The Washington times., 1911-05-07
CHAPTER vi (Continued.)

rALSO determined to start him Il
some regular gymnasium work. HI
needed hardening up.
/ came home and announced my
success to Ruth and she was delighted
I suspected by the look in her eye
that she had been worrying all day fo
fear there would be no alternative bu
to'send the boy of.
IT knew you would find a way" she
said, eXcitedly.
II wish I'd found it twenty years
ago. / said, regretfully. Then you'd
have a lawyer for a husband instead OF
a"
Hush" she answered. putting her
hand over my mouth. i've a man fol-
a husband. and that's alfI care about
The way she said 1t made me feel that
after all, being a man was what count
ed, and that if / could live UP to that
day by day, no matter what happened
then could be we'll satisfied
I guess the city directory was right
when before now it couldn't define me
any more definitely than, clerk" And
there is about as much man in a clerk
as in valet. They are both shadows
The boy fell in with my plans eagerly.
for the gymnasium work made him for
get the study part of the program. The
next day l took him up there and saw
him introduced TO the various depart
ment heads.
/ paid his membership fee. and they
gave him a card which made him feel
like real club man. i tell you it took
a weight off my mind.
On the Monday following our arrival
in our new quarters, | rose at 5:30, put
on my overalls and had breakfast.
n q q h6N NJ rofV
GUS supply OF fapjacks, made of some
milk that mad soured, sprinkled with mo-
lasses, and a cup of hot black coffee
the last of a can We had brought down
with US among the leftover kitchen
supplies.
For lunch Ruth had packed my box
with cold cream-of-tartar biscuit, well
buttered, bit of cheese. a little bowl
of rioe pudding, two hard-boiled eggs,
= and a pint bottle of cold coffee.
l kissed her good-by, and started out
on foot for the street where ! was to
take up my work. The foreman de-
manded my name, registered me, told
me where to find shovel, and assigned
me to a gang under another foreman.
At Z O'Clock / took my place with a
dozen Italians, and began to shovel My
muscles were decidedly flabby, and by
noon ! began to find II hard work. l
was glad to stop and eat my lunch.
1 couldn't remember a meal in five
years that tasted as good as that did.
MY companions "dlCIleu
perhaps a bit suspiciously-bu they
chartered In a foreign tongue among
themselves, and rather SHE'D away from
me.
On that first dav I made up nv mind
to one thing-I would learn Italian be-
before the year was done, and know
something more about these people and
their ways. They were the key to the
contractors problem and it would pay
a man TO know how to handle them.
As l watched the boss over us that
day IL did not seem to me that he un-
derstood very we'll.
From / to the work became an in
creasing strain. Even with nv athletic
training I wasn't used to such a pro-
longed test of one set of muscles.
NV legs became heavy. nv back re-
fused to obey IRE except under the sheer
command of my will.
knew, however. that time would
remedy this. / might be sore and lame
for a day or two, but I had twice the
natural strencthl of these short, close
knit FOREIGNERS. The excitement and
through those first few days.
felt the 10Y of the picneer-felt the
sweet sense of delving in the mother
earth. 1t touched in me some respon-
ancestors who broke the rocky soil of
New England.
OF the life of nv fellows bustIinG by
on the earth-crust overhead-those fel-
lows of whom so lately had been one
was not a all conscious.
! might have been at work on some
rev planet for all they touched my new
life.
could see them peering over the
wooden rail around our excavation as
thnv stopped TO stare down at us. but
I did not connect them with myself.
And vet I felt closer to this old NCity
than ever before. thrilled with the
10Y Of the constructor. the builder, even
in this humble capacity. I felt supe
rior to those for whom ! was burning.
In a coarse way / suppose ii was
reflection of some artistic sense-some-
thing akin to the creative impulse.
I can say trIthftully that at the end
Of that first day came home-begrimed
and sore asT was-with a sense of fuller |
life than so far had ever experienced. !
7 found Ruth waiting for me with !
some anxiety. She came into my soil !
stained arms as eagerly as a bride. 1t |
was good. IT took all the soreness out |
Of me-
Before supper I took the boy and we |
went down to the public baths on the |
and there I dived and |
snlashed and swan like a young whale. |
The sting Of the cold salt water was all
the further balm I needed.
I came ont tinglinE and fit right then
for another nine-hour day. But when /
came back I threatened our first weeks
savings at the supper table.
Ruth had made more hot griddle
cakes and I kept her at the stove until
was ashamed to do II longer.
The boy too, after his plunge. show
ed a better appetite than for weeks.