Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-03-07
CHAPTER XXI.
LONDON.

1gZE9<(
iheId my station near ths door.
Shorts Cutoff was 20 simple that II
puzzled everybody.
consulted half . dozen eminent on.
gineera
"very pretty, indeedr' they said, and
st once turned the conversation to the
explosions on western rivera Had ]
ever been blown up' How did II feelY'
But - to Shorts Cutoff, they only
thought It o neat contnvance, but evi.
IDENTIFY by q person who did not compre-
hend intricate machinery.
Itook II to Q man OF another order.
England IL the worlds machine shop; he
was England's chief engineer. A great
man he was, dead. alasi now. A free
man, who recognized the world as bis
country and genius everywhere - his
brother.
He underrtood Shorts Cutoh ut .
glance.
How wish old Short could have been
there, 70 zee .his great mans eye glow
with enthusiasm ~ he said: "Admi.
rablel This ,s what we have al been
waiting for. Padiham must see this.
We must have It In every engine In Eng.
land. Command my services to aid In
making II known"
"Can you recommend me-" said !,
presently, ~ thorough mechanic. !
want some mare models made Of these
valves and machinery. TO iilustrats their
action"
"You must 70 10 Padiham, the best
artisan I know In all England"
"Worth seeing for himself, as the man
whom you name best among these mil.
lions OF craftsmen"
"Padiham II the man."
"He ought 70 have name and fame"
HE might II he chose"
"Worth knowing. again, for this rare
sbnegation."
"He 10 an oddity. Some unlucky
mode Of life stunted him, mind and
body, until be was o mature man. He
IL dwarfed In person, and fanciss his
mind suffers too. II makes him . little
gruff TO feel that he IL man OF tools
and not Of principles mechanic, not a
philosopher. There Ii nothing Of NOR.
bidness or disappointment In him. Only
hs undertakes himself and fancies his
powers blunted by his deformity. He
keeps out Of the way and works alone In
little shop. He will only do special
Jobs for me and one or two others. He
says he would be our equal II he were
full grown. We deem him our peer and
treat him - such; but he will not como
out and take the place he could have at
once before the world. thought OF him
and wished him to sec this Cutoff ~
soon as you showed IL to me. You most
tell him sent you. or he may be surly
ut first, and 30 drive you away. or per.
haps refuse to do your work"
II think ! can mako my way with
such person. but II not, will use your
name. Where is hs 10 b foundy
"This is his address. An out OF the
way place, you zee. II you know London.
A by-street on the Surrey side OF the
Thames. He 10 well TO do, but lives
there for Q special economy. He has .
method Of charity which 70 like himself
thoroughly original. Moro good he
does In his odd way than any man
know. He owns the whole house over the
shop and uses It - . private hospital or
hospice for poor but worthy sick and
broken down people"
"His own dwarfshness makes him
sympatheticY'
I had soms little difficulty In finding
Padiham's retiring place. had already
dissected Il out on the map, identified 1t
by its neighborhood to certain artery
and is closer neighborhood to . certain
ganglion. II was Lamsly court, quiet
retreat In . busy region. Il looked. In
deed, % II Il had never taken . very
active part In the world, or ~ II, when
it offered itself to hustle and trafic,
moro enterprising localities had hustled
It aside and bade II decline into lethar-
KY. The withered brick houses had the
air and visage Of people who have seen
better days and subsidized into the de-
spending byways, apart from the thor.
oughfares Of the bold and sturdy. Mean
misery and squalor did not abide there.
Il was not den for the ragged, but .
shy retreat for the patched. for the do
cent and decorous poor.
HALF way down the court, on the sun.
nv ode, found Padihain's house. II
was quietly, not obtrusiveiy, nester and
fresher than its neighborh Ih bricks
had les wormeaten look, and its win.
dow psnes wers all Of glass and mono Of
Newspaper. The pot roses In an upper
story window were In bloom, and had
life enough to welcome the June sun
shine, while sister plants In other gar.
rsts al about the court were too Tar
blightsd ever 10 dream Of gsyer product
than some poor jsundiced bud. These
roses up In Padiha,n's window cheered
the whole nsighborhood greatly with
their lively coloring. u was % II some
pretty maiden With rosy cheeks and nper
rosy lips were looking down into that
foricrn retreat and warming every old,
faded soul within every shabby tenement
With bright "Reminiscences Of days when
| life was In it. perfume and It, flower.
Such was the aspect Of Padihsms
abods His shop lurksd In the basement.
Il was with much curiosity and inter
ct In Padiham that stsppsA down into
the basement PAdiham was In his shop
at work. No mistaking him. A stuntsd,
Iron gray man. not misshapsn, but only
shut togsthsr. liks . one bArFs'sd opsrs
3. took ,eaesie. q m. and eoaHaa'a