The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-07-03
A FIRE-ROOM |
WOOING ~ va
By JOHN FLEMING WILSON. |

T Ohm FORBES, chief fireman Of
IIJ the steamship Emperor, bad 2
reputation on the Pacific for making
ton of coal go almost as far as
owners demand that a ton should.
! With this reputation back of him, he
took frequent occasion to talk con
| fidentially to his fire room crews or
| stocking as an art. In one of these
! lectures he most unexpectedly de-
seconded from principles to example.
81 tell 4ye," he was saying, 80 long
as we are in an American line, and
they don't save in wages to China
men what they lose in extra coal
from unskillful handling, It pays to
have a head on your shoulders.
When the Emperor's watches wear
pigtails and answer to numbers in
| stead of names, then leave the head
work to the engineers. But in my
private opinion-and I've handled Il
shovel 20 years--a man like Lyle is
money to owners at four times
heathen's wage"
Edward Lyle looked gratefully at
his chief, and slow flush mounted
under the SCOT on his checks. 1t was
very sweet to be held up as an eX-
ample by her father; he even (some-
what self-consciously) felt that Ann
Forbes was a little closer, that she
| had approved 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; ap-
| proved Them and afterward taken
the clean-mouthed youth into his
confidence. That confidence consist
ed in unpublished opinions on every
engineer in the Zine" in forcibe de-
auctions about life as exposed in the
writings of Bulwer-"Thc Cations"
was his favorite-and lastly, in talk
! ing about his daughter, Ann.
| Many a night the burlv 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. he took him
| quietly to his little cabin aud let him
| look at the picture of her on the
bulllhead. These were moments I'M
| forgetable and utterly delightful to
Lyle. He dimly felt, as he gazed on
that picture standing out so purely
I and cleanly amid the murk of the
| room, that in some way she was
| drawing him nearer to herself. The
sordid means of his livelihood grew
more honorable in his own eyes In
that it was also a way, indirectly, to
her. In these moments he was even
| Jealous of her fathers speech. That
hoarse words should play with her
name or describe her life seemed in
harmonious, and the very fact that
they were proud and loving words
! offended him.
In most timid and reverent fash
ion he attempted to show himself
worthy of her. He worked steadily.
he saved every cent of his wages;
and, when in port, he took a delight
in letting the chief fireman know
| where he spent his time.
To his disappointment, Forbes took
everything in a matter-of-fact way
He praised his work sraringly, nod
ded his head kindly when he dis
| played his savings, and simply took
it for granted that he behaved him
self ashore. Then, very gradually, it
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 sug-
gestions, and he also felt that his
own conception was a little finer AMI
more truthful than the fathers.
Why, otherwise, 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 sensible? Lyle knew that this
was perverse, and its painful made
quacy as n generalization of her
wounded him. How sure he was that
those yelled eyes could burn into ut
ter expression! And he felt that the
fire to kindle them must lie in the
heart of a young man.
These feelings developed into
strong emotion at times. and the
more rapidly 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 caps more like
ly her headgear. Maybe she does
wear a hat"
How does she do her hair?" Lyle
went on, with some difiidence
Forbes looked at him blankly. To
the young mans senses there was an