Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-07-15
CHAPTER XIV.

L
thee' . Absalom, my son, my sonl"
CHAPTER XIV.
once In lifetime for every young
ling climbing the facile or difficult slope
OF the years there comes day of real
ization, Of sudden extension of vision,
or Rubicon- crossing from the hither
shore of Joyous and irresponsible adol-
escence to that further one of con-
scious grapplings with the adult fact.
For Thomas Jefferson. grinding ten
aciously in the Boston technical school,
| whlther he had gone late in the win
| ter of Beersheban discomfort the
stream crossing fell In the spring of
| the panic year 1893, what time he was
Il. quarterback on his college elev-
| en-, tit, hardy, studious and athletic; a
pace-setter for his fellows and the
pride of the faculty, but still little more
than an overgrown. care-free boy in
his outlook on life. Gltmpses there had
been over into the Promised Land of
manhood, but the trimming cup OF col
lege work and play quaffed in health
giving heartiness Is the elixir of youth.
The speculative habit OF the boy slept
in the college undergraduate. The days
were full, each Of the things OF itself,
| and II Tom looked forward to the
workaday future-as he did by times
the boyish Impotence to be at it was
| gone. Chiawassee Consolidated was
| moderately prosperous; the home let
| ters were mere chronicles Of sleepy
| Paradise. The skies were clear, and
| the present was acute1y present Tom
studied hard and played hard; ate like
an ogre and slept like log. And when
| he finally awoke to find himself STUN
| bling beWildered on the bank Of the
| epoch~making Rubicon, he was over
| and across before he could realize how
| so narrow q stream should fill SO vast
| chasm.
Tom received a letter from his faith
er telling Of the financial crisis, his
fear for the Chiawasse Consolidated,
and asking his advice.
Tom found this letter in his mail
| box one evening after a strenuous day
in the laboratory; and that night he
sat up with the corpse Of his later
boyhood. though he was far enough
from putting it that way. His father
was in trouble, and the letter was
call for help. It seemed vastly incred-
| ible Thomas Jeffersons ideal of steady
courage, of tnvincible human puts
| sance was formed on the model of the
stout hearted old soldier who had
fought under Stonewall Jackson. What
trumpet blast of alarm must have
sounded to make such a man turn to
| raw recruit for help!
| TITS up to me-" he unused, land Ia
like to know what I've been thinking Of
| all this time. Why. pappy's old! he
| was 40 before I was born. And I've
| been here taking 1t easy and having
all sorts of a good time, while he's
been playing Sindbad to Duxbury Far
| leys Old Man Of the Sea Coming,
pappy!" he shouted; and forthwith
flung himself down at the table to
write a letter that was to put new life
into weary old man who was fighting
against odds in the far-away South
| land.
| The lone soldier was to take heart
of grace, remembering that he had
| son: remembering also that the son
was now a man grown, stout of arm,
steady of head, and otherwise fighting
fit. If the storm should come, the
| watchword must be to hold on all.
| keeping steerage-way on the Chiawas-
| see Consolidated craft at all hazards.
| The June examinations were not far
off. and these disposed Of the man
son would be ready to lay hold. Mean
| while. let Caleb Gordon, in his capacity
| of principal minor stockholder, insist
| on q full and exact statement of the
| company's affairs, and-here the new
manhood asserted itself boldly-let that
| statement, or a copy of 1t, come to
Boston by the first mail
To this letter there was a grateful
| renly IN which Tom read with smile
his fathers half bewildered attempt 10
oct over to the new point of view. 1t
began, Dear Buddy" and ended, Your
affectionate pappy," but there was
| nan-to-man matter between the sallI-
| tation and the signature. The inquiry
| into the affairs of Chiawassee Console
! dated had revealed little or nothing
more than the general manager al
| ready knew. The president had turn
ed the inquiring stock holder over TO
Dvckman, the bookkeeper, with In
structions to give Mr.. Gordon the full
| est possible information, and:
'Dyckman slid out of it, smooth and
| easy-like." Calem's letter went on. He
| allowed he was mighty busy, right
about then. Wouldn't just make my
| self at home and examine the books
| for myself? l reckon that was about
| what Farley wanted him to do. I'm no
book expert, and I couldn't make head
or tail out of Dyckman's spider tracks.
Looks to me like all the books are good
for is to keep people from finding
| where the company is at. What little
| I found out, young Norman told ms.
| He says we're in a hole. and the f1rst
| wagon-load of dirt that comes along
will bury US out Of sight"
Tom, driven now with the closing
work of the college year, yet took time
| to write another heartening letter TO
the hard pressed old soldier. 1t had
| been his good fortune to win the Clark
son prize for crucible tests. and TO
have gained thereby q speaking &C