Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-06-21
By JOIN FLEMING WILSON.

coal 20 almost as lar as oMUcsS uS-
mand that a ten should. With this
reputation back OF him he took fire.
quent occasion to talk confiLentiaily
10 his fireroom crews on stocking as
an art In one of these lectures he
most unexpectedly descended from
principles 10 example. Il tell ye.
he was saying. so long as we are in
an American line. and they don't save
in wages to Cinnamon what they lose
in extra coal from unskillful handling.
IL pays TO have q head on your
shoulders. When the Emperor
watches wear pigtails and answer to
numbers instead of names then leave
the headwork TO the engineers. But
In my private opinion-and I've hand
led shovel 20 years-a man like Lyle
is money to owners at four times a
heather S wage
Edward Lyle looked gratefully at
his chief, and q slow flush mounted
under the SCOT on his cheeks. Il was
very sweet TO be held up as an exam
pie by her father: he even (somewh2t
self-consciousIy) felt that Ann Forbes
was a little closer, that she had ap-
proved OF him. To tell the truth. the
young man had never seen Ann Forbes
in the flesh.
Months ago. when he had joined the
Emperor in San Francisco. the chief
engineer had tried his strength. his
endurance, and his temper; approved
them, and aeterward taken the clean
mouthed youth into his confidence.
That confidence consisted in unpub-
lished opinions on every engineer in
the Line: in forcible deductions
about life as exposed in the writings
OF Bulwer-"The Cations was his
favorite-and lastly. in talking about
his daughter. Ann.
Many a night the burly Forbes and
his heavy-limbed subordinate leaned
over the bars around the forehatch,
and spoke to each other of Her. If
the elder were satisfied with the
youngsters attitude. ne took him
quietly TO his little cabin and let him
look at the picture of her on the bulk
head. These were moments unfor-
He dimly felt, as he gaZed on that
picture standing out so purely and
clearly amid the murk of the room,
that in some way she was drawing
him nearer 10 herself. The sordid
means of his livelihood grew more
honorable in his own eyes in that il
was also a way. indirectly. to her.
L.. &c h..
of her fathers speech. That hoarse
words should play with her name OF
describe her life seemed inharmoni-
Gus, and the very fact that they were
proud and loving words offended him.
In g most timid and reverent fashion
he attempted to show himself worthy
of her. He worked steadily: he saved
every cent of his wages; and. when
in port. he took delight in letting the
chief fireman know where ne spent
his time.
To his disappointment, Forbes took
everything in very matter-of-fact way.
He praised his work sparingly. nodded
his head kindly VIXEN he displayed his
savings, and simply took ii for granted
that he behaved himself ashore Then,
very gradually. il dawned on Lyle that
the father never gave him any share
in this sentiment about his daughter
apart from that of a mere listener.
He saw, indistinctly, in his somewhat
clumsy mind, that Forbes had never
incorporated into his conversation
about her any OF his youthful sugges-
tons. and he also felt that his own
conception was a little finer and more
truthful than the fathers. Why. other
wise, did John Forbes say that Ann
was mighty chilly TO young men-that
she was too steady to ever fancy
man that wasn't grown up and sensi-
BILE? Lyle knew that this was per-
verse, and its painful inGdequacy as
a generalization of her wounded HIM.
How sure he was that those yelled
eyes could burn into utter expression,
And he felt that the fire TO kindle
them must lie in the heart of young
/, man.
These feelings developed into strong
emotion at times, and the more rapid
lly when he tried to bring his fancy
down to concrete details. What sort
of a hat does she wear?" he asked
Forbes. one evening.
Hat | reckon a caps most likely
her headgear. Maybe she does wear
a hat"
How does she do her hair?" Lyle
went on with some diffidence.
Forbe" looked at him blankly. To
the young mans senses there was an
implied rebuke, a hint that he was pry-
/ ing into the secrets of a modest girl
But this notion fed when the answer
came with futile poverty of sugges-
ton: Why, ! suppose ike all women
do. They all do it the same way"
And so their conversation ran. the
elder harping on his proud memories
OF fatherhood, the impatient lover try
ing TO build up for himself shrine in
which TO worship his first love. Ma
turally. it was only here and there that
their thoughts met: and just when the
lover caught fair glimpse of her.
the clumsy words of an .un-undcrstand-
ing. generalized paternity blotted out
the image.
Little prone as Lyle was to mental
or emotional activity. he steadily pro-
gressed to state where certainty was
the one cry of his heart. To look at
the picture on the bulkhead was good.