The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
FAMED THE PLUMBER
THE BOY HELPER WHO WAS TOO
 STRONG FOR THE BUSINESS.
A Talented Journeyman Who Had One Fault, Which Has Been Cured Recently by an Employers Novel Plan-On His Guard Now Against aRingers."


 Fault, Which Has Been Cured Recent. by an Employers Novel Plan-On Eli
 Guard Now Against "Ringers."
 This Is the story of the tanning of tht Journeyman plumber. The journeymar plumber was the best of his kind 1T town, and was much sought after by boss plumbers. As one of them described his talentC, ''He can sling more ma. 1 terlal into a job in the greatest length or tune than any man in the business. '' But the jou1neyman plumber was, with all his talents, hard man to keep em. ployed on account of his irascibility. His temper was shorter than a rabbit $ tail, and he took out his indignation and his headaches and rows with his wife on his helpers.
 A helper to journeyman plumber is youth who lays out tools, holds pipe, hands the journeyman his solder and his soldering iron, and who carries back and forth the journeyman' bag of tools and his furnace. He is journeyman in embryo, and the first thing he learns is implicit obedience to his journeyman and not to be too swift. Plumbers call him "cub" and kid. ,"
 This particular journeyman abused his helpers When things went wrong he usually caught his helper by the ear and swatted him. The result was that the helpers returned to the shop and | told the boss they lacked the talent for plumbing and quit. As result the available helper timber was rapidly be- coming exhausted.
 The boss plumber did not wish to lose his journeyman, but he was almost at the end of his list of helpers. Conse- quently he thought After much labor he produced an idea. He went down to a resort kept by professor. '" It was dingy place, with a sloppy bar and fly specked mirror on one side and a row of barrels on the other. The walls were covered with boxing gloves and highly colored pictures of men in fighting atti- tudes. As the result of conference be- tween the boss plumber and the ''pro- fesSor," stunted youth, very broad across the shoulders, was called up.
 ''I want boy to learn the plumbers trade" '" said the boss plumber
 "Well, you'll have to guess again, said the stunted youth. ''There ain't no money in it. Maybe four or five week, eh? can knock that out of the punchin bag in here, see?"
 He meant that he could earn $5 week teaching half baked sports to punch the bag
 'I'll give you $2. 50 day to see how you like the plumbers business" said the plumber.
 'I'll go you, :" said the stunted youth.
 The next morning the stunted youth appeared at the plumbers shop in over- alls and little round cap with a peak. He was told to go out with the journey man plumber. Together they went to big vacant building to set up an iron pipe. They were sent to the vacant building that there might be no family there to be shocked should anything oc- cur. On the car the stunted youth en- deavored to become acquainted with the journeyman, but the journeyman was sullen and the acquaintance stopped.
 When the building was reached the journeyman said, "Scatter them tools" The tools were scattered about, so that when one was needed some little time was consumed in picking it out. The pipe was several inches in diameter, and the game was to pile one joint upon another and solder it there, and so to the top of the building The pipes were heavy and four times as tall as the stunted youth. As result, it was diff cult for him to hold them up straight. l At last the journeyman, who was on ladder soldering, looked down and said:
 "Gol darn you. If you don't hold that | pipe up straight, I'll come down and bend your facep'
 At this the stunted youth dropped the pipe and said: "All right. Come down and bend me face" The journeyman had never been talked to like this be- fore, and he "camc down"
 When it was all over, the tourney man went home i'll a carriage with a man holding his head in his lap. The Stunted youth walked back to the shop.
 Say" he said to the boss, "I'm too strong for the plumbin business Guess I'll quit. |"
 "Why, what's the matter?" asked the boss.
 "Oh, that guy you sent me out wid started to bend me face. De docs took him home in hack. Say, his face is hard, Y" and he rubbed his knuckles.
 "All right, " said the boss. If you've got to quit, here's your $2. 50, but l think you'd make a great plumber :"
 The next morning the journeyman plumber walked into the shop He was | sight.
 ''Wot kind of murderer was that rou sent out with me yesterday?" he lsked, out of the uncovered corner of ais mouth. 'Say, he beat mo scandal JUS with a piece of lead pipe" And the 'oss laughed a loud, scornful laugh, Or he knew that the journeyman had )een tanned. And, sure enough, there- liter the journeyman treated his helpers IS tenderly as sons, for he never knew ] when he might run against another ringer. "-Kansas City Star
 The Pulley Line Man.