Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-06-06

Totes throat. He was standing up
with dazed look, when the doctor
came. The doctor looked mt him mar
rowly, and advised that he be sent hom,
Immediately.
The next day a hush fell upon the
room as Tom Duncan raised hand, ano
a minute later young woman emerged
from the stairway, and walked straight
to the foreman's desk. She was dressed
very simply in a dark brown dress. hei
hat was very becoming. Her features
were perfect-soft in their outline and
beautiful in themselyes-bu the beauty
of her expression was the surprising
| loveliness that surprised those who got
glimpse of Totes sister. She carried
small basket of flowers in one hand,
which she placed ON the foreman's desk,
said something in low tone, and with
drew. She seemed a vision of Highland
beauty for one brief minute.
After that everybody knew that Tote
and his sister Florence lived alone.
When Tote returned to work, three DAYS
later, the compositors on the Vindicator
were resolved that he should have ''the
best show going" Always liked before,
he became prime fayorite. The man
that stood in Totes way incurred the
ill-will of his fellows.
Tote was at the case a year-another
boy had taken his place-when a great
change came over him. He wasnot less
mirthful there was the same play Of
the features, the same imperturEable
good will, the same accommodating
spirit, but there was not the same buoy
ancy. He was ambitious, some said, as
his work proved he had settled pur-
pose. He became a rapid compositor
before he turned his 10th year. When
he was II he was pitted against the fast
est typesetters.
He grew upa graceful, self-contained,
self-reliant, manly fellow. As his fell
low-workmen had opportunity to see
him with his sister, their resemblance
was remarked. Tote Potter was as
handsome as she. As he grew older he
seemed shy certainly he was sensitive.
About this time one man discovered
that Tote Potter was chilling himself
to keep himself. In other words, he
was too greedy for money. Tom Dun
can rebuked the fault finder, and ever
after the foreman openly avowed his
friendship for the apprentice. Among
the few that had discovered how close
the bond was between Tote and his
sister, none respected Totes motives
more than the foreman. All Totes
thoughts were devoted to his sister Flo.
Florence and George to the outer world,
the two were always Tote and Flo 10
each other. Tote had an alma clearly
defined aim. His sister should have
her own home. She had stinted herself,
walked miles in snow and slush with
thin-soled, leaky shoes, fighting his or
her battle before he was .. She refused
to be separated from him. And now
there could be nothing too good in this
world for Flo.
The only drawback to Tote plans, in
the opinion of Peters, the one man that
never joined in Totes praise, was his
for physic. Peters had OBJ
served him on several occasions emerg-
ing from the office of the physician who
was called in the day he fell. Peters /
said plumply that he was too eager to
make money. This coming to Tom |
Duncan's ears, Totes envelope the next |
Nteh htAu - hhoiS, "hu mover was NAAiiih-
ished.
However the change in Totes appear
nnce a month after he was his own man, 1
and stood proudly at his own case, I
seemed to give a color to Peters insinu- 1
alton. 1t was plain TO everybody that (
Tote was working too hard.
He began with II, 900 the first day he
was his own man. and nobody ever saw
his string" below that notch. 1t
rose gradually until some of his fellow
wondered If there was any .
limit to Totes working capacity, Pres 4
entity his "string" averaged 1900
lay, and now and then, when there was .
a pressure, and no one could complain .
how much he made, he spurted ahead,
and his "dupes showed that he had 1
averaged thirteen thousand day, and
lid it easily.
He did not stop there. His average
rose, until one envious printer called to
mother across the room Heavens 4
Erskine, Potter's going to set the paper
up himself. He has five thousand up,
md it's not five o'clock I"
Erskine deliberately walked over and
ooked at Potter, whose hands moved
With the regularity of machinery. Never
! false nor nervous motion straight,
,asy, naturally as child picking up
pebbles, Totes hand moved from his
: stick to his case.
That night an alarm of fire attracted
he workmen's attention. The changing
# the engines and the multitude of
eet caused many to look out of the
The glow in the heavens in
Heated serious confagration. Every
,ody paused and looked out in the di-
ection of the fire except Potter. One
# his companions called to him to look
nut at the fire.
~ have no time to waste, he an
wered.
The fire was near at hand. 1t threat
ned to devastate an entire block. The
ntire department was out, and in less
han fifteen minutes we began to set
fire" copy. The copy that night
eemed to be forked right in fresh from
he fire. 1t smelled of the fire.
Al. Al ILL ,..,,.x o,l ..ff.x I