The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-09

OF THE
TO w N

She was new to her work. but she came to
it full OF inspiration. She had waited long
for the opportunity and at last IL had come.
Only last month this pretty young girl had
been given position as a teacher in one
of the primary departments on the South
Side. She had very high ideas on moral
instruction and at once inaugurated a new
custom. Every morning before the days
work began, she told little story with
moral. On one morning. in particular, she
told a story about the stars-how very
sad they wers when children are naughty,
and how they twinkle with Joy and hap
piness when children are good.
The story did not fail to impress the little
tots, for the next morning a tiny girl with
her finger in the corner of her mouth and
her head bowed shyly, sided bashfully UP
to the teacher and after a deal of smiling
and hard swallowing, said: Il guess me
an Charlie made the little stars happy
last night, teacher.
Were you good. dear?" asked the very
young teacher.
a few teeny stars shinin We took Charles
little wagon and went with Pa over to the
tracks where all them big cars of coal are
and we fetched the wagon home plumb full
pullin', but / told Charlie bout the stars
lookin' on an We never stopped once till
we got clear nome.
But Maggie" said the very young
teacher, how much did you have to pay for
so very much coal?"
"Oh, We don't pay nothin.' After he's
over an gifts all he wants fer nothin.'
Don't you 'spose it made the little stars
happy just to see AS helpin' him SO hard,
teacher?
Anyone who is tired Of reading stories
of the exploits of the boys of 81 and wishes
to be agreeably entertained with stories
as told by a civil war veteran, in person,
can find a man, an old grey-haired veteran
| Of the Sixth Indiana Infantry, working in
a federal office in this city where he has
worked for q score or more years. The
thrilling experiences of his life during the
| war caused the hair Of this venerable sage
to turn as white 'in a single night as
| mems have done from sudden fears" AL
| most any day one can drop into the Office
and find this old man willing to relate his
| tales of daring bravery in the charge up
Missionary Ridge or in the battle of Stone
| river. His fondness for reciting these cpl
sodes of his life which are so dear to him,
| amount almost to garrulousness on his
part.
The other day, a reporter in making his
rounds stopped before the old mans desk
| the paper. Yes, / have" said the old man.
| do you want to hear about the battle Of
Stone river?' Whether the reporter wanted
| it. WELL" said the old man, 81 was in
| the battle of Stone river and was MORALLY
wounded. If you do not believe ii. can
| mind" said the reporter. Not noticing the
| interruption. the old man continued, 1T
| happened this way. / was standing behind
! a tree (being much more slender then than
/ i i
| order came to retreat. Well, / felt myself
pretty secure behind my fortress and did not
of the enemy were whizzing through the
| air and peeling the bark off either side
| Of the tree. But | had TO obey, and when a
| lull in the fusillade of bullets came darted
falling many times but always regaining
my feet When l had gone about three
| miles, more or less, halted, believing my
self safe from the enemy. Then it was
| felt pain and feeling my bosom. 1 found
| a stream of human gore slowly trickling
down my shirt-a bullet had caught me
in the back and plowed it's way through
my body. Maybe 1 wasn't mortally wounded
but l thought l was" The reporter
opened the door and went out. From the
corridor he heard the old man call from
/ within, wait a minute let me tell you
about Missionary Ridge" The reporter
ran.
'I hear it said frequently that there prob
4
tremes of personal inconvenience and per-
sistence which newspaper men do to get
audiences with people, but know of little
incident which equals all the persistence of
newspaper men, said well-known lawyer
at the Columbia Club the other day.
1.-The man this story is about-it is true
story. you understands In the insurance
business. He is about twenty-three years
old and as enthusiastic and hard working
most anyone l know Several months
ago he started in to sell $4,000 of insur-
ance to an old man who is usually a stumb-
ling block to agents of all kinds. Few
| agents call on him the second time. But the
young insurance man wasn't to be scared.
1.-THE first time he called on this man who
says he isn't easy his prospects of plac-
ing the $4,000 policy-0r any other policy, for
| that matter-were anything but bright. The
| old fellow told the agent that he was al
ready carrying $4,000 life insurance and did
| not want to take out any more policies. But
this was not enough to keep the young
man away. In few weeks he called again
| and in the following month he called sew
| eral times more. There really indi-
| cation that he would be able to sell policy,
but it seemed to him that each time he
| called the old fellow took a little more in
| terest in his proposition. The young man
was an interesting talker and If he called on
| the old fellow when he was not busy he met
| with pleasant reception-that is, until he
| began to talk insurance. The young man
| made 1t point not TO begin to talk bust
| ness right away.
Finally, however, and ii does not seem
| strange, the old fellow grew tired of the
| agents frequent calls and he decided to
| put stop to them.
| "'Tll tell you what I'll do, young man.
| said he one day, short time ago. after he
| had listened TO a long repetition of the adj
| vantages of $4,000 policy In that particu-
| lar company. Il really haven't had much
| time TO think about your proposition. I'm
| going away this evening TO be gone about
| ten days. On the way home I'll have time
| to give your proposition plenty Of considera-
| ton. I'll get home at a. IN. on the Goth OF
| October. If you'll be at my house when
get in I'll be ready TO talk business with
| you But mind, this Goes not mean that L m
| going to buy your policy.
| a. Two o'clock in the morning at my
| house. thought the old fellow. He won't
| have the nerve to be at my house at tina,
time of the day, surely. and he certainly
| will know now that don't want anything
| more to do with him. i think this will put
| stop to him.
| But he was mistaken. When he unlocked
his door at q. m. on the 10Th OF October
tired from his long trip, and without a
thought of the insurance agent, there sal
| the young man.
well, this beats all i ever heard OF,
| ba old foil