West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-11-07

uollarS IN the savings bank, against the
name OF "Toplire Briggs, Junior. :"
deposited, dollar by dollar. and repre-
scnting countless acts OF sclf-denial on
the part of the industrious couple. and
his possible profession was n favorito
theme of family converse.
For that matter. there's lot % things
scholard like him ken do" rejoined
Top. Senior, With ailectionate coni;-
dence in his heirs talents and acquire
ments. "Tain't like 'twould be with
a Teller like me whose arms an legs is
his hull stock i'm trade. Why, / min
seein' leetle rat of man come on
board one time 'scorted by dozen o.
the biggest bugs i'm the city, an people
a.stretchin' their necks out o. tint TO
ketch Il look AZ him. Sech n mealy-
faced, weak-lookin' atomy he was, But
millions o people was a-readin that
very day big speech he'd made in
Washin' ton, an he'd saved the country
from trouble more IN once't. He
mought n been President Of he ha |
chose TO run. That's the good o. heyin'
tiptop hcad-pie &c"
I've made up my iuindn said Top.
Junior, with an ar. I'm goin' TO be
a llcrol Like Julius Caesar an Alex.
andcr an William Tell an Capta' n
John Smith. an other men I've read
about. / wish you would be n Hero.
father It's ever so much nicer than
Tnnnin' an engine. Won you please
You are strong enough and GOOD
enough for ANYTHING, an I'm sure Won
know a great deal about things"
The blue eyes were bright and visit
full. his hand stole up to the bushy
f,1.
and boiler-hcat.
"He. n hero! Haw haw." roared
the engineer, letting fall his knife and
fork i'm his merrimcnt. "I'd cut a fio-
ger Mt the head of an Grmv, or speakin'
in Congress, or a-settin' on n cold
throne, wouldn't Ip Mo- no! my manln
SOLDERING down suddenly, into sort Of
sad dignity. "Yey father amt rot the
brains nor the ccidication 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 o his lights"
The Lords too reasonable TO ex-
pect more of you Il TO do your duty in
the place where He's put YOU" said
the wife, gently.
81 hope He is, MOTHER Ef He looked
for morc-or for any big thing s fur rs
that gees, the chances are that He'd be
disapp' nted. hev plenty o. time fur
thlnkln' while we're scootin' cross
the level country an crecpin' up steep
grades, an We worked it out to my
own satisfaction that somethin' else I've
got to be thankful fur. is that NV way
IN lies been marked down so plain.
Seems eff he'd been sot onto rails pref
ty much's She is, an S lone ez | do
my level best on that ar line, why. it =
all ken do. That's the hull of it!
amt no speechiiier, you see, Junior -
with an embarrassed laugh at the bows
evident discontent-"l' hev TO depen'
on You fur to say it or may be, write
down ship-shape, some o. these notions
o mine, some day. I'd CIT better holt
o them myself eff | was to hear some
body what knowed how TO put things
go over 'em. Mo;herl eddication
wouldn't learn no woman how to make
better bread'n yourn. Fact is, there 3
nothin' ekal to home, an home-vittles
an home-folks! With such livin' ez
I've took in, / sha' mt need bite at
the AgapoliS deepo. We're half an hour
there, but hate the very smell % them
eatin' houses. An please God! I'll
bring Her in at twelve sharp
He pulled on his overcoat and felt i'm
the pocket for his gloves. I'm main
proud o them fcllers" he said, fittino.
one to hand half the size OF Leo OF
mutton and not unlike il i'm shape.
lie had said the same thing every
time he put them on since Christ
mas. They were holiday Gilt from
the conductors on the line between the
two cities which was his semi-d daily
beat.
II take n world o. comfort in them.
this freehin' weather. Fact is. mother.
this worlds been full o. comfort. ali
the way through, for us-a nice easy
grade-ef yer father amt hero.
Junior! SiX-twenty! l must be off !
like TO be there in time to sec tibet
Stokes is on han an all right. Ef YOU
don min, mother, Wen hev him to
dinner mex Sunday. / want 10 do
somcthin' t'wards savin' Stokes. 'Spe-
cillly en- he on Dly liner'
At siN-h,ty, Top, Junior, from his
post at the Gala window, saw the long
line of cars, spaced by dots of murkey
red, the luminous plume OF smoke. trail
inc, comct-wise, above them. SLOWLY
pass over the bridge. IL was n cloudy
evening and the marsh-msts swallowed
up the blinking windows rs soon rs the
train reached the other shore. Junior
loved the mo her, but the father seemed
to take most OF the lie and cheer out of
the room when he went. Existence
sta@natcd for the boy who had no mates
Of his own agc.
81 wish he didn't hev TO run in bad
weather and nightsr' he said frctfully.
1t g his business. child. an yoiir
father amt one 60 dodge his DUTY"
Il hate the wOrd. rctorted the not
ted cripple. when I'm q man ri be
my own master, and switch Duty on
the track
The obnoxious word came ND again
In the course of the evening. i'm read
ing aloud 10 his teacher they happened
upon this definition OF q "hero " rfven
by ono Of the characters i'm the story
under his eye "Onc who. i'm nobi,
work or enterprise, does more than his
duty
Junior looked up disappointed. "Ts
t~ the meaning Of hcro?" he said. in
tensc'v chagrincd
That is one way OF statng IL.
doubt myself. IL wo can do more tbqn
our duty. What do YOU think. Ms.
BrIggs, asked the young woman. She
esteemed tha honest couple for tho
..ciing worth and sense, and liked to
draw tncm out
"A person ken undertake more.
poso Ef they don't carry 10 through
sign t" meant fur them % "a