Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-27
CHAPTER XVII

John Earling did not go to the old
lawyers house so very many times aft
er that ere the epoch of his admittancc
to the bar came on. Like most earn
est Americans, he kept so live an eye
upon his time that he would not even
permit the rosy mouth of pleasure to
drink away from him any appreciable
quantity of that very lllusive essence.
That time was something moro than
money to him, rs to thousands more
even in this teeming West-eXtrava-
giant as the statement may appear
seemed true; for with scarcely o
thought for wealth, he was pressing
forward to the field of deeds with a
heart only eager to achieve. Doubtless
fame, position. applause, approval, or
some shadow of these, lay at the bot
tom of his ambition, how little So
ever they may have pricked him into
consciousness of their presence, as
indeed few of us go forward to any
commendable thing save these in some
sense have their hands against the
back of our inclination pushing us
into action. But money had not
prompted him thus far; neither did it
afterwards upon its own account,
though-like us all-he came eventu-
ally to feel that if its golden fingers
did not grasp happiness itself they at
least encompassed no end of privilege
and opportunity for enjoyment and
doing good. Another fact, also, OF
which he had already gathered an ink
ling, at length came fully into his con.
| sciousness, the fact so human, that
there are few helpers to any consum'
nation more potent than dollars, OIL
| yet of more silvery or more grateful
| voice than they when honestly earned.
Sometimes it had crossed his mind,
too, that the achievement of wealth
| was rather ignoble anyway. since il
| any case it could be considered, in any
light looked at, or through whatever
avenue acquired, it still was seltfsl
thing; it still was taking from other:
| and appropriating to ones own pleas
ure; and if, after half q lifetime of sur
felt, or to unload part of what haC
come to be burden, or to get name
as often happens, one should make {
glittering splash of it about the ears O
humanity, raising n great shout o
praise and clapping of tongues, it wer
still hardly thing emitting one to
saintship, since, in most cases, it wer
simply feat of taking through neces
sity, ill-luck or misfortune from tn
many and giving it to the few, whel
one had got too much of it. Besides
he sometimes questioned if in the yer.
soul of truth any man ever actuall
owned more than he earned, or SHOULD
keep from his fellows more than woul
serve and fill the purposes of a roun'
and righteous manhood.
Doubtless he was very impractical
immature and soft-thoughted, wit
ideas not get enough tramped upon t
have gotten hard shells upon thei
backs, with hard hearts in them, a
with most of us; but something wa
wrong with the world to John Earling
\ thing. indeed, the blind can even see
Everywhere the many seemed drip
ping salty sweat for the few; down il
the valleys the millions seemed Away
toiling among the shadows that tn
hundreds might live above them o
the sunny heights; and perhaps, afte
all, if the human sum were figured on
in blood upon the white forehead {
Truth, it might be found that tn
; Young man in his softness came yer
near the fact.
Joel Whitney, on the other hanC
had always held that to acquire even
thousand times more than he coul
ever personally use, fencing wa
quantities away from his needy fellows
drawing with his finger about larg
parts OF natures common gift th
flaming sacred circle of owRershiT