Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-02-25

ketch look AT him. Sech n mealy-
faced, weak-lookin' atomy he wasl 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 "a been President of he had
chose to run. That's the good o. hevin'
II tiptop head-piece."
I've made up my mind" said Top,
Junior, with an air. I'm goin' to DO
Herol Like Julius Caesar an Alex
ander an William Tell an Captain
John Smith. an other men I've read
about. wish yon would be a Hero,
fatheri 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 great deal about things"
The blue eyes were bright and visit
full, his hand stole up to the bushy
whiskers, ginger-colored from exposure
and boiler-heat.
"Me. hero! Haw! haw!" roared
the engineer, letting fall his knife and
fork in his merriment. "I'd cut fig
ger at the head of an army, or speakin'
| in Congress, or a-settin' on q gold
throne, wouldn't IP No! no! my mani"
SOLDERING down suddenly, into n sort of
sad dignity. "Yer father amt got the
brains nor the eddicaton 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.
1.-THE Lords too reasonable TO eX-
pect more of you II to do your duty in
the place where He's put YOU" said
the wife, gently.
II hope He Is, mother! Ef He looked
for more-or for any big thing s fur rs
that goes, the chances are that He'd be
disapp' nted. hev plenty o. time fur
thinkin' while we're scootn' cross
the level country an creepin' up steep
grades, an I've worked it out to my
own satisfaction that somethin' else I've
got to be thankful fur, is that my way
in life's been marked down so plain.
Seems eff | he'd been sot onto rails pref
| ty muchs She is, an s long ez | do
my level best on that ar line, why, it's
! all l ken do. That's the hull of it! L
amt no speechilier, you see, Junior =
with an embarrassed laugh at the boys
| evident discomfort -'Tll 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
go over 'em. Mother! eddication
wouldn't learn no woman how to make
better breadn yourn. Fact is, there's
nothin' ekal to home, an home-vttles
an home-folks! With such Twin cz
I've took in, shan need bite at
the Agapolis deepo. We're half an hour
there. but / hate the very smell o them
catin' houses An please God! I'll
bring Her in at twelve sharp"
He pulled on his overcoat and felt in
the pocket for his gloves. "I'm main
proud o. them fcllers," he said, fitting
one to hand half the size of 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 holiday gift from
the conductors on the line between the
two cities which was his semi-daily
beat.
81 take world O. comfort in them,
this freezin' weather. Fact is, mother,
this worlds been full o. comfort, all
the way through, for us-a nice easy
grade-ef yer father can't hero,
Junior! Six-twenty! l must be off
like to be there in time to sec tibet
Stokes is on han an all right. IF you
don't min, mother, we'll hev him to
dinner mex Sunday. | want to do
somcthin' t'wards savin' Stokes. 'Spe-
cially ez he's on my line!'
At six-iifty, 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
ing, comet wise, above them, slowly
pass over the bridge. 1t was a cloudy
evening and the marsh mists swallowed
up the blinking windows as soon rs the
train reached the other shore. Junior
loved the mother, but the father seemed
to take most of the life and cheer out of
the room when he went. Existence
stagnated for the boy who had no mates
of his own age.
II wish he didn't hev to run in bad
weather and nights!' he said, fretfully
.'It's his business, child, an your
father amt one to dodge his duty
a hate the wordr' retorted the pet
ted cripple. "When I'm man I'll be
my own master, and switch Duty off
the track
The obnoxious word came up again
in the course of the evening. In read
| ing aloud to his teacher they happened
upon this definition of ''hero," given
by one of the characters in the story
under his eye: Zone who, in n noble
work or enterprise, does more than his
duty"
Junior looked up disappointed. as
that the meaning of herop" he said, in
tensely chagrined.
THAT is one way of stating it.
doubt, myself. if we can do more than
our duty. What do you think, Mrs.
Briggsp' asked the young woman. She
esteemed the honest couple for their
draw them out
"a person ken undertake more,
'spose. IF they don't carry it through
it's sign twas meant fur them to go
| just that fur an no further 'Twon't
do fur us to be skeery bout layin' holt
of the handle the good Lord puts nigh
est to us, fur fear it's too big thing fur
us to manage. That's what my hus-
band says. An if ever man lived up
20 it, he does"
Top, Junior, looked sober and morti-
fed. The heroism of common life does
not commend itself to the youthful
Imagination. When his lesson was
finished it was time to go to bed.
"Wake me when father comes in"
was the formula without which he never
closed his eyes.
His mother never failed to do it, but
he wanted to make sure of it. She put
on lump of coal, just enough to keep
the fire "in,' and sat down TO the week
ly mending. AT elcven-forly she would
open the draughts and cook the saul
sages ready-laid in the pan on the table.
Top, Senior, liked something hot and
hearty" after his midnight run, and
this dispatched, smoked the nightcap
pipe of peace, Junior, rolled in shawl,
on his knee. The wifc's face and heart
were calm with thankful content as the
hours moved on. She was rosy and