Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-03

X. /
Poor Gwen WINGED, for of all the shafts in
Reubens culver 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! It vexed her, too, to hear
Reuben speak so slightingly of Lukes inven- |
TONS for, as matter OF fact, the young en- |
gineer had sold the patents of various small |
labor saving contrivanceS for considerable |
Sums. Only in one case had he failed and it |
was hard that Reuben should seem to re-
member that so much better than the sue
cesses. Gwen delighted in her husbands
work and rather than let him be disturbed
by domestic Worries played out all her
womeu'S tact in the endeavor to make it ap-
pear to him that the fault finding to which
Reuben sometimes subjected her, even in his
sons presence, was merely the froth on
calm seaSf good understanding,
She little imagined, however, that this view
of the matter was Reuben's own, till one day
to her establishment a neishbor remarked:
"Old Mr.. Sparrow thinks a deal of you
Mrs. Sparrow, doesn't bei 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 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.
] t.N l..
said Luke, one evening: whereat she flushed
with pleasure, and Reuben gave grunt of
dubious significance, which Gwen chose to
interpret as an expression OF assent.
''Some day, father, I'll speak quite cor
rect-quite correctly, mean
Il hope So" said Luke, so eagerly that
Gwen looked quickly up at him and per-
eeived the strange excitement in his eyes
Il hope SO, he repeated, drawing a deep
breath, ''for believe l am going to make
my fortune, and that would be lift up in
the world for US all
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 nowadays"
"And isn't it straightforward work to plod
away at the elements of invention for yearsF'
said Luke, warmly; ''to get to know every
discovered application of science to mechan-
les, so as to be familiar with ones tools, as it
were and then to effect original combina-
tionsl | don't want to boast, but my small
inventions haven't failed, and am justified
in believing my big one won't | have In
vented an electric tram car which is bound to
supersede all others"
"Ah, well, my lad, if the patent fetches you
the money it has cost you, I'll congratulate
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, erdeavoring to speak calmly,
''for l have made up M mind not to sell the
patent, but to work it myself, to do which
must throw up my present clerkship and
start an office on my own account. 1t may
involve living on very little for awhile, but
it must pay in the end
Lukes face was full of the eyaltation which
proceeds from the sense OF great achieve
, ment-the look Of the man who originates
l whether artist, poet or inventor. Gwen
with worshiping eyes, knelt beside him anC
drew his arm round her shoulder
5 "You will trust me, little woman. and pu'
: up with being on short commons for bitF
: said Luke, smiling down at her.
: Reuben's thin lips were pressed together a!
I he sat and grimly watched the pair. At las
r he stood up, pushed his chair back and ed
c dressed them with deliberate, chilling con
!, tempt.
. Luke, you're fool! Your wifes neve
been anything else, so needn't say the sam
of her. But for man who has one grain o
d sense to throw up a good place for thesake o
: pushing rubbishy invention, that's what
= cali the act of fo<s, and Pin ashamed {
have such a fool for my son. If you thiI
, I'm going to spend my little savings to ke'
= you out of the work house, while you
. waiting for fortune that's to be made o.
p Of a tram car, you're fool for that, too. J
j., soon as ever you can't pay up | wash n
hands of you, and quit the house. shar
-, miss you; there's nothing your silly wife do
for me | can't do better for myself
i, Luke was in far too excited a state to be
g this quietly, and answered with violen
- which Gwen sought in vain to soothe The
~ was a terrible scene and at the end of a ft
~ minutes the fair edifice Of home peace, VIII
~ she had labored at so long and patiently, b
shattered before her.
l., The hardest time of her married life f
" lowed, for Luke, in state Of iTritated det'
10 mination to succeed, was sorely tried by I
~ dilatorinesS and procrastination of everybo
- whose approval and cooperation were nee
-. sary to the bringing out of his invention, a
~ Reuben was more croSsgrained than ever.
- fen to Ovens share to cheer and nspirit
N husband, to bear the freshly kindled fire
-, her father-in-iaw's vituperation, and to ma
~ her diminished allowance cover the m
al necessary expenses.
At last the tram car was given public tri
,+,. and from that day the tide slowly turn
n, Nobody hurried to take NJ the invention,
still the capital to form company was graz
= ally subscribed. and Luke felt his way gr
- clear and easy before him. A steady dema
- sprang up for the Sparrow tam cars, and
=, dividends rapidly rose. Luke was made mt
49, of now, and on all sides manufacturers q
-, Spectators sent him orders for specific
ventions, Offering him large Sums if he CO..
L. meet their requirements Some of the
- quests were absurd, but many presen
IL problems possible of solution, and the demo
for his productions preceding the supp
Luke's work was freed from the anxieties
aA' the man who invents first and finds his IN
~, ket afterwards-if he can
N At home it seemed at first as if his sucC
would widen rather than heal the breach
tween his father and himself, for Reu
rom grew more silent and moody as his son W
ates up in the world. During the days of a
was ious poverty, while assailing Gwen "
leu' ceaseless repfoaches, he had exercised m
loly ingenuity in secretly supplying the want
hef the household; but now that the privati
tne of the young couple were at an end, he ct
,nai to believe that they wished him dead
ing gone, and when Gwen told him one day
Luke intended to take larger house, the
'ood man broke out bitterly. They were gett
his too GRAND for him he said The fnrnit
ave which he and his old woman had bon
In when they married, and which he
In brought with him to his sons, wasn't z
her enough for fine new house, and he'd bel
her betake himself somewhere else with it.
her Don't say that, father" said CIV
oy wherever we go, your rooms shall have
was old things in"
un- 20, of counsel The old things are g
and enough for the old mann retorted Reul
was unreasonably You'll stow me away in
orse back rooms, and get new friends to suit y
ONE new furniture No, mol I'll get room so
leu where and have a woman in to look after
she Pm used to neglect"
as "But, father" said Gwen, patiently .
ing over a charge she had heard over
'ery over again, 81 want you more than {
was now. You see, Luke wants ME to be Fl
uca- talk to the gentlemen who come to see
url- and 7 thought perhons von,d teach ma M,
the the hooks so as 7 may knov somatb
lube bag 7 f~ol T