The Red Cloud chief., 1884-10-24

deposited, dollar by dollar. and repre-
sentiny countless acts of sclf-denial on
the part of the industrious couple. and
his possible profession was q favor.te
theme OF fam ~ converse.
For that matter. there's lot o things
q scholard like him ken do" rcjoined
Top. Senior. with afeciionate conf
dence in his heirs talents and acquire
ments ""Tain't like 'twould be with
o Teller like me whose arms an legs is
his hull stock in trade. Why, | min
seein' a lcetle rat of a man ON on
board one time 'scorted by a dozen o
the biggest bugs in the city, an people
a-stretchin' their necks out o int to
ketch q look a. him. Sech q meaiy-
faced, weak-lookin' atomy he was. But
millions o people was a-readin that
very day a big speech he'd made In
Washin'ton. an he'd saved the country
| from trouble more n once't lie
moupbt a been President ct he hi
chose to run. Tha.'s the good o hcvin'
Il tiptop heai-pie e."
I've ma lie up my luind'' said Top,
Junior. with an ar. III goin' 20 De
a hero, Like Julius Cesar an Alex
ander an William Tell an CAPITA
| John S.1ith. an other men I've read
about. wish yoa would be a Hero.
father, It's ever so much nicer than
runnin' an engine. Won't you please
| You are strong enough and good
/; enough for ANYTHING. an I'm sure you
know n great deal about things"
The b.ue eyes were bright aud visit
full, his hand stole up to the bushy
whiskers. ginger-co.ored from exposure
and bo~iler-heat.
"Ne. a hero, Haw' hawr" roarcd
the engineer. letting fall his knife and
fork IN his merrimeDt. ''I'd cut a fig
ger at the head of an army. or speakin'
in Congress, or a-settin' on a gold
throne. wouldn't /? No! no. my man"
SOLDERING down suddenly, into a sort Of
sad dignity. Yer father amt got the
brains nor the eddicat:on for nOthin Of
that kind! All he ken do is to live
clean an honest in the sight o the
Lord, an to run his ingine 'cordin' to
the best . his lights"
THE Lords too reasonable TO ex-
pcct more OF You Ia TO do your duty in
the place where He's put you" said
the wife, gently.
II hope He is, mother! Ell He looked
for more or FOR any big thing 8 fur as
that gees. the chances are that He'd be
disappointed. | hev plenty o time fur
thinkin' while we re scOotin' cross
the level country an creepin' up steep
grades, an l We worked it out to my
own satisfaction that somethin' else I've
got to be thankful fur. is that my way
in life been marked down SO plain.
Seems eff | he'd been sot onto rails prct-
ty much's She is, an 8 long ez l do
my level best on that ar line. why, it's
all l ken do. That's the hull of it! /
amt no s%peechiier, you see. Junior
with an embarrassed laugh at the boys
evident disconient-'Iu hev TO Deepen
on you fur to say it-or may be, write
down ship-Shape, some o these notions
o mine, some day. I'd git better holt
o them myself eff | was to hear some
body what knowed how TO put things
90 over 'em. Mother! eddicatiOn
wouldn't learn no woman how to make
better bread'n yourn. Fact is. there's
nothin' ekal to home, an home-vittles
an home-folks! With such a Twin CT
I've took in. | sha'n't need a bite at
| the AgapOli, deepo. We half an hour
there. but hate the very smell q them
eatin' houses An please God! I'll
bring Her i'm at twelve sharp"
He pulled on his overcoat and felt in
the pocket for his gloves. ''Tm main
proud o. them fcllers." he said. fitting
one to a hand half the size of a leg of
mutton and not unlike it in shape.
He had said the same thing every
time he put them on since Christ
mas. They were q holiday gift from
the conductors on the line between the
two cities which was his semi-daily
beat.
II take a world O. comfort in them,
this freeHin' weather. Fact is, mother.
this worlds been full O comfort. all
the way through, for uS-a nice easy
grade-ef yer father amt a hero.
Junior, ~Six-twenty! l must be off I.
| like to be there in time to SEQ tibet
SAokes is on han an all right. IF you
don't min. mother. We'll hev him to
dinner mex SUNDAY. | want to do
somethin' t'wards savin' Stokes. 'Spe-
cially ez he's on my line!"
At six-ii ". Top, Junior, from his
post ut the Gala window. saw the long
line of cars. spaced by dots of murkey
red, the luminous plume OF smoke. trail
inc, comet-wise, above them. slowly
pass over the bridge. 1t was a cloudy
evening aud the marsh-mistS swallowed
up the blinking windows as soon rs the
train reached the other shore. Junior
loved the mo, her. but the father seemed
to take most OF the Ii and cheer out of
the room when he went. Existence
stagnated for the boy who had no mates
Of his own age.
81 wish he didn't hev to run in bad
weather and nightsr,' he said. fretfully.
..It's his business. child, an your
fatherAin't one to dodge his duty
ii hate the word!' retorted the pet.
ted cripple. when I'm q man I'll be
nv own master, and switch Duty Oh
the track
The obnoxious word came up again
in the course of the evening. In read
inc aloud to his teacher they happened
upon this definition OF q ''nero." given
by one of the characters in the story
under his eve: lone who. in 3 noble
work or enterprise, does more than h:s
duty"
Junior looked up disappointed. "Is
taa, the meaning of herO?" he said. in
tensely chagrined.
That is one way of stating it.
doubt, myself. if we can do more than
our duty. What do Won think, Ms,
Briggs asked the young woman.
esteemed the honest couple for
sterling worth and sense, and like
draw them out.
"A person ken undertake ny
'spoSe. Eff they don't carry it thu
it's a sign twas meant fur them
, Just that fur an no further. IT