Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-06-13
SAD END

ols7S7S1S7S7s2s1S7s2s2s1SlS1sC \
The train rumbled across . long
trestle, and the locomotive whistle
o0rieked its warning for o crossing
ahead.
bright young fellow!" An elderly
man. with gold.bowed spectacles. and
fowins white beard. was talking to
bis companion in the seat in front
Scattered bits Of the conversation
drifted back to my ear.
was getting three thousand sal.
ary showed me his watch
once real Geneva
imported you know four
hundred dollars had great
luck Just rolled in money,
when B. was elected in
put up on the right side" Here, for .
time the talk went on In lower
tone.
r Died In q. Louis three years
ago!"
you don't say!"
"Yes. SIR! Didn't have Q cent len
buried In the potter's field"
The train was rushing along . low
stretch Of country. with blue hills in
the hazy distance. The sun glittered
upon the waters Of . clear.nowing
stream. flashing ct intervals out Of
sight behind higher banks. A cloud
o. sooty smoke from the locomotive
swept past the car window. partially
0bscuring the pleasant landscape.
But. somehow. my thoughts wan.
dered from the shifting panorama Of
green fields and comfortable home.
0teads and blue hills to the bright
young fellow" who was buried three
years before-a penniless stranger
IN a faraway western city. How did
Il all come about? did not even
know the boys name: but I could
ses the father and mother sitting
together IN the roomy. farmhouse kit.
chen planning to give John-we will
call him John-his chance in life.
II will require sacrifice. but what ID
. little matter. OF self.denial and
economy when John's whole future II
coocerned-and such q future. tool
Professor A. said this and that
Mr. B. was overheard to say some
thing else. About John! To be sure
To that mothers thinking, there ID
no other subject really worth talking
about Just now.
Then, the three.thousand.dollar 20
sition. don't know where or what
Il was. but II must have been pos,
Of trust and responsibility. for. in
this world, money Is not given with
out receiving or expecting 10 receive
. fair equivalent.
wish you could have seen that
mothers radiant face. when she open
cd the letter. And yet II n Just the
news she had been looking for. al
along. Hasn't she said Q hundred
times that John would win hi,
way? And then the father takes tht
written sheet. his toil.hardened hands
all atremble with excitement, and
reads TO convince himself that II Il
not all dream. Three thousand! II
would be q good year when his pool
acres would yield one-hfth thai
amount How much would that be
. month! A week? A day? HI
carries out each OF the calculations
carefully. II almost takes his breath
away. But genius wins. II always
has. and always will. People arr
commencing to recognize Johns tai
snt, and II will 30 farther. John Il
only twenty-four. Time enough FOL
great things yet. II God spares John'i
life. and the father wipes his mois
eyes. breathing . prayer that Coo
may. Such . life IL worth sparing
for the world would miss It. There
10 . strange thrill at his heart In re
membrance that the boy-man now
u "their John" still.
The day John comes home for q
aying visit. wearing the expensive
watch Of foreign workmanship, mark,
another landmark. The hard-work
ing. close-savinx father fairly gasps
when John mentions the price with 9
1aunty, that-happens-every-day air
while the mother fingers the trinke
cautiously, as though expecting Il
see II vanish into thin air like tn,
masician's treasure. II cost mor'
than four times the yearly interes
ON the mortgage. and yet that came
hard, and required a great deal o
pdnching and saving to get together
But John belongs TO another world
NE great money-getting, money.spend
Ing world--which they have heard o
eAd read about.
That's fine salary, John" th'
farmer ventures. referring 70 tn
young mans position.
'Oh. yes. Just fair" John replies
with a deprecating gesture. but
doesn't go SO far as you might I'm
agine. There are ways Of piecing
out. however. so that a fellow mar
ages to keep his head above water.
"Head above water" The fathe
remembers using that same expires
sion himself. but he was looking int
an empty pocketbook at the time
with a heavy debt pressing for pa!
ment.
Months later vague rumors com
20 the farmhouse that John ha
money up" on the pending election
The father disbelieves It. The moti
sr's temper is ruffled that ill-d!spose
Ssople should be trying 10 injur
Johns reputation. He Is getting u