The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-11
AN AMBITIOUS BOY.

! From one Of the little towns which her
and there break In upon the beauty Of tn
banks OF the st. Clair river there paddle
out canoe, some BE- years ago, TO a vesss
which lay wind bound In the channel
In that canoe was q boy that had an am
bition. He asked the captain 30 man
J questions about his ship that when he wen
ashore he carried note from the oaptail
Of the schooner to his father, In which tn
captain declared that II he were that boy
father he would make sailor of him. Tn
note finished as follows, with his natura
desire for thoroughness he cannot fail t
some day be the foremost sailor man Of tn
lakes, or something like that. However
the father tore the note In many pieces ant
chastised the boy for having padded GU
80 far from shore. The vessel went ashor
q week later, and all bands were lost. Blu
that has nothing to do with the story.
Some boys have as many as O dozen am
billions between the ages of 10 and 10
This particular boy had but one, and tina
was to be sailor. All the great men tn,
boy could remember were sailors. Hi,
brothers were sailors. In fact, nearly every
ono who lived in the village who was any
body sailed. SO in spite of the fathers
objection and the mothers tears he be
came 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
watching the changing colors of the river,
there was blue eyed girl whom he had
decided he would maryland such a
thought somehow makes a man work a
little harder. When 1t 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
blue eyed maiden, he was wed.
Two years passed, and the family grew
to three. The additional one was q girl,
golden haired and blue eyed, as, according
to tradition, sailors children should be.
Of course that meant work little harder
which tho father did--and the next year
he was q captain-Captain Gray. He had
been working along without making much
showing, though steadily climbing, until
one day 1t was announced that Captain
Gray would command very handsome
passenger steamer the coming season.
In those days 1t 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 the
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 vii
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 winterl
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 steamboat and
made money. The younger blue eyes was
educated. He found she possessed q voice
and put her In the hands Of a capable in
structor. The elder blue eyes fused and
tried to BIO unhappy but the younger had
grown to an age where she became a 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 position with a
railroad company as the captain of one of
the finest steamers afoat Everybody con-
graduated him and declared he had earned
The good fortune by his life of effort and
honesty. The helpmate and the daughter
declared 1t was luck. However, he dem
'nstrated such exceptional ability in COM
nand of the steamer that at the end of the
eason he was offered higher position
shore.
Strange to say, they did not seem to |
hink they could be content in a city |
where they could make him happy and |
where he could lie at home the whole year.
say they" The younger blue eyes had
,rown like the older.
But he laughed at them and called to
heir minds the wishes they had expressed
nd the advantage, not only for them
elves, but for him. He mentioned the
act that he was getting on in years and
ow fortunate 1t was that he should have
II opening to gain foothold ashore. In
pite of all the happy pictures he drew, the
acking up and making ready for the city
fe was fearful. The neighbors, Jealous
their good fortune, dropped in to say
nat they wouldn't live in city for any
ling. Just think, said the women of !
10 village "You don't know nobody.
ou amt nobody in big city, and you
ever have no neighbors. Besides it's
'rrible expensive. Why, eggs and butter
,st u fortune"
They moved to an exceedingly comfort
Die home. They had servants, a carriage
Ich wheel, good neighbors and city to
lstle in. But it was no use Gray
,ard the same refrain million times.
eve know no one. We are nobody.
here is nothing going on. It's terribly
pensive. Why, we could live back in
% village for what eggs and butter cost
h"
He tried harder than he ever did at any
ing, but, in spite of all his efforts, there
ere tears and lamentations without limit
. spoke of what it meant to leave, and
ggestcd--yes, urged-that they go back
ID allow him to live at n hotel. He could
t afford to throw up such q pOsitiOD
Then they would argue that he was no
tier off than when he was sailing, and
'uld make rapid estimate of the awful
Ices-always beginning with butter and
gs.
had letter from Gray the other day
lich ended as follows: II have resigned
win go sailing next season. We have
no back to where eggs and butter are
zap" y Paul Armstrong in Chicago .
mes. Herald.