The record-union., 1898-04-04
I'M.

Tim was the youngest Of thirteen
children, and the old nurse said: 1T
were a pity he were ever born" His
father was a section hand at one dollar
and ten cents a day, with no prospects
for ever getting anything better, ana
there was family of fifteen to feed and
clothe. The poor child will go to bed
many a night without any supper,
said the nurse, and he won't have a
new stitch of clohing till he is able to
buy it, for he will be clothed in worn
garments"
But Tim got along some way, regard
less of the old nurses predictions, AID
although people often remarked that
Tim would be just like his daddy ard
brot Tiers; grow up to be an ignorant,
worthless man." he succeeded in get
ting a good common school education.
At the age of il his father took hin,
out of school and put him to work TO
help earn a living for the family. He
secured a place for him as night "call
boy at the round house" at a salary
of ten dollars a month. Tim held this
position for three years and found
plenty of time to keep up his studies
When Tim was II his father thought
ten dollars a month was not enough
for a "strapping'' big boy like him TO
earn, and when a vacancy on the Sec
ton was caused by the death Of one OF
the men, he succeeded in getting the
place for Tim. This almost crushed the
poor lads hopes. For three years he
had devoted his spare time to studying
to be an engineer, and had filed an APP
plication to be remembered in the line
of promotion when there was va
cancy. All this was now to be thrown
away for the paltry sum of oneten d
day for life He went to work on the
section with a heavy heart, but this
did not last long for Tim was an act
i've healthy boy The section foreman
knew Tim and mad often heard the
men at. the round house speak or
him as a bright boy, and he hoped he
would be of some use to him. Although
Tins father and the three men work
ing for the foreman had been with him
for more than twenty years, there was
not one of them he could trust to take
charge of the gang" and if the fore
man was sick or wanted a day off, ne
was compelled to send to the road
master for a foreman. This always
thought that out of four or five met
the section foreman ought to have a
man who could handle the section for
a day or two. II was not the foreman s
fault, for the men under him had fallen
| into the genuine section move; saw
nothing better than one-ten a day. did
what they were told to Go, in a me-
chanical way worked on as slow a
scale as possible. noticed each day how
slow the sun travelled between { a. III.
and . p. m, how long it was from tne
fifteenth of one month to the fifteenth
of the next how little money they re-
ceived and how soon it was spent, and
let the foreman do all the managing
and all the particular work, for that
was what he was paid to do.
One the evening of the first day Tim
worked for the foreman he called the
boy TO one side. Tim, / haven't a man
on the section who can take charge for
a single day. You are a bright boy,
and If you will take interest in the
work and try to learn. / will teach yon
all l know about the work, and some
day you may be able to take charge II
a section of your cTn."
Tim simply said, THANK you: 1 will
do the best I can" and ran home to tell
the news. His father scoffed at the idea.
He only wants to make tool of you
Your father is older than you be. but
when younger aimcst fell into the same