The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-11-18


was sitting up at home very late one night
preparing a brief, and found that a most
important paper had been left in my desk
There was no choice but to go down town
and get it, The brief must be ready the
next morning, and the paper was locked
In the private drawer of my desk where no
one but me could get 1t. 1t was nearly IL
o'clock when the janitor let me into the
building. climbed the stairs to my Office
floor. There was light in the outer Of
fee "That's stupid of Johnson, said
to myself. "He has left the gas burning"
But, when l opened the door, there sat
Jacob, porting over calf bound volume
He looked en- EMBARRASSED when he saw me-
.'Aln in the way?" he asked.
You're not likely to get much sleep at
this rate" replied. "Do you stay up as
late as this very often?"
almost every night" he answered
do you mindp"
mot bit, said, IF your health will
stand it. But it is pretty hard life
think, for one who has lived in the open
air so much"
"The life in the open air stored up just
the sort of vitality need for this sort of
thing" said Jacob.
"You are striking an average, then%
"Trying to strike one between the sound
mind and the sound body"
Don't take life so seriously" said 1.
'There isn't anything more serious to
me-, said Jacob and could not answer
him. / got my paper and started home.
He was leaving the building at the same
time, and we walked few squares to-
gether.
"Have you any friends in New York
YETI" / asked. Jacob had never confded
any of the facts of his daily Life to me.
II have some relatives here" he said
"They are rich people, though, mother
tells me. She hasn't heard from them in
90 years. l may go to see them some day,
but not SO long as I'm only an elevator
boy"
"Perhaps If you saw them they could
help you to be something better, though
there is no disgrace in any kind of honest
labor, fastened to add.
eff can help myself, sir" said Jacob.
II think l would rather do It,.
did not believe that there was any
cant about Jacob. rather liked his dec
laration of independence, and on the i'm
pulse of the moment / made him propo-
sition.
Zone of my junior clerks leaves tomor-
"It's very kind of you," said Jacob
"Am fitted for it?''
"You don't know so much law as some
of them perhaps" answered. shut posi-
bly, your enthusiasm for your work will
atone for that. Places of the kind usually
pay only in experience, but we will make
the pay the same as that you are receiving
now, and perhaps there will be extra work
nv which Won can earn il, "
left him at the corner half dreaming,
too much absorbed to say, II thank you.
Jacob served three years In my Office
BY that time he was prepared to pass
very creditable examination for admission
to the bar. l had reported his progress to
Janet from time to time and had received
her thanks for my consideration, but 1t
was not on her account now that / was
encouraging Jacob. He earned all the
consideration he received. He had had
only two brief vacations to visit his home,
and the remainder of the time he had de-
voted unremittingly to study and to the
work which had given him. He could
do the work of any two or three Of the
clerks in the office, or in the building, for
that matter. The president of big rail-
road with which had some business from
time to time noted Jacobs energy and
commented on it one day.
"Send him to me when he is ready to
practice" said he. Il want such man
In my Office. In fact, want many such
men,"
So 1t happened that when Jacob was
ready to enter the profession position in
the legal department of this railroad, with
good salary and fine opportunity for
improvement, was open to him. And so
he left me with regret, think, on both
Sides
The term of his experience in New York
had done him world of good. His mental
equipment had been improved of course,
but his dress and manner had improved
no less. All of the bucolic air had disap-
peared. He was not extravagant In any
thing. He had no money with which to
be extravaganza, for the surplus of his lit.
tie wages had been sent regularly to his
mother. But he found that he could buy
clothing of modern cut in New York quite
as cheap as he could purchase the old
style garments of his boyhood In the little
town from which he had come, and 10
casionally he found an extra job of woIs