Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-08-31
A COMMONPLACE HERO.

A COMMONPLACE HERO.
Morning a Erie. A faint breeze Is
blowing on the land, that makes only
the lightcst ripplcs ON the surface Of the
lake and bay. a mile or two out from
the shore n few sails are outlined against
the horizon. and the course Of pro-
pcllcr so far distant ~ not tO be seen
may still be- traced by n light line Of
smoke. The courthouse clock strikes
four long. lazy strokes. according to it,
deliberate habit. and n little later the
keeper Of the Prcsqu' Isle lighthouse Mt
the entrance of the harbor puts out his
light. lie may well TO 81, for tie flush
In the east has dccpencd into "A lame.
The slender shaft of the water-tower l.
crimson nj It's summit. and the city
spires one after another are tipped with
fire. Upward comes the sun and down
ward sinks the glow. The water-tower
Is crimson pillar now. the ungainly
elevators at the waters edge look al
most beautiful in the fair light. the trees
on Presqu' Isle are bathed in IL. and tie
distant sails redden n il touches them.
Still upward comes the sun till the hori-
zOn line can mo- longer conceal II. and
% seems ~ II IL must in moment more
come rolling in fiery splcndor along tie
blazing path IL has burned across the
water. A small boat from the life
saving station crosses the glowing track.
and red drops flash from the gleamns
oars. And now the whole broad Lake
glistcns ~ the sun climbs higher. hut
the red glow has gone. the glory has
faded. aud another commonplace day
has begun.
A commonplace day To YOU or Co me;
hut never yet did there dawn dav that
was not ere it, close Consccratcd by
some act Of loyalty To- the hest emotions
OF the human heart. You or I may
have watched the splendOr of the dawn
ing day from Garrison HILL and gone
home thrilled with its grandeur. only
To forget n few hours later the fine
feelings that have sprung up within us.
the vague aspirations a ut the sight has
evoked. For us then, the splcndor has
been exchanged for the commonplace.
Prank Gaskcll has had no time this
morning for seeing the sunrise from
Harrison Hill. had hc wished to do So.
which is quite unlikely. A sewer con
tractor with n large force Of laborers in
his employ Is not usually man to
whom sunriscs appeal in any csthctic
way, or one who indulgcs i'm vague talk
about the commonplace. And. looking
at Frank Gaskell, YOU will say he is the
last man Of whom ANYTHING vague"
van be- prcdicatcd. A tall, wcll-built
fellow Of thirty. only passably good
looking. but with n firm mouth. and
eyes whose angry flash the workmen
mWfIFF him Il.
When he speaks u is In short, nervous
~cntrnces that leave no doubt of his
meoning. Alert. Keen and energetic.
ne allows mo- oilers about him. and YOU
would call him merely pushing. com.
mon-placc man, and seek to know nc
more Ut him. AZ present he j. con.
ducttng the excavations In Poplar street
tWp1ntory To constructing n sewer for
'hal locality, and very busy this Cccu.
patton keeps him. Through the middle
ot the street for several squares the cut.
ing extends. IL course marked by two
"ng Tines IT sand and gravel. A yawn.
Ng vhasm twenty or more feet deep A
-, its walls carefully boarded at inter.
walls. Down there in the half darkness.
some OF Gaskcll's men are laboriously
digging, while others are hoistino
buckets ~ earth 90 the surface and add.
ing thus to the height of the yellow
piles ON each side Of the cutting. IL /.
nine o'clock when Gaskcll. after care
III directions tO the laborers on IN,
surface. dcsccnds to the bottom of th,
excavation tO make his daily inspection
"i the work there. As he passes slowl,
along MS quick glance takes in ever,
feature of the work. Now he stops e
ulreCt some clumsy workman to use Mi,
spade IN n less awkward way. and nov
ne pauscs to tap the boarding nj various
places to see II u can sustain the prcs
SURF Of the looser earth behind IL. Sud
denly he turns about angrily.
Didn't tell you last night TO hav,
this place right here boarded ON boil
sidcsP' he says To one Of the men near
est Co him.
- bclivo YOU did," stammcrs IN
man, q" but there want no good board
here then. and Jim Mulligan said n
would bring some the first thing thi
morning. but he hasn't come vet"
Gaskell hardly hears the excuse. n
Is so occupied with his examination Q
the walls Of the cutting.
This ought 20 be- boarded for fift
feet each side" he saws, land it's OF
10 be done this morning. Send Ms
hahey here To me at once. He's n
above there by the Sixth street eros,
ing;' and the man thus hidden hasten
away.
The place where Gaskell Is no,
standing Is about midway of IN
length Of the sewer cutting. and b,
tween him and the northern end som
thirty laborers are digging busil,
Toward the southern end the excavs
ton Is shallower, and several ladder
near furnish the means of ascent or ds
scent. One Of these Is about sixty fee
south Of Gaskell. While he Is waitin
he surveys the distance between IL an
himself with his eye.
81 don't like the looks Of thine
along here" he says. half aloud. -
believe III have boards put up "a IN
a. that ladder. anyway he continue,
as he walks toward the south.
Tho men nc the northern end ar
working toward him, deepening IN
cutting In his direction, and while n
PAGES back and forth n dozen or NOR
Of the workmen are rapidly extendin
their work toward that part Of the 81
cavation.
= Be careful how you Jump roun
there" he calls sharply TO some me
on the surface who are hoistin0 nm an
earth removed by the shovels Of the /,
borers below; them banks amt nor
too strong. you know. Johnson \
esys 70 one Of the men who are pee