Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-22

wasting your tmel'
Il wasn't hurtin' 'em, father" aid Gwen
earnestly; but UnluckIly she had laid his
favorite Shakespeare open, face down
ward on the table, and the old man broke
out afresh.
What's the use of trying to make any
thing of you' Surely, any fool I'D know it
hurts a book TO lay it so! Get alongl III
put the shelf right myself; never you touch
it again"
Very we'll. father said Gwen quietly;
but l was only thinkin' o. Peter. and won
derin' if p'r'aps some day you'd teach 'un
what's in the books
We'll, welll' said Reuben, somewhat
mollified, mes good little chap, and sharp
enough too. He puts me in mind of Luke
when he was little 'un, but he'll hardly
come up to his father. LukeS got a first
class head. if only he'd stick TO steady work,
and not take up 50 with inventions that'll
never come to any good. He's fine lad
he ought TO have married a woman o.
breeding"
Poor Gwen win ced, for of all the shafts in
Reuben's guiver Of abuse, this was the one
that wounded her most cruelty. The sting
of the words lay in their partial truth, for
she knew that her kind, clever young
husband might have made better
match. And yet she loved him so
dearly, and strove so hard to
be worthy of him! 1t vexed her. too. to
hear Reuben speak so slightiugly of Luke'S
inventions, for, matter of fact, the
young engineer had sold the patents Of va
rious small labor-saving contrivances for
considerable sums Only in one case had he
failed, aud it was hard that Reuben should
seem TO remember that so much better than
the successes Gwen delighted in her hus-
bands work, and rather than let him be dis
turbed by domestic worries, played out all
her woman's tact in the endeavor to make
it appear TO him that the fault-inding TO
which Reuben sometimes subjected her,
even in his sons presence, was merely the
froth on a calm sea of good understanding.
She little imagined, however, that this
view of the matter was Reuben's own, till
one day to her astonishment, a neighbor re-
marked:
"Old Mr.. Sparrow thinks a deal
of you, Mrs. Sparrow, doesn't hei
He drops in now and again, and tells US
what a good manager you are, and how
comfortable you make him. He says you
are wonderful thoughtful for such a young
woman
Gwen could hardly answer for surprise,
but the discovery that Reuben praised her
behind her back encouraged her greatly, and
she tried harder than ever to improve, not
only in her management of the house, but in
speech, style and manner.
You are becoming quite lady, Gwen"
said Luke one evening; whereat she flushed
with plasure, and Reuben gave a grunt of
dubious significance, which Gwen chose to
interpret as an expression of assent.
Some day, father, I'll speak quite correct
quite correctly, mean"
Il hope So" said Luke, SO eagerly that
Gwen looked quickly up at him, and per-
ceiyed the strange excitement in his eyes.
Il hope SC" he repeated, drawing a deep
breath, "for / believe l am going to make
my fortune, and that would be a lift-up in
the world for US all. y
Reuben's face assumed its most skeptical
expression.
you ought to be shrewder than to believe
in fortune making, boy. Nothing but
steady, straightforward work pays nova
days"
"And isn't it Straightforward work to plod
away at the elements of invention for years.
said Luke, warmly; ito get to know every
discovered application of science to me-
chanics, SO as to be familiar with ones tools,
it were, and then to effect original COM
bination1l l don't want to boast but my
small inventions haven't failed, and | am
justified in believing my big ones won't /
have invented an electric tram-car which is
ound to supersede all others"
"Ah, well, my lad. if the patent fetches
you the money it has cost you, III congrat-
ulate you"
Luke was accustomed to his fathers in
credulity, but tonight it seemed to affect
him painfully.
You must try to have faith in ME,
father" he said, endeavcring to speak
calmly, "for ] have made up my mind not
to sell the patent, but to work 1t myself, to
clerkship and start an office on my own ac-
count 1t may involve living on very little
for awhile, but it must pay in the end"
Luke's face was full of the exaltation
which proceeds from the sense of great
achievement-the look of the man who
originates, whether artist, poet, or inventor.
Gwen, with worshiping eyes, knelt beside
him, and drew his arm around her shoulder
you will trust me, little woman, and put
up with being on short-commons for bitf'
said Luke, smiling down at her.
Reuben's thin lips were pressed together
as he sat and grimly watched the pair At
last he stood up pushed his chair back, and
addressed them with deliberate, chilling
contempt.
Luke, you're a fooil Your wife's never
been anything else, So l needn't say the
same of her. But for a man who has
one grain of sense to throw up a
gooi place for the sake of pushing
a rubbIshy invention. that's what call the
act of fool, and I'm ashamed to have such
fool for my son. If you think I'm going to
spend my little savings to keep you out of
the workhouse, while you're waiting for a
fortune that's TO be made out of a tram-car,
you're fool for that too. As soon as ever
you can't pay up, wash my hands of you,
and quit the house. sha'n't miss YOU; there's
nothing your silly wife does for me 1 can't
10 better for myself"
Luke was in far too excited state to bear
this quietly, and answered with a violence
which Gwen sought in vain to soothe There
was terrible scene, and at the end of few
the fair edifice of home peace,
which she had labored at so long and pa
tently, lay shattered before her.
The hardest time of her married life fol-
lowed, for Luke, in state of irritated deter
to succeed, was sorely tried by the
iilatoriness and procrastination of every
body whose approval and cooperation were
to the bringing out of his inven-
ton, and Reuben was more cross grained
than ever. 1t fell to Ovens share
to cheer and inspirit her husband, to bear
the freshly -kindled fire of her father-in-law's
and to make her diminished
allowance cover the most necessary ex-
pen-es.
At last the tram-car was given public
trial and from that day the tide slowly
turned. Nobody hurried to take up the in-
vention, but still the capital to form a COM
pany was gradually subscribed, and Luke
felt his way grow clear and easy before him.
A steady demand sprung up for the Spar
row tram.cars, and the dividends rapidly
rose. Luke was made much of now, and on
all sides manufacturers and Spectators
sent him orders for specified inventions,
offering him large sums if he could meet
their requirements. Some of the requests
were absurd but many presented probems