The state chronicle., 1893-02-12
hammer was heard on the marble on

uduuCT W0o ACdIU Ou VIC m6I U10 Ou
South Fayetteville street.
Charley worked with q will and as
he bowed over his work and the per-
spiration flowed Aunt Sally johnson
hobbled past. She halted for q mo.
ment, peered into his dusty face, and
then most feelingly and affe ctionately
enquired, "ain't dat Mister Goodwin
eyes," said Charley, "this is me-"
81 tho't it was you. / lax not to q
knowed you, but l just want to say to
you dat my heart is wild you. Wuk
away, chile, wuk away-make some
mo- money-buy you mother store.
You needn't be afraid Ill trade wid
you jest like l alters did"
Charley looked up, fell: thankful
that he was no longer in the clutches
of such customers, and while he has
"worked away" he has never become
a grocer again.
He Didn't Get Any Insurance.
Who doesn't know s'Prof."J. Abner
Harrell, of Weldon? Active, ener
getic and progressive, he has made
money and friends, one of whom tells
the following st Dry about him:
Fifteen or twenty years ago he was
editing newspaper in Henderson
His office was in wooden building on
the second floor, which was reached
by stairway from the outside of the
building One night he was working
hard and fast trying to get through,
so as to catch a freight train that
passed Henderson about l O'Clock q
N. He was writing by the light of
spermacetti candle, stuck in a short ink
bottle in the middle of his table, which
was covered with clippings, manu-
scripts and exchanges-such a litter
as only busy editors table can car
ry. Suddenly he heard the whistle of
the locomotive, and grasping his hat
and valise he ran to the depot just in
time to catch the train as it was pull
ing out towards Weldon. After the
train had proceeded about five miles,
it all at once occurred to the "Profes
sor" that he had forgotten to blow out
the candle on his table, and he i'm.
agined how it would burn lower and
lower and finally flicker and sputter
and set fire to the rubbish on the
table, and then burn all his papers and
finally his Office and all that it con
tained-everything that he owned in
the world. His meditation made him
so nervous that he asked the conduc-
tor to stop the train and pnt him off
80 that he might return and save his
office.
The train stopped and he got off in
heavy down-pour of rain. In bis
haste and agitation he forgot both his
umbralla and overcoat, and when he
remembered those articles the train
was a hundred yards away bearing
them on toward Weldon. 1t was
March, and the rain had been falling
for several days, making the railway
track muddy and slippy. A north
east wind had set in and the rain was
fast turning to sleet. But he had no
time to consider these things. Through
rain and mud and sleet he hurried
back over Eve miles, urged on to
breathless speed by the hope of saving
his printing Office. Almost exha usted.
ne finally reached Henderson, dashed
up street to his Office, few up the
steps, burst open the door (Le had no
time to tumble for the key) and, enter
ing, found to his great relief that he
had blown out the light, as he should
have done when he left for the train.
Taking a long breath, he began to
realize the truth OF the old Latin adage,
"Haec fabula docet," which being lit
orally translated is supposed to mean
that we often do the right thing me-
chanically. and that there is no need of
getting nervous.
1t has been said that cats can cuss,
and Mark Twain is authority for the
statement that jay-birds can out.cuss
cats, but it is reported that both cats
and jays would have been left by a
large majority if they had been present
and essayed that role when Abner
found that he might have gone on to
Weldon, and that there was no danger
to his printing-office from that extin.
guished candle. Yours,
l