The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-10

be settin quietly in safe with some
friends whin Muggins wud blow in an
set down with his hat over his eyes.
TIL frind wud have to inthrajooce him
with a catch in his voice an tear in
his eyes. Boys he'd say, Il want to
inthrajooce We to Alphonse MugginS
Gawd bless him. boys, he saved me
life. Is that SOP says wan ivl his
COMPANIONS. 'Ye betcher life it is,
says Muggins. Did I save his life :?
Well. ask him. Ye ask him if l din
save his life. Ye just ask him. If
he don lie about it, he'll tell We who
saved his life Din L leap into tn
ragin' flood an riscue him at tn risk
iv me life? Maybe, 1 din. Maybe it
was a man in Milwaukee that done
that. Looky here. Look at this
clock, 1 got firm his folks, if we don
believe me. An what's he done FIR
me? Tell me that. will ye? Who am
L? I'm nothin'. I'm Muggins tn
tailor. An what's he? Look at him,
will We, with his dimon' pin an his
plug hat SO gay. An where'd he be
if it wasn't FIR me? But it's all right.
boys. It's all right. Life is a curious
place an gratichood is a thing I'M
known An he wud weep an go to
sleep. Sometimes he wud fight. He
punched Clancy two or three times on
account iv his ingratichood. Clancy
had to support him an bail him out
an get tn clock out iv tn pawn
shop ivry SATURDAY. night. But an
end comes to all things. Hayroes
don't live long. They can't tn way
they live. An wan day Muggins wint
tn way iv all our kind, proud an
simple, coward an brave man, hayroes
an hayro worshipper. TIL pa-apers
had an account iv his fun'ral.
Among tn mourners none was more
affected thin Congressman Clancy,
whose life, near forty years ago, this
humble hayro had saved firm a
wathry doom in Lake Michigan
TIL rayporthers didn't obsarve that
Clancy tamped tn grave with his foot
to make sure it was solid. He whit
home with a light heart, an says to
his wife: Mother to-day l begin me
rale career. We burrid Muggins.'
But Cornelius says tn good woman,
we owed him ye'er life 'P'raps,' says
Clancy, but he says, he took it out
in thrade long ago.
''No, sir Hinnissy, if We see me in
disthress kindly call FIR PROFESSIONAL
help. I'll be riscued by fireman or
o polisman because it's all in their
days wurruk, but amachoor hayroes
is a danger whin they're riscuin' We an
a worry liver afther. If / owe me life
to amy wan let it be to man who
won't thry to collect it. Anyhow,
what is hyroism? If a man stops a
runaway team that is dhraggin an
empty milk wagon into a dich, he's
not a hayro. He's fool. TIL line
is lightly dhrawnl anyhow. A hayro
is often a SUCCESSFUL fool an a fool is
an unsuccessful hayro. I've heard
Andrew Carnaygie called a hayro
but / don't believe it. If he was he
Wudden't be giVin' medals FIR hayro-
ism. If he was a PROFESSIONAL swim
mer. he wudden't think anything iv
savin' people firm dhrownin. If he
was a fireman he'd think nawthin' iv
carryin' man down tn fire-escape iv
a. burnin' buildin'. If he was a stable
boy he'd find that he'd have to catch
runaway horses or lose his job.
wudden't hesitate to go down d lad
dher on ye'er shoulders but if We
thried to save me firm dhrownin', I'd
scream FIR help. What wud 1 be
dom thryin' to stop a runaway team?
But if We fell through my coal hole
into me cellar, I'd organize an hayroic
riscue. 1 know tn way. Hayroes
ought to know tn way to be safe. If
they do they don't need amy medals.
If they don't they'd betther turn in
an alarm.
'"There ar-re hayroes an hayroes.
We're all hayroes more or less. Ye're
Il hayro ye'ersilf, town those tired
feet afther We ivry mornin' whin tn
whistle blows. An be hivensi if ye'er
wife had a medal FIR ivry act iV hay
roism she's performed, she'd have as
NANNY now as Sousa- Hayroes in tn
humble walks iv life, says he? Well,
there's enough iv thin to break him
il he gives each wan iv thin tn on'y
kind iv medals they need, tn kind tn
governmint foundry makes with an
eagle on tn back"
well, anyhow, he's very gin'rous
man an he deserves ivrybody's gra-
tichood," said Mr.. Hennessy.
"Oh, as for that" said Mr.. Dooley,
what good wud my little gratichood
do him? He'll get gratichood enough.
He tends to that himself