Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-02-11
A VICTIM OF ZEAL.
Destructive and Pathetic Confessions of .
 Reformed Gas Meter.


 Industry brings sure reward. the poet or some one said; but let us look into the matter little. am poor old dust t-covered, rusted and forgotten gas meter. It is with difficulty that restrain several large, damp tears, as years ago. when my dainty cubic feet first started on Life's grand march. Filled up to the brim with the glad ambition of youth, I had but one de- sire, and that was to a0Ork. l realized that had been placed in a position of trust by poor but honest corporation. knew that my standing with my ems ployers would depend upon the efforts I put forth in their behalf.
 The first day I went to work I reg- istered solemn VOW to ever merit tho trust and confidence of my employers, or burst. 1 almost registered six hun- dred and forty-eight feet of gas the same day. The first month passed by in tritle over four weeks. My life during that time was that of a happy child. When night spread her inky mantle over things I sought repose; but the morning sun's first rays found me at work with renewed yigor. At the end of the month an employee of the company came 10 observe the re- suit of my months work. As he mad note in little book. noticed a smile of approval fit over his mo- bile countenance, and he patted me
 affectionately at parting. His few demonstrations of appreciation kindled
 the fire of high resolve within my tim
 covered breast. 1 would toll on, nor
 ever cease; during the silent watches
 of the night, as well as during the
 long sunny days. would not even
 stop for n sandwich.
 And now came the shadow of q
 great trouble. The shadow was a
 large. angry looking man; he came to
 my side with rapid steps. and gazed
 fiercely at me. In one hand he held a
 printed piece of paper which, I ob.
 served. contained the result of m y first
 months work. By some occult proc
 ess then knew that that man would
 eventually bo the means of my de.
 struc ion. I trembled. but that didn
 help the matter any. At any rate.
 thought, Twill do my duty
 Perchance, ferc3 reader q am tired
 of gentle readcrs), you do not know
 what hard work is. You may have
 read of the man who lost both arms,
 and afterwards erected threc-story
 dwelling house, with gas and bath and
 mortgage, within five minutes wall
 of the pos.-oflice. q Qaeen Anne barn,
 a hen house, and barbed-wire fence around the whole. You are told that sibly with some little assistance
 of his eye brows. But eyel , all that would be play com pared with the work I did. A ga , meter never depends upon luck t boost it along in life. It is fully awar
 that hard work is the only means b which it may att ain success. You hay | never heard of a gas meter pokin ar, und in dark cellar with stick | or around the dccayed stump of 9 tre and unearthing tomato-can full (
 three thousand dollars in gold. Sue fortune is not for the meek and lowl
 but ge!-there- -just-the-same gas mete I Time passed on. [Used by speci r permissioa.1 But still I continued f make myself round -shouldered fC h those loved. Have you ever heard s rumored. even vaguely, that the fire ( d loyalty ever burned sufficiently To e in the breast of gas meter to allo1 } it to betray the high trust repo 'ed in O by its employers? guess not; we ar V not built that way. Never once did If flag.
 e Two months passed away before n s old friend with the notebook an is pencil appeared. As he approacht ]. me in jaunty. ligh,-hearted manne d softly humming "O.d Hundred'' r, long meter, I wondered if my wol e would please him. The moment e gazed upon my ingenious countenan 7. he started back in amazement; slow d the expression of amazement ga if way to one of mingled awe and a ts miration. H. reverently noted | m progress had made in the two mont or and then left me.
 b Three days later, as tho sun W ot softly sinking to sleep in dowl g. bed of azure clouds, and was re- g ing fDm a hard days work, I hea m rapid footsteps approaching me. d. a moment the large angry ma le whom I had seen before, stood co at fronting me. But the expression $. had before mistaken for anger " in one of angelic sweetness compar' is with that which now furrowed CT face. I felt that some ghasily de ne was about to be performed. Glo m cred he upon mo but for one sho d moment. and then with frenzied y k. he seized a gleaming axe and shov 1T cred blow after blow upon me. W lc rudely torn from my resting place al st mutilated beyond recognition. Af n- the william had vented his rage up 10 me, he turned and walked ava IT, muttering something to the effect tn ut he didn't propose to pay for sixty-o of thousand feet of gas whom the hou in had been vacated for two months a h. no one had used any. then realiz h. the fearful mistake had made. ay And this is the story of my reform, on Those who knew me when he cha