to some regular employ.
ment. lie cannot spend nil his life carry
ing baskets OF clothes"
"lndade, an that's thrue. An he's got
the ioinc head on him.. Teddy has! hut
lie seems TO be dull in the use Of his hands,
men,"
LAZY, eh? Has lie had any schoolins?"
"Ocl, lie has that samc Father Ryan,
he saw the foinc head he had, an tux ttitn
in the parish school 10 make Il praste OF
him. But he was dull ut the Latin an he
stint him home"
"lle Is good for nothing, tlen1'
"lndade, mem, MI its he has the great
taste for spiders an bugs. lie has II great
collection"
"Send him here, tonight. III get my
husband 10 put him 10 work in the store.
lie ought 10 be earning something instead
Of spending his time in the fields gathering
bugs"
But Teddy proved rs dull at weighing
sugar or measuring molnsscs rs he was at
Latin. He knew every Granny md hiding
place in thu hills within ten miles, but he
never cot1id find the starch or tape meas.
ure in the shop. lie could tell you the
color and habits Of every bird, fish or moth
in the woods, but he stared yacanily At
customers across the counters when they
asked for Lone Jack" or "Sigger lIea,l.'
In n fortnight he hud MI empty corner
| Of tic shop filled with his bottles Of
snakes, or sheets Of BEETLES and butterflies
Did NJ old woman want balm, or bal
sa,n apple, Teddy was eager 10 run to The
hills II his employer would allow him &c
80. lie wastlIe guide Tor many Of the Der
rylng parties which the young folks start
I'd during tho summer. Everybody, in
iact, liked the slow.spokcn, gentle lad
whose big gray eyes stared absently II
them everywhere bttt III tho woods, whcrt
he bccame Il boy, keen und alert.
But in September Mr.. Sprout discharged
him; as utterly worthless for shop work
4 week later met his mother.
as II Teddy? Och an he's fixed 10
life, now! Mrs. Spsout she got tho boss n
the fenton conf minclo take him on .hrial
lisa foine place, she says, an he'll maxi
good wages"
POO. Ted, shut up in coal pit! II,
seemed 10 INC TO be born for life in th
woods, as mucl, rs deer, or fox, or M,
, other wild creature.
| When the fall came We used to beg 10
Teddy to DO freed from his srimy blacl
/. prison for day to no with Us to tho woods
3 but to ITO PURPOSE. fits tuotlfar gatd h.
IL had "sot down TO stildy work an wusL don
II wild runnin' wild like ground squirrel"
II met him once Ut niehtfall, creepin
n home-thin and stopped, his eyes iookin
8 big and wild n the black mass Of coal dus
d TINT covered his face and clothes.
There had recently been SOME accident
!, T. in the ncighboring mines from the Gavin
!, In Of shaft.
? "TaSa csre Of yourself, Teddy" saic
~ wish you werp out Of TINT pit"
>, Teddy's eyes twinklcd IN thc black. 81
:, kin gil out ay TINT pit any minpte pln1c,
;. flo saii;s., lowering iiia voice. y touna
3 crack back Of fi1c...sslHv's Hills year, agt
y lis Il hole ladin' into tho lni1acc. !SotAir
kin happen to me In there"
The very next dry there was an alarr
!. through the town. There had been IN ea
!; plosion in Fenton's mine, and thirty me
i. were buried, Whether they were living Q
dead nobody kney.
The church bells rang furiou9ly. Ever,
body left their dinner-it WIS about
o'clock-and ran to the streets. TIL
crowd empt;cd Itself from the Court HOUSE
and Judge, lawyers aud Jury left the pris
oncr and constable in thcdock, and joIne'
the throug rushing down the river road.
Tho community was small. Everybod
knew these thirty men. Their wives an