The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-06-26
A SACRIFICE THAT WON.

Bob Denton whistled away at his work of max
ing cores IN the great iron works of the c. Z. & O..
Railroad company, his heart light with the cheer
OF happy seyenteen-year-old lad You saw from
the vim he put into his labor that he did not meas
ure his effort by the price set upon his days work
He never paused when the perspration ran
down into his eyes, necessitating a clearing of
vision, which, when too pressed to enjoy a copious
mop with his handkerchief he accomplished by
quick swipe of his coat sleeve.
But on this particular morning he CHANGED to
look up as his colaborer, John Hinton, an old man.
came IL from the Office, where, as Bob knew be had
gone TO ask to lay of that afternoon In order to
attend the funeral of a cousin.
The old mans face haggard, and he looked
as II be had gone through a spell of sickness dur
ing those ten minutes since he had left Bobs side
"What is the matter?" cried Bob in concern.
wouldn't they let you off for the funerall'
'Oh yes, they let me off," answered the old man
bitterly, "let off for my own funeral. guess"
What do you mean" asked the boy.
They've turned me off," said Hinton, with
laugh that added to the pathos in his old eyes.
"What for3 Not because you wanted off this
afternoons"
"Oh no, they intended to notify me tonight,
anyway. They say they don't need more than one
coremaker now, and you were here first"
He turned to his work In moody silence For
a long while Rob stood idle, too shocked to pull
himself together, until the foreman CHANGED to
pass that way and exclaimed, "Helo, at last Pve
caught Denton killing time Sick, ROBE"
No." answered Rob quietly and resumed his
work He had been about to explain when the
thought that Hinton would shrink from any com
ment his misfortunes stopped him. But the
cheer and vim that were such stimulus to his fellow
workers were gone. He worked listlessly. His
thoughts kept slipping away from his coremaking
and going out TO that humble home beside his
where an old woman and three orphaned grand
children would be waiting Hinton's coming at noon.
41,o
their grandfather and then-his heart grew heavy
as the iron beside him as he the look that would
come over the old woman's face as Hinton told her
of his discharge. Poor Hinton! He had been out
of work for weeks because Of the closing of the fac
tory where he had worked for years, and he had
been overjoyed at securing this place. And now
winter was coming on Rob brushed something be-
sides perspratiOn from his eyes at thought of the
hardship that would come to these unfortmates;
for Robs heart had felt the sting of dire poverty
and he knew what manner of pain it was.
Suddenly his pity caught an idea and flashed
upon him and he shrank back from it as one
shrinks from sunlight flashed from a mirror
He went to work vigorously, hoping TO shut out
the thought but it seemed to CLEAN at him from
each grain of sand he packed it into the mold
He could not escape and at last he faced it square
w. Could he give up the place and all it meant to
him. For no one beside himself and his mother
knew the priceless value of the hopes that were rep
resented bv the six dollars he received at the end
If weeks labor To him those six dollars meant
the foundation of manhood, the stepping-stone to
that career of which he dreamed even in the midst
Of his work: for Rob was saving every dollar that
he might 20 away to a law school when he had fin
ished the high school course He was KEEPING up
with the Junior class of the town high school by
studying moons and nights. and reciting to Pro
lessor Allen, who had kindly consented to direct
his studies.
Rob would have liked to go to college, but he
had put that idea away from him because of his
mother. She was getting old, and he onged to
gap quickly pGss e R or her eai ha %ou al
. IT, though of her now and tried to believe he
o,1id he wronging her by giving his place to Hin
or: Blu. lis mother had leg pension and the In