Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-01
MIDST BATTERED FACES.


l learned the printers trade. l might, per
haps, have done better in the tinsnith line;
but what poetry was there In curving joints
OF stove pipei What inspiration in mending
greasy milk cans and grimy tea potsi Yet
the prosaic boy went 20 work with the solder
ing iron when went 20 sticking types, mar
ried the belle OF the village and owns the best
house in town, while I-eh, welll / am
pointed out as the distinguished author OF
IAN Ode 10 n Pin" with no house at all and
achattel mortgage on all my bachelor etfectsl
blossomed out in Journalism, after serv-
inga due apprenticeship, as the sole sIiitor
and proprietor OF The Cad Hollow Spectator,
printed In sleepy little town ia Western
New York The village had some prospects
OF future greatness when I launched The
Spectator, but the great Duradogo railroad
that was 20 give the place a boom adopted
another route, and the proud hopes OF Cad
Hollow were forever crushed.
One night late In October turned the key
In my office door and started down the de
serted street for my lodgings. had passed
the livery barus and was making good head
way up the dilapidated sidewalk when |
heard voice calling me Turning, saw
for the moon was Mt Its zenith-a lad APP
preaching me from the opposite side of the
street ON what is vulgarly called dog trot.
you're the ink singer OF The Spectator,
Amt vert" said the boy. evidently in some
uneasiness of mind.
recognized my interrogation as a strange
lad who had dritted into town in the early
summer, who "chored it, here and there and
made his home in the cast of box Of an old
stage coach long since removed from its
trucks and laid 20 rest among the tall weeds
by the roadside. This temporary abode Of
a. f..1 Ill
1.-THE Arlington, " "The Ark, ~ "The Friendly
Inn," and some ironically disposed persons,
finging away all reverence, even went so far
as b call IL "The Saints Rest for the hos.
pitable tenant, Master Jap, gave lodgings to
pilgrims-mostly bibulous characters, who In
their cups feared 10 go home and face
frownlng world or rather n frowning
spouse.
assured the lad that was the veritable
Ink singer, and he continued:
"Well sir, there's u strange man a-shiver-
In over'n the ark--shiverini as though his
bones would rattle out of his hide and come
peltin' down on the floor like hail stones. And
do you mind, sir, how cold It isi' The boy
was himself shivering. and the dead grass,
stiff and gray with frost, cracked under his
feet as he twisted back and forth upon his
heel
ut Is rather bracing," replied, sinking
my hands still deeper into my pockets.
Now l were thinkin'," continued the lad,
'as how we might give the poor fellow better
accommodation for the night by dumping
him inter your Office by the fire. OF course
I've given him the best In The Arlington
Senator Turntables own private parlor-an
covered him up the best could with an old
cart wheel, but there's spoke or two broken
out of the wheel an must let In heap of cold
could not help smiling at the boys droll
cry, nor from feeling somewhat solicitous
about the stranger under the cart wheel, IL
which wheel there were sundry spokes miss
ing; so Jap and started for the Arlington
On arriving at the inn, 50 called, L held
a very thin man snuggled In corner, hug
ging himself tightly, as If to concentrate
what little heat there was left In the various
and remote parts OF his long, lank body.
had never before seen so thin and wasted q
form. The face, closely shaven, appeared al
eyes and forehead-and such eyes! so dark
and 30 luminous had no sooner beheld the
stranger than / resolved 10 give him better
accommodations in The Spectator office. Hs
could at least sit by the fire. II the thin
gentleman should even run Off with the ed
itor,al shears and the paper come out day
late on account of the theft, I'd let him In
and abide the consequences
Come" said /, addressing the stranger
1--WE have more comfortable place for you
The man did not answer, but arose and
stepped feebly forth from the box. jar
and l led the way and soon had him
inside tho Office l sat before him a
bottle Of stomach bitters taken on an
advertising contracu and some broker
victuals, the residue of my monday lunch
A II. -
newspapers and repleuished tho fire with
chunks of wood When Jap and / left the
Office the man sat by the stove looking won
deringly about upon the types and printing
utensils. | asked Jap TO share the comfort:
Of the Office, but no declined, saying he pre-
ferred his old nest az the inn.
arose earlier than usual the next morning
and hastened 20 the Office to turn out my
lodger. To my surprise the place was al
ready vacated-my guest had absconded
Had the thin man ventured too near the oper
draught OF the stove and been sucked into the
fret Had he gone up the fiuo in vapori Al
was not quite sure that be was at all NOR
tai, did not long harrow my feelings with
the thought. II he were indeed "A ghost he
doubtless made his exit through the key hole
II mortal, ne could easily have clambered out
at the window. Nothing appeared to be dis
tnrbed and ! went about cleaning up the
shop congratulating myself that no one, save
Jap, would know OF my nocturnal visitor.
IL was publication day, and all was hustle
about the office till The Spectator was printed
and sent forth 20 gladden. the hearts of its
numerous readers. Then the printers my
self with them, mounted their stools, and
with a sigh Of relief commenced filling their
cases
What Internal nonsense Is thisn exclaimed
Bob, the foreman, rising to a perpendicular
on the rounds Of his high chair, and gazing at
the partition wall Just above his case. "It's
the most incoherent cong.omeration of jingle
aud prose that / ever beheld. Blast i'll
There's something uncanny about it. One
would think corpse had been proving
round the Office
Following Bob's eye, beheld u scrap OF
paper pasted TO the wall, on which were writ
ten in bold characters the following mysteri.
Gus words:
rATnR VINE.
Hated, hunted and be-ranted-
Dead as Lag 4" but never planted,
Wander
Entombed midst battered faces,
Broken leads and bent up spaces
In the ''pi,"
To mortify.
Leave
My heart
E-I shall not DO boiled.
V-Throw In all dead matter
TON b.
"a prank of the kid, !" said one of the com
positors
Bob pronounced 1t the work of old Sils
Brown, the lunatic, while | thought of my
ghostly ledger and said never a word.
"Well," said Bob, III guess we'll let the
scrawl remain as IA specimen of high art YER
sification. Grim wanderer" he added pa
theticouy, "may you never be boiled'-at
least, not 80 extensively as was poor old