Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-11-11
CHAPTER XVII.

John Earring did not 90 to the old
lawyer house so very many times aft
er that ere the epoch of his admittance
to the bar came on. Like most earn
est Americans, he kept so live an eye
upon his time that he would not even
permit the rosy mouth of pleasure to
drink away from him any appreciable
quantity of that very Elusive essence.
That time was something more than
money to him, as to thousands more
even in this teeming West-extrava-
giant as the statement may appear
seemed true; for with scarcely a
thought for wealth, he was pressing
forw ard to the field of deeds with Il
heart only eager to achieve. Doubtless
fame, position, applause. approval, or
some shadow of these, lay at the bot
tom of his ambition, how little So
ever they may have pricked him into
a consciousness of their presence, as
indeed few OF us 90 forward to any
eOmmendable thing save these in some
sense have their hands against the
back of our inclination pushing US
into action. But money had not
prompted him thus far; neither did it
afterwards upon its own account,
though-like US all-he came eventu-
ally to feel that if its golden fingers
did not grasp happiness itself they at
least encOmDaSsed no end of privilege
and opportunity for enjoyment and
doing good. Another fact, also, of
which he had already gathered an ink
ling, at length came fully into his con-
seriousness, the fact, so human, that
there are few helpers to any consum-
nation more potent than dollars, or
yet of more Silvery or more grateful
voice than they when honestly earned.
Sometimes it had crossed his mind,
too, that the achievement of wealth
was rather ignoble anyway. since in
any case it could be considered, in any
light looked at, or through whatever
avenue acquired, it still was a selfish
thing; it still was taking from others
and appropriating t. ones own pleas
ure; and if, after half 4 lifetime of sur
felt or to unload part of what had
come to be a burden, or to get a name,
as often happens, one should make a
gittering splash of it about the ears of
humanity, raising Il great shout of
praise and clapping of tongues, it were
still hardly a thing emitting one to a
saintship, since, in most cases, it were
simply feat Of taking through neces-
sity, ill-luck or misfortune from the
many and giving it to the few, when
one had got too much of it. Besides,
he sometimes questioned if in the very
soul of truth any man ever actually
owned more than he earned, or should
keep from his fellows more than would
serve and fill the purposes of a round
and righteous manhood.
Doubtless he was very impractical,
immature and soft-thoughted, with
ideas not get enough tramped upon to
have gotten hard shells upon their
backs, with hard hearts in them, as
with most of us; but something was
wrong with the world to John Earring;
a thing, indeed, the blind can even see.
Everywhere the many seemed drip
ping salty sweat for the few; down in
the valleys the millions seemed always
toiling among the shadows that the
hundreds might live above them on
the sunny heights; and perhaps, after
all, If the human sum were figured out
in blood upon the white forehead of
Truth, it might be found that the
young man in his softness came very
near the fact.
TO BE CONTINUED