Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-06-28
| A FIRE-ROOM
| WOOING ~ ~
BY JOHN FLEMING WILSON.

Ohm FORBES, chief fireman of
ID the steamship Emperor, had p
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 OF
stocking as an. art. In one of these
lectures he most unexpectedly de-
scended from principles to example.
81 tell ye," he was saying, $50 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 unskillfuI 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
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 cheeks. 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ed in unpublished opinions on every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 ''line;" in forcibIe de-
auctions about life as exposed in the
writings of Bulwer-"The Cations"
was his favorite- and lastly, in talk
ing about his daughter, Ann.
Many 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, he took him
quietly TO his little cabin and let him
look at the picture of her on the
bulkhead. These were moments I'm
forgetable and utterly delightful TO
that picture standing out so purely
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 n way, Indirectly, to
her. In these moments he was ever
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 matter-of-fact way
He praised his work sparingly, nod
ded his head kindly when he dis
played his savings, and simply tool
it for granted that he behaved hin,
self 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 sug
gestiOns, and he also felt that his
own conception was little finer am
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 evel
fancy a man that wasn't grown NJ
and sensible? Lyle knew that thi.
was perverse, and it's painful made
quacy as a generalization of hel
wounded him. How sure he was tina