The Colfax chronicle., 1890-05-03

boys.
They never saw beneath the surface
of his nature, and, like some other
BOYS, Hiram hid his strong points and
revealed the weak ones.
When school closed that spring, Hi
ram surprised Farmer Gerrish by de-
manding wages for his work in the fu-
ture.
sI1l be fifteen years old in month,
he said, ssand I'm too old to work for
lust nv keep, 'speshly when / do the
same work you pay man twenty oo.-
lars a month for doing. l want ten dol
lars a month this summer, and II amt
worth it to you, I'll make myself worth |
it to some other farmer"
Mr.. Gerrish considered the matter for
a day or two, and came to the conclusion
that he couldn't get along without
Hiram.
ssBut it'll seem queer to pay h'm
wages" he said to his wife. II don't
believe he'll know how to use money
when he gets it,"
So Hiram received seventy dollars
for his work that summer, and in the
fall he went to live with Miss Fanny
Gregg, maiden lady of sixty, agreeing
to work for his board if allowed to at
| tend school.
Miss Gregg was a somewhat eccentric
| person herself, and the villagers said
that stwo queer ones had met when
Hiram went to live with her; but her
eccentricity was valuable to Hiram, for
she gave him sympathy and encourage
ment in his fixed determination to "be
somebody"
He spent twenty of his hard-earned
dollars for the first whole suit OF new
clothes he had ever owned in his life,
and he felt his self-respect rise good
many degrees when he arrayed himself
in his purchase and started off to school
with sachel Miss Fanny had made for
him. filed with the first new books he
had ever had.
| The remainder of his money had been
given into Miss Gregg's keeping, but
Hiram had well-defined idea Of what
he intended doing with it and the
savings he intended adding to it.
Decently dressed, he did not look nor
act like the Hiram the villagers had
alwavs known, but he still had an
! original way of speaking and acting
that distinguished him from other boys
and the villagers still thought him
ssQueer."
Il Some Of his teachers began to see II
: him degree of shrewdness and keen
ness of perception unnoticed by others
The second summer he demanded ant
received fifteen dollars per month o
Farmer Gerrish, and the second winte
2 he staid with Miss Gregg and attende'
school.
In the spring the s'town fool an
nounced his intention Of going West :
seek his fortune, and the villagers shool
their heads and prophesied all sorts Q
y disaster as the result OF such venture
"You'd better stay here, Hi, and tr
Z to get you little piece of ground an
= settle down to farming" counseled MI
Gerrish. But to his wife he said: "Th
= bow hasn't wit enough 20 go of anon
:, strangers that way. He'd better sta
here among his friends"
- But Hiram put his few belongings int
!. a satchel and departed-'sto come to n
. good end" as his acquaintances predic
~ ed; and it was not long before he W;
= forgotten, or, if his name was mentione
. it was in a tone of commiseration.
" sPoor Hi Curry!' some one said' occ
!. sionally. 81 wonder what ever becan
ol of him? He went to the bad, reckon
:, Meanwhile, the boys who had gone
- school with Hiram, and who had laughe
~ at what they were pleased to call b
ssrreenness'-the boys, most OF ther
:. grew to be men, and left the school
n engage in various occupations.
: The most successful one OF them
- - became a clerk, and then part owner
- q small dry goods store in the town.
). About this time the first railroad
" had ever had ran into Wendom, and q
no town began to have what would De call
II. s.boom' in the West.
r. ~ Soon after the arrival of the railroa
"a, there came into the town a number
he capitalists, who had heard OF the
,ct perior advantages the town offered
the establishment of a large manufi
,4s tory. now that it had railroad faciliti
- and the result of their visit was tt
.to within ten days more than hundr
men were atiwork on the river bar
rat excavating for an immense manufactol
"a that would give employment to HI
dreds of families, and add greatly to
A. Importance and population OF the tov
md A house, handsomer than any In
;tb village, was erected for the superintel
ent of the works, who, it was said, wo.
ha arrive some weeks before the manuf
,.d tory was completed, and all applicatl'
the for situations must be made to him.
ard He would be the most important ?
ore sonage in the town on his arrival
,er- there was great curiosity In regard
the kind of parsonage he was likely
Int be.
oes "He's going to have house fine eno'
old for Queen Victory" said old FarI
Gerrish to his family, one event
ACE "Eyerv things finer'n a fiddle, an