Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11
The Incompetent.


Blixer's was a rather attractive person
atty for the man was of open. clean
face with blue eyes that twinkled friendly
interest through half-closed lids, and with
strength and size that were almost hercu-
lean. Blixer did not talk much himself,
which, perhaps, was to his advantage, for
the dragging inertia of his huge frame
chung also to his wits and speech; but
there were those who declared That the
inertia once overcome, the impact of Wit
and words, like that of his bulk, some
thing to be remembered At first sight men
had an instructive desire to be friendly with
Blixer and to show him Difference, which
increased when they the openly ex-
posed soul through his eyes; but with
speech came looks of pity and surprised
disappointment. With other men ignorance
would not have been conspicuous but
Blixer was of such commanding presence
as TO make the contrast incongruous.
Blixer, however, was sublimely unconscious
OF it all. of his presence as well as his ig-
norance He had struggled up with STAN
peding cattle and scarcely less wild cow
boys, and this job in the stockyard was
MS first experience of life in which many
men took part
There was romance connected with his
entering upon the job, which was just as
open 10 everybody as was the rest of his
ne. lie had come in with cattle train
gang, ana while the train was being
emptied had saved a yard mans life by
stepping calmly between him and an in
furiated bull and holding the animal by
the horns while the man escaped In graf
ltude Tom Baker had asked him home to
supper, and incidentally introduced his
pretty daughter Pauline. The next day
BIlXer gave up his work with the gang
and sought a job in the stockyards
vi course. there pr phon
which showed in the annoyance on Bakers
face, and in the embarrassment of Pauline
When she occasionally came into the yards
with her fathers dinner and was PROMPTLY
met and escorted around by the proud
BIiXer. On him chatting was wholly lost.
Ior II only added to the buoyancy of his
steps and to the content in his eyes.
But BlIXer was six feet five and Baker
only nNe feet six, and Pauline was a
sensible girl who dotted on protective
strength and unquestioning devotion. In
lew days he was again asked to sup
per, and after that the embarras sment
disappeared gradually from the face of
her father. The half dozen or more Young
men who had put themselves out to be
arabic to Tom Baker seemed to recon-
slider the matter for they scowled a lit
tie and then began to treat him as an
ordinary yard acquaintance.
Within week BliXer's massive eff
cheney prevented another man being
gored and broke threatened stampede
by pushing into the very midst of it and
grasplng the crazed ringleader by the
horns. That brought him to the notice of
those in authority, and he was promoted
to an inside job at higher pay.
But this new work involved at irregu-
lar intervals the use of a lead pencil: and
a lead pencil was something altogether
too small for BliXer's huge fingers as the
directing of it was apparently too much
concentration for his untrammeled
brains. Grave mistakes crept into his
simplest calculations, which speedily
would have been his undoing hut that
once more his natural uncalculating
courage took him into what seemed hope
less peril. and fTOm which just as brave
men had turned away But in this case
1t saved half thousand head of cattle
from inevitable loss; and the next day it
took BlfXer into higher salaried and
more responsible position in the shipping
department, which, with unwise graft
tude and friendliness on the part of the
manager, involved yet greater confine-
ment of body and taxation of brains In
another week inexcusable mistakes made
a loss approXimating the value of the