The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-10
AN AMBITIOUS BOY.

and there break in upon the beauty of the
banks of the st. Clair river there padded
out a canoe, some 35 years ago, to a vessel
which lay wind bound in the channel.
In that canoe was boy that had an am
bition. He asked the captain many
questions about his ship that when he went
ashore he carried note from the captain
of the schooner to his father, in which the
captain declared that if he were that boys
father he would make a sailor of him. The
note finished as follows, with his natural
desire for thoroughness he cannot fail to
some day be the foremost sailor man of the
lakes or something like that. However,
the father tore the note in many pieces and
chastised the boy for having padded out
SO far from shore. The vessel went ashore
a week later, and all hands were lost. But
that has nothing to do with the story.
Some boys have as many as a dozen am
billions between the ages of 10 and 10.
This particular boy had but one, and that
was to be sailor All the great men the
boy could remember were sailors. His
brothers were sailors In fact, nearly every
one who lived in the village who was any
body sailed. So in spite of the fathers
objection and the mothers tears he be-
came a good sailor. Before he was 90 he
was sought after. He was thorough, hon
est and altogether a man to be desired.
At 81 he was better sailor still, for in
that little village, which lay dreamily
WdUCu1D8 the changing cO1OrS Oh GnS river,
there was a blue eyed girl whom he had
decided he would maryland such a
thought somehow makes a man work a
little harder. When it came on cold that
fall, he came ashore with snug sum, and
without wasting any more time than is
necessary for a handsome sailor to marry
q blue eyed maiden, he was wed.
Two years passed, and the family grew
to three. The additional one was a girl,
golden haired and blue eyed, as, according
to tradition, a sailors children should be.
OF course that meant work a little harder
which the father did-and the next year
he was captain-Captain Gray. He had
been working along without making much
showing, though steadily climbing, until
one day it was announced that Captain
Gray would command q very handsome
passenger steamer the coming season.
In those days it was permissible for the
captain to carry his family on board, and
naturally Gray was overjoyed thinking of
the two blue eyed ones. In some way tho
elder of the blue eyed family did not fall
in with the idea as happily as Gray ex
pected. 1t was true she was not good
sailor, and the water made her i'll at times.
Well, she went aboard at last, but soon
decided she wanted to go back to the viii
lage, where she could run to the back
fence, where she could talk to her neigh
bors and enjoy the thousand other pleas
ures which country village affords-to
some women. The captain said nothing.
If she would be more content ashore than
with him-why, all right-for the pleasure
of Gray's family was his ambition.
How he did use to play with the younger
of the blue eyed pair during the winteri
He spent money on her and the elder one
too. Anything to make them happy. But
somehow the elder blue eyes became jeal-
Gus of the attentions paid to the younger,
and not knowing what made her unhappy,
became irritable. But Gray didn't notice.
He insisted on peace and happiness, and
succeeded better than most men would
have done under the circumstances.
Year after year his position became bet
ter. He bought into a steamboat and
made money. The younger blue eyes was
educated. He found she possessed a voice
and put her in the hands of a capable in
structor. The elder blue eyes fused and
tried to be unhappy, but the younger had
grown to an age where she became COM
panion. So Gray worked, and succeeded
and was fairly happy.
One particular thing which both the
blue eyes fused about was being obliged
to live in a village-that is, they men
toned that when they could find nothing
else to find fault with. So Gray laid his
plans Whether the plans would have
succeeded or not it was not known, for
that fall he was offered a position with a
railroad company as the captain of one of
the finest steamers ahoat. Everybody con-
graduated him and declared he had earned
the good fortune by his life of effort and
honesty. The he1pmate and the daughter
declared it was luck. However, he dem
onstrated such exceptional ability in COM
mand of the steamer that at the end of the
season he was offered a higher position
ashore.
Strange to say, they did not seem to
| think they could be content in a city
where they could make him happy and
where he could be at home the whole year.
say they The younger blue eyes had
grown like the older.
But he laughed at them and called to
their minds the wishes they had expressed
and the advantage, not only for them
selves, but for him. He mentioned tho
fact that he was getting on in years and
how fortunate it was that he should have
an opening to gain foothold ashore. In
spite of all the happy pictures he drew, the
packing up and making ready for the city
life was fearful. The neighbours jealous
of their good fortune, dropped in to say
that they wouldn't live in a city for any
J thing. Gust Think said the women of
the village. tYou don't know nobody.
/ You amt nobody in a big city, and you
never have no neighbors Besides, it's
terrible expensive. Why, eggs and butter
cost a fortune"
They moved to an exceedingly comfort
I able home. They had servants, a carriage,
each a wheel, good neighbors and a city to
| hustle in. But it was no use. Gray
heard the same refrain million times
"We know no one. We are nobody
| There is nothing going on. It's terribly
/ expensive. Why, we could live back in
the village for what eggs and butter cost
| u.s.
/ He tried harder than he ever did at any
! thing, but, in spite of all his efforts, there
were tears and lamentations without limit
! He spoke of what it meant to leave, and
suggested-yes, urged-that they go back
and allow him to live at hotel. He could
not afford to throw up such position.
Then they would argue that he was no