The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-07-26
Written for the Waco Examinerl
TO HIM WHO WILLS.
CHAPTER I.

af-tN
Thirty-fve years since. ON sharp
frosty morning, IN east Tennessee, q
party of boys and girls were on theiI
way to school, near one of the beauti.
full villages which nestle so lovingly
In that weird and won drously con,
structed mountain land Gay laugh.
ter and all of the insouisance
OF party of school mates
characterized the group. Happy aud
minimizing, without intending to
wound or do wrong, one of the num-
Der sang out, with laughter in his
voice.
Here, boys, comes Benny Trite;
let's have some fun"
just then tall, lank, gawky farmer.
lad of the poorer class came in sight.
His feet were bare and there was A
very worn and woe.begone express
sion in the ungainly boys pale face.
lie was not fair to look at, aud there
was that something undefinable in
his general bearing which indicated
hard work on short rations. He did
not have to open his lips before one
recognized the fact that he was de
plorably ignorant and altogether un-
used to the ways of the world and the
people in it. Still there was a some
thing down deep in the hazel of the
eyes which told of feeling, of high
purpose, and above all, of indomita-
BILE courage. We shall see what these
qualities will do for the unpromising
youth who was at that day their most
unhappy posessor.
"Hello, Benny; where going this
morning" said the bold, impudent
lad
"Nowhers," said Benny. sony up on
lie mountin to maui rails"
"Well, you look like mauler. Why
don't you go to schoolY' said the
other.
"Ef you'd to make yer own bread
and meat, you'd not he goin' to school
either" returned Benny, who. by this
time, had detected the badgering tone
in the boys voice.
"Benny, you're beauty, and If
you'd wash up and put on shoes, per.
haps one of these young ladies 'ud fall
in love with YOU"
1t was study to note the weird,
unearthly, hungry look which crept
into poor Denny's great, hazel eyes
and glancing at Edith Green. the
fairest of the girls in the group, Benny
said
"Pd do power o. work every cay
IL might talk to Edith jist once in a
month. for n little Wbile0
Work was all Benny had to offer.
1t was his only possession of value,
and he was accustomed to bar
ter it for all that he
needed. Like those who have gold,
Benny imagined: he could trade
work for the smiles of the fair. But
II was u mistake, aud sad one. The
little maiden saucily said:
"Why, Benny, If you were to maui
every tree on the mountain into rails,
I'd not talk to you minute, for 'em
all you're great gawky, and, Oh /!
dear, how ugly you are"
A few PAGES from where the party
stood brawled and babbled one of
those noisy sparkling streams COM
mon 10 all mountain regions. A sim
gle log, hevn on the upper side,
resting on small stone piers, consti-
tuted the pass-way. This log was
some ten or dozen feet above the
current. After the foregoing con-
versation, the party moved on toward
the crossing, Behny tagging behind.
Scarcely had the last word rang out
ere the crisp morning air was filled
with an agonizing shrek of alarm
Hurrying through the crowd and past
his dazcd tormentor, the rough noun
tain lad reached the middle of the
foot-log, when he discovered Edith
being rapidly swept on toward the
deep pool, where the eddying waters
gathered ere they leaped the falls be-
low. Two minutes more, and the
beautiful child would be swept out OF
reach of human help. While the deli
cately nurtured boy 3, whose contempt
for himself was so great, were horror
struck and helpless, Benny, without q
thought other than to save, sprang
into the dark, cold mountain torrent
and in less time than 1t takes to tel
il he had safely landed the almost
frozen girl upon the bank, and wa:
doing all he could in his rough way I,
restore her to conciousness. AS hel
young comrades reached her side sh,
opened her eyes and they rested bu
for all instant upon the half-cla,
figure of her rescuer, who, Of course
was more nearly frozen now than wa
the warmly-clad girl.
AS soon rs she was fully re
stored to consciousness, one of tn
party started home with her. Tn
remainder took their way /,
school and Benny in his wet
unchanged clothes and without hi
dinner of bread and potatoes, whic
he lost in his struggle for the life 0
Edith, mounted the mountain-sidt
where his axe, ringing steadily all da
or until the shades of evening gradu
ally crept up from the valley beneatl
him, told that he Mt least was none th
worse OIL for his morning bath.
When, at last, he descended to tn
valley on his way home, he found Nj
Green, Edith's father, waiting for hiI
at the crossing, which so nearly he
came the grave of his child that morn
ing.
aBenny, You did noble, a gallan
thing this morning"
GLOW is shcp" interrupted Benny.
"She. Oh! she is better, but sh
has been very i'll all day, and now tn
doctors think she'll get well withou
spell of pneumonia"
x sigh of relief welled up from Ber
ny's heart and found egress at his lip
in the touching words
"Mr. Greeu,it nd a killed me too la
Edith died"
"Well, Benny come home with IN
and see her, she has been calling fo
You in her fever spells, and think
would be better for you TO see her, s
| waited here for you TO come OIL Ii
mountain"
They walked rapidly up the path t,
ward the Green home, the well-to-d
man, aud the ragged friendless youtl
The heart of the one filed with SO
, tisb fear that the darling of his hon