The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-28

may hear from me hereafter
A day or two later Joe Foy walked
into the counting-roon Of a company
dealing in machinery, mill gearing,
wheels, etc. with an extensive repair
shop in connection. in which ne was
a large stOckholder. Brown" he said
to the superintendent, Il want A job
for a boy; n cripple, but as sharp as
a briar, and very modest and we'll
behaved" Willie Long?" That's the
boy" Well, | know something OF the
lad. We let him do some sort OF iron
work in our repair shop for his mother
not long ago, and he is a mechanical
genius. But We have no vacancy for
him" Make one" There you go,
MIR Foy, IN your downright way Of
splitting through all obstacles, like a
bear beating his way through bush
and briar. All right. Send him
around. I'll find a place for him"
! A year had passed, and the widow
Long and Willie had almost passed. cut
. of Mr.. Foy's mind, when one day he
met Brown on the street. Joe said
the latter, "Ill not be able TO keep that
| cripple protege of yours much longer
Willie Long? Why, has he gone TO
the bad? I'm sorry" Gone 10 the
bad. Hes gone to the good, AWAY
out of sight. | have promoted him
| three times this year, and he is now
making big money working overtime.
| He is the finest meChanician I ever saw,
and I have advised him 10 go o &
wider field, though | will hate to part
with him"
The upshot was that, through the
strong recommendation Of Brown, a
| very responsible and lucrative position
was offered to Willie Long in an eX-
tensive iron works company IN St.
Paul, MINI. Before their departure the
lad and his mother went to say good
bye, with warm expressions of graft
tude, to Mr.. Mahoney and Mr.. Fox. the
latter 'pishing' and "pshawing" at
their outpouring Of thanks, and wav
| ing them off with wishes for their suc-
cess.
Years passed by, and Joe 70. haa
! STROBE on by mile post after mile post,
| from As to well nigh three-scOre~-nls
wiry form still erect, his step firm. his
eye bright, his condition prosperous.
: the great object Of his life still. the
care Of his invalid sister. But into
each life some rain must fall" EOv
was called q cynic by his friends, but
| good humoredly. for they knew that tbs
sarcasm from his thin lips Gtuu& bat
did not scar, and that the sharp tongue
! distilled no venom from q warm and
| generous heart. He had lived q clean
life, just to his fellow-men, and honest
as the day. But the threading or the
wine press was close on him IN his
old age. 1t was hard. From a we}l-,o-
do, if not a rich man, he slipped down
to poverty, from no fault of his own,
but by a series Of misfortunes which i
was impossible to fOresee.
First, he was hard hit by a heavy
surety debt. having endorsed for q
friend, who deceived him cruelty. Next.
the bank OF which he was a large stock.
holder and depositor, failed, and II
liquidation paid almost nothing. Last
of all, the extensive firm, OF which
Brown was the superintendent, and OF
which he was part owner, went down
the cashier "skipped' with ali the
funds, leaving him and Brown with the
bag to hold. He had always been
a man of leisure. living on his capital
and had no calling on which he could
fall back. Besides he was too old fol
Il clerical situation and was ~unsuccess'
full in all his applications for work
He could have borne poverty and pri.
vation for himself without complaint
and even with a grim and cynica
philosophy; but the very iron entered
his soul as he saw, day by day, tAe
/ little comforts and luxuries to whick
! his sister was accustomed, out OF hi
reach, at a time when she needed then
most, for she, too was growing Ok
and gradually wasting away. He mac
managed to save his house from th'
wreck. with a little property tina
brought in a pittance. enough to se
bread and meat. and little more.
One day Il man arrived in the tow
about 30 years Of age, well-dFessed
with a bright, alert, very pleasant fac'
supporting himself lightly by a crusch
Registering at the hotel he asked tn
clerk if Mr.. Joseph Foy still lived at tn
old place. The clerk looked at hin
keenly. replied that he did but TIA
he happened to know that MF. FOy wa
not in town that day. The strange
Their made his way to Mahoney's res
taurant; and, entering, extended nj
hand to the genial Irishman, ~ hi
old place behind the lunch eounIe,
looking very little older for ali IN
flight of time. Mahoney stared for
moment, and then, with a glad vel
of recognition, dashed around III
counter, and Rugged Long like a heal
After a mutual exchange Of inquire
and greetings, the talk veered aroun
to Joe Foy. "Ah, Willie, me boy, j
brings the tears to my eyes, and a
ache to my heart. when l think OF tn
misfortunes of my friend, Joseph Foy
and he went on to recount Ais los
of property and his descent into hart
grinding poverty.
!, Then the two men. seated at a table
were in close conversation for a ION
. time, interrupted by sundry ejacula
. tons from the Irishman. At last tn
: latter biurted out: "Oh be Jasus: bt
: that's glorious, glorious, my boy. Blu
Willie, can you give such an amount
: Why, it's a fortune. lad M Nj
r honey, I am a very rich man; hav
Drocro~a1 hovond nv deserts. L u