The Colfax chronicle., 1900-09-01

THERE may be moral in this story.
although its exact nature would
seem to be uncertain. Perhaps that is
the penalty for its being true.
Tommy was a young man in Boston
looking for start in life. He had
document in his trunk which certified
that he was an S. B., and that he knew
all sorts of things about electrical en-
gineering. One day he saw an adver-
tisement in New York paper, inwhich
the National Cold Storage company of
New York expressed a desire for the
services of a competent young man as
assistant superintendent of its new
plant. Tommy knew about the Ma
tional Cold Storage company and its
new plant. They were respectively the
largest things of the kind in the coun-
try, and any connection with them
would be likely to be a desirable one.
So Tommy packed modest bag and
went to New York on the morning
train. He would have liked to wait for
two star letters of recommendation
which he knew he could get. But as the
men who would have written these
two letters happened to be out of town.
and as the hours specified in the adver-
tisement for making application were
the next day between ten and one, he
went without them.
That night in New York, having moth
ing better to do, he went to theater
with a roof-garden attachment. When
the vaudeville palled bit he started
for stroll preparatory to going to
bed. AS he was leaving the theater
man accompanied by three women pre-
ceded him out of the door. They were
nice-looking people-the man a big,
prosperous-looking chap in evening
clothes, and the women in pretty sum-
mer dresses. AS Tommy passed them
at the door they stopped to speak to
some acquaintances. That is, the man
and one of the women stopped. The
other two women walked slowly on
ahead. At the corner they turned into
the comparatively quiet street that ran
alongside of the theater, evidently un-
der the impression that their escort
was close behind. A few yards down
this street tall man with vandyke
beard stood on the curb. As the two
young women approached he turned
toward them, and as they got opposite
him he took of his hat and stepped in
their path.
"Good evening, pretty little girls" he
said. (which way you going?"
One of the young women looked
hastily around for their escort. but the
other stood glued. The marstood with
his feet far apart and smiled into her
eyes like a satyr. Then he put out his
hand and attempted to chuck her un-
der the chin.
Thereupon four things happened in
quick succession. Tommy, who. had
been only few yards behind the young
women. and who had seen the whole
incident, dashed forward and laid hold
of the vandyke-bearded man. The lat
ter made terrific squirm and took to
his heels down an alley, leaving part
of his coat collar in Tommy's grip. The
two young women fed backward to-
ward the corner; they did not notice
Tommy at all. At the same moment
the young women's escort and the 9TH
er woman appeared around the corner.
The two young women began to speak
to the big man with one voice.
''Stand right here a moment" he said.
and hurried up to Tommy.
"Did you address those two ladies?-
he asked.
"No," answered Tommy, pleasantly.
Il happened"
''You lie!" said the big man, and hit
Tommy in the eye.
Tommy was annoyed as he picked
himself up from the sidewalk. Also the
big man had hold of his collar. The big
man evidently contemplated nothing
so vulgar as street fight. He merely
intended to shake most of Tommy's
teeth down his throat as a lesson. and
then to proceed on his way. But Tom
my had another speciality besides cleo
trical engineerlng-football. at tackle.
1t was related of him that he had
rubbed Yale tackles nose so contin-
uously in the dust during match game
that at the close the Yale tackle had