Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-08-10
WAITING ON A BIRD
An Incident In the Life OF Inventor Cor
lisa Touch Of Humanity,


The late Edward Corliss. of Providence,
the inventor and manufactures of the
great Corliss engine, was a man who
valued his business largely for the OPP
portunities which it brought him of doing
thoroughly and u~npretentiously humane
acts. Very many stories are told at
Providence of his generosity to people in
his erploy, aud especially of a way he
had Of coming to some employee or
workman win. looked ill or oyerworkcd,
or who had complained of having a hard
time, and saying TO him, "Now. look
here; you are not looking well. You
had better 90 Off somewhere for a rest of
a few weeks, and l will takecare of your
family while you are gone And the
man was started off ON a vacation Of
months. if months were needed, without
any apprehension ON his mind rs to the
needs of mis- family.
But other employers have done the
same thing, no doubt, and the Listener
would not have had occasion TO note the
matter If il had not been for the true
story of another generous deed of Mr..
Corliss'. lately told him from a most
authentic source, which is 30 Exceptional.
and so quite idyllic, that it merits special
relation. More than that-it merits such
a setting of incident as the story telling
genius of a Hawthorne or a Hale would
give it: but as the Listener can give il no
such setting, and as, moreover, he has no
right 10 do more than tell the tale Just us
il was told To him, he will narTate il in
its simplest form: o..
Mr.. Corliss. not very long before his
death, had occasion TO build an addition
to his manufactory-a big Il" for adj
ditional machinery. To prepare the
foundation for this ii was necessary to
remove a ledge of rock by blasting. The
men to do the work IN the addition had
been employed and put on the pay roll;
the materials had been purchased and
brought 10 the building. and the work of
blasting had begun The next morning
Mr.. Corliss passed by the place where
work was proceeding, when the foreman
in charge, KNOWN : his interest in pretty
things, called hiTI.
.'See here, lir. Corliss," said he;
''here is a birds nest that we've found.
and that's got 10 CO."
He showed the manufacturer q robin
sitting upon a nest that had been built.
fast and snug. in a crevice Of the rock,
among some bushes that grew there.
The bird flew off her nest as the men
came near, and showed five blue eggs,
that looked as if they had Just been laid.
''Can we move that nest somewhere
elseg" asked Corliss.
I'm afraid not. sir. We'd tear it 10
pieces getting il out, and it isn't at all
likely that you could get the bird TO go
10 sitting again anywhere else. We've
got to go on, SO w may as well rip it
out and throw the eggs away
NO. said Corliss. 1--WE won't dis
turb her. Let her bring out her brood
right there"
But Wen have to stop the work on
ihe building!r
''Let us stop it then"
And 50 orders were given that opera
tons on the addition should be suspended.
They were suspended; and the hands
stood still, drAying their pay for doing
nothing. or next 10 nothing, while the
robin sat ON her nest with her air Of
great consequence and jealous attention
TO business, and had her food brought
her by her mate. and at last Matched her
brood. And then there were three weeks
more to go 10y, at the least, before the
young ones could fly. Corliss visited the
nest frequently. not with any uncasines5
or impotence to have the robin and the
young ones out Of tie way, but with q
genuine interest in their growth. The
old birds had all the time they wanted.
and when ut last they had stcrnly helped
the clumsy, reluctant y"ung,tersover the
edge Of The nest. anu they showed them.
selves 10 be able TO get about on their
own hook. orders were given D. resume
the building operations; and the dull
boom Of the g~unpowder, tearing the
rocks apart. was heard where the birds
had pecpcl.
1t was an idle freak, n practical man
would say. Of a man who may have had
more money than he knew what to do
with. Perhaps il was Il freak, hut il was
one Of the sort Of freaks that make the
world better.-Bo-yUn Transcript lis.
tener."