The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-17
Heber's Apsnstock,

grew to early boyhood amidst the murk
of the rolling mills. He came to America
and TO Chicago and grew to young man
mood In the same atmosphere. His father
was puddler IN the North Chicago mills.
His male friends and relatives all work
ed in the mills In time he came also TO
work there
The smoke arising from many Chin
neys, the wild blast, the frantic activity
OF half-stripped men, the passion and
fume of the work got into his soul some
how. 1t seemed tragic TO him. He could
not take it as a matter of course as the
others did, and, since he had a trick of
drawing things he saw, he finally drew
these thalf-naked men in the fierce glow
of the mills; he drew the chimneys
stretching in glomy vista, ancd he drew
the faces of some of the men who had
grown old in the work.
He had the knack OF doing the thing
the right way-a knack which no one
could have taught him quite so well as
his own instinct and interest And some
people who knew siw the pictures and
said: But this is well donel What in
the name of pig iron are you doing IN
the mill? Why don't you study art?''
Study arti'' cried he, 'I could never
make a study out OF anything that seem
ed so natural and so delightful"
But he took the advice of his friends.
He studied mornings. He worked at the
mills afternoons and evenings. And after
time he went abroad, taking passage
in the steerage of a certain liner which
IS now no more.
What he did abroad is long story with
sorry incidents and a triumphant whole
He lived in op of ca inf I'd NTH
that to protect himself he purloined some
netting from the Zoo gardens and slept
beneath this screen. He picked up old
pans and secured them and cooked from
them. The attic he got for nothing be-
cause it was haunted. Some women, al
most as poor as himself gave him Ia
Bile and chair. He slept on straw on
the floor.
Pretty tough climbing. isn't it?" he
would say to these dear and faithful
friends-the women who were almost as
Lpoor as himself-"but they say it Is
mighty pleasant after one gets up. This
is my alpenstock, you known and he
held up his drawing pencil
well, he got deal out Of the Ken
sington school, and he went over to Paris
and did engraving for weekly paper
and kept himself while he went TO the
BeauX Arts, and after a time he came
back to London again and worked even
harder and harder, and made next to
and saw his clothes converted
into rags. and knew he was losing his
for lack Of proper food. 1t be-
gan to tell on him little. He never wa
Fered in his opinion that it was worth
while, but he sometimes sighed for the
feshoots.
At the worst Of his luck he was out
the fields one day, thinking
thoughts that would have been bitter If
he had not been so young and so happily
of the alpenstock, when he saw,
approaching him down the road, two cy-
clists, man and q woman. They were
coming down a decivity and the woman's
wheel swerved on a stone and threw her
Her companion had shot beyond her, but
he dismounted as soon as possible and
he and Herber fastened to her assist
ance. She had a badly sprained ankle
and it was necessary for Herber to put
the wheels in safe keeping and then re-
turn to assist her brother-for such was
the relationship Of the young man to
her-in carrying her home.
The house in which she lived was on a
green road we'll back amid a beautiful
garden, and the structure was of gray
olOIc5 bSduI4AuI III CONSTRUCTION, ana ndl1
covered with vines. Herber could not re-
strain an exclamation Of admiration at
such a charming place.
'Our father built it himself" said the
young man. 'He was of the same pro-
fession as myself-an architect"
II have never seen a place that looked
more inviting" responded Herber.
Il hope it is so inviting that you will
return" the young man said. II feel
myself under obligations to you
mo, nor