Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-02-23
CHAPTER XIV

| Once In a lifetime for every vouno-
ing climbing the facile or difficult slope
OF the years there comes a day of real
lzauon, of a sudden extension of vision
OF Rublcon- crossing from the hithsr
shore OF joyous and irresponsible adol-
escence to that further one of con-
sclous grapplings with the adult fac+
FOR Thomas Jefferson, grinding ten
aciously in the Boston technical school
whittier he had gone late in the win
ter of Beersheban discomfort. the
stream crossing fell in the spring of
the panic year 1898, what time he was
Il, quarterback on his college elev-
en-, fit, hardy, studious and athletic. q
pace-setter for his fellows and the
pride of the faculty, but still little mora
than an overgrown, are-free how in
MS outlook on life. Glimpses there had
been over into the Promised Land of
manhood but the trimming Gun of COL
lege work and play quaffed in health
giving heartiness is the elixir of youth.
Inc speculative habit of the bow slept
In the college undergraduate. The davs
were full, each of the things of itself.
ana 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 acutely 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 stream should fill so vast
a 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
wes in trouble, and the letter was a
call for help. 1t seemed vastly incred-
ible. Thomas Jefferson's ideal of steady
courage, of invincible 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 a
raw recruit for helpl
IT'S up to me-" he mused and I'd
like to know what I've been thinking Of
all this time. Why. pappy's old he
was 40 before 1 was born And I've
been here taking it easy and having
all sorts of good time, while he's
been playing Sindbad to Duxbury Far
ley's Old Man of the Sea. Coming.
pappyl" he shouted; and forthwith
flung himself down at the table to
write 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 a
son; remembering also that the son
was now 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 stakeholder, insist |
on a full and exact statement of the |
company's affairs, and-here the new
manhood asserted itself boldly-let that |
statement, or a copy of it, come to
Boston by the first mail.
To this letter there was a grateful
reply In which Tom read with a smile
his fathers -bewildered attempt to |
get over to the new point of view. 1t
began, Dear Buddy" and ended, your
pappy,' but there was
man man matter between the salu-