Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-20

Walsh, having no other home and wishing to econ
omize, lived on the boat. Now that he had stopped
drinking he realized that saloons had been about the
only places of entertainment he had known for years
and that their temptation. was hard to resist
Once he ventured into and sat down at a table.
hungering to talk With some one and willing to pay
Ior companionship, He ought round OF dr:-ns for
the men at the able drink king and having tor ordl
nary water fer h.lnse.t. A -crS- # lNathing came
him at tt Fir Jloes. They could not understand
a man who would buy water. AS he sat there and
thought of all the days he had passed in saloons and
influence of alcohol, he wondered what attraction he
could ever have found in such surroundings. He
was still meditatng when , rough voice called:
"Oh, there's Walsh, The Quitter Amt you fellers
got no better company'n him?"
HUSH fell over the table and all of those who had
two of them stood up One said something insulting;
but he was not looking at that man. He had jumped
to his feet and was staring at the who had recalled
the evil pseudonym 1t one of the crew of the
Elsie b. with whom he had worked but to whom he
had never spoken.
"Ouitter, am II" he yelled, leaping forward
The man and his fellows had expected resist
1t is regarded a safe proposition, according
to rule, to insult the who has spirit and
record of cowardice. Everything crashed and
whirled The man from the Elsie B and any others
who interfered went down under the maddened
smashes of Tom Walsh's fists as he struck right and
left breathing hardly and snarng between his back
drawn lips until at last he stood in the center of
crowd that feared to modest him. Two three
tables had been overturned and broken glass Uttered
feet. and the proprietor fearing to meet the fighting
animal in the center of the group and wishing to be
rid of him quickly lest police call jeopardize his Ii
I'll CO." Walsh declared. unless some one else
here wants to call gutter. Any OF you want the
job! He glared from face to face but no one vol,
he said. throwing dollar bill at the proprietor
and starting toward the door.
spectful silence. He opened the door and turned
round For what seemed long time he glared at the
watching him and the man who had gone behind
the bar: He lifted his hand above his head, and the
silence became intense.
I'm never again. SO help me God, he said, walk
into another saloon! I'm through with them, for
good and ALL"
He swung out into the night and slammed the door
shut after him. He walked away into the darkness
toward the Elsie B, leaving behind him babel of
excited conversation and several men who would
again dare the term of contempt.
THAT was the last time Tom Walsh sought COM
: panionship. 1t was the last time that anyone
ventured to call him GUTTER because news of
the wharves travels faster than the tide. He
regarded as dangerous man, one who on occasion
might prove deadly.
His habits underwent another change. He found
the companionship of books, and night after night
poured over new treasures. He learned the joy of
taught the niger to read, to write to calculate,
and to take interest in his work AS the months
away he took curious interest in the experiment of
teaching the black man engineering and looked for
ward whimsically to the time when the niger"
could stand examination and get a license as
marine engineer.
sam" he would say. after hearing lesson,
"your head is thick but it isn't thick it was.
You doing well. Now, day after tomorrow you We
got to know all this. and would then turn with
hard. black thumb the corner of leaf. Mind you
you've got to get all this down pat, I'll kick you
clear of the engine room!"
And Sam improved he could have done under
less panstaking master, believing The Gutter the
greatest engineer that ever lived.
NEARLY two years passed in this strange soil
tude.-two years in which he still subjected
to the petty abuse of Hurd, which he bore silently,
knowing that Hurd. after all. was and could be