Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-05-13

at home and helping me run the farmF'
asked the old man.
II want chance to rise in the world,
to show what kind of stuff am made
Of" answered the youth.
81 reckon you're made Of the same
sort of clay as yer mother and me, but
yer only about half-baked yet" said the
old man with a grin. This comes Of a
little learuin'. You'd better tarry at
Jericho until yer beard is grown an
you've cut yer wisdom teeth, SON"
But the young man persisted. He ex-
planned to his father that he wanted to
see the world, aud make his mark in it.
He must have to begin low, but be was
bound to rise aud be somebody, and he
knew enough to keep clear of bunco-
steerers and all such gentry. So his
father gave him his blessing and twenty
five dollars in gold and let him &c, with
a pardonsble desire to gratify his ambi-
tion and see him rise in the world.
In due time letter came from the
young man. He had found employment
asa clerk in a jewelry store. 1t was
only a stepping stone, he said, to the
fortune he intended to make, but he
should keep his eyes open and loose no
good chance.
The next letter was from the chief of
police in the city where the young man
was employed. 1t merely announced the
fact that the youth was in Jail aud want
ed his father to come and bail him out.
The CONSERVATION which this missive in
troduced into the farm household can
only be imagined. They all Loyalty
clung TO the belief that their Charles
Augustus was not a criminal in intent,
but the fact Of his being in Jail was
great blow to their pride.
'Let us return" as the novelists say,
to Charles Augustus.
That enterprising young man had won
golden opinions from his employers by
his steady cond-ct, his correct business
principles, aud his devotion to their in
terests. One day, at a time when he
was the only clerk in the store, stranger
entered and asked to be shown some
diamond earrings. lie produced bus
iness card, aud the jeweler, who person.
ally attended to bin, recognized the
name as that OF a man recently essab.
lished in business there, but who was
still stranger to him. The gentleman
selected the earrings and asked that they
be sent to his hotel for his wife to ex-
anime before purchasing them. Then
be left the store.
Now this business was unhusiness- like
and the jeweler cautioned young Still
we'll not to leave the diamonds unless
they were paid for, as the buyer had
said they would be if they suited. So
Charles Augustus went up to toe hotel
with two ideas fixed in his mind. lie
was to return,li like the Spartan hero, with
bis shield, or upon tin other words,
be was to bring oack either the diamonds
or their equivalent in cash.
"Kuow thyseIf," the motto of the
wise men Of Greece, was an unknown
quantity in the arithmetic of our Charles
Augustus. He had read enough dime |
literature in his salad days, which were
not vet over, TO ill bis soul with an une-
quail appreciation OF things. For in.
stance, quite unknown to his parents, he
yearned to be detective. Cowboys and
raiders were not much to his liking;
they lacked the element OF respectabiity.
But to he detective, sIeuth- hound OF
the law, to rise to the high position OF
Inspector chief OF police, to be the
terror of small boys and evil doers was to
reach the ultimstum OF his ambition.
When bis employer imagined his new
;lerk at the reading room Of the Y. NJ.
:. A. or sound asleep in his boarding
,ouse bed, Charles Augustus was hang
ng around the police station, watching
he criminals brought in, aud admiriDg
he officer on duty who assigned each