The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1895-10-08
WHERE STRENGTH HELPED.
Br ROBERT BEVERLY HALE.

Dut Wnen ne
had once learned it, he never had to
look at it again. In athletic sports,
too, he was not brilliant, but he could
be relied upon. He was like q stone
wall at first base, though he was not
so successful as q batter. In football
he was not aggressive enough to suit
his schoolfellows; but he was fearless,
and he could carry an indefinite num-
Der OF opponents on his back. In the
tug of war he was unconquerable.
There was story that, when Mr..
Browns school, with Tom for anchor,
pulled the Normal Stars, Toms three
rope men, after having. with Toms as
sistance, secured an extra foot or two,
went off and got drink of soda water,
leaving Tom to mind the rope alone.
Tom always denied this story, and l
must confess that it sounds unlikely.
think the probability is that If they
went away at all, they went away one
at a time.
That day Tom pulled anchor, but
generally he pulled on the rope. He
was captain, OF course; aud his thun-
dering "Ready!-Heave!r' was enough
of itself to take away the strength of
the other side. 1t was n great disap-
pointment to Tom when MIR. Brown
forbade the tug of war, on the ground
that it injured the boys.
II suppose it is bad for you," Tom
was heard to say; but boy ought to
learn how to keep his back straight
and put his strength to thing. lie
may have to lift something heavy some
day."
For the rest, Tom was a tender
hearted fellow, who could not bear to
hurt anyone. When he was little
boy in the sixth class, one of his class
mates, mistaking gentleness for cow
ardice, forced Tom into fight. Tom
hit out so quickly that one knock set
tied the other fellow, and then he fell
TO crying because the blood came out
of the little rascals nose.
One evening after supper Tom took
the electric cars and went in town on
an errand for his father His business
accomplished, he set out to walk home;
for, although a few fakes of snow had
fallen, the night was fine, and he want
ed TO get some good fresh air into his
lungs before sitting down to spend an
evening with Cicero.
lie had reached deserted part of
the street and was wa liking up a long
hill not far from home when he saw
coming toward him heavy two
wheeled coal cart drawn by one horse.
The wheels were on the car tracks; the
drivers head had fallen over on his
shoulder and he was fast asleep. Mean
while the brave old horse plodded on
with the contentmcnt of a veteran in
the coal business who has left his load
of coal, whose driver is asleep, and
who is going down hill on his way
home.
From out of sight far along the
street came the singing of the wires
which means that an electric car is ap-
preaching. A moment later the car,
coming on like mad, hove in sight some
distance behind the coal cart. AS it
reached the summit of the hill and be-
gan the descent its speed did not abate.
Nearer and nearer it came, but the
motor man did not seem to have any
fear of running into the coal cart-he
oven turned round and said omething
to the conductor, who was standing
behind him. Then he turned back
again, but he turned too late. He was
nearer than he thought. He jammed
on the brake and reversed the power
just as the old horse turned aside to