The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-03-12
PRICELESS HONOR
STANDS FOR MUCH
A Man Who Had Served a Term in Prison,
Rather than Sacrifice Honor, Gives Up
the Woman He had Hoped to make
His Wife.
By "The Sparrow.

before we nave lOSC IL we 10 uOt
appreciate it as we should, but just
as soon as it is gone we begin to
realize just what honor is to us.
There was man firing for me on
one of the western roads that wish
to use in this article as man of
honor, although at one time he had
lost the right to being called honor
able.
One day while we were laying on
asiding awaiting passenger train,
we got to talking about honor and
married life. | wanted to know
why it was that he had never mar
ried. and this is the story he told me.
When | was about eight years
old my mother died, and my father
thought it his duty to marry again.
Ny step mother and l could not hit
it off very we'll together and for two
years we did our best.to make life
as miserable for each other as pos
sible. l suppose l was lot to
blame, as 1 was jealous of any one
taking my mothers place in our
home. But at this time things came
to such pass that | thought 1t best
to get out. l obtained position
in one of the stores in town where
1 lived. as errand boy. was to re-
ceive my board and clothes for my
services. For six years | worked
for the one man. and had worked
my way up to clerk in the store
when the old man died. In his will
he left me five hundred ($5OO.OO)
dollars. | was only boy of six
teen at the time, and so large sum
of money turned my head. / wanted
to see what life was like in the city,
so l packed up my few belongings
and started out to see the world. so
to speak, on my five hundred dol
lars. On the train that took me to
Chicago, [ made the acquaintance
of a man that gave me the address
of quiet boarding house, and some
good sound advice, too. But was
too full of excitement to pay much
attention to the advice.
[ arrived in Chicago in the early
morning and spent the rest of the
day on the streets. | believe that
in two months l was in every big
building in the city, and during this
time / had made quiet few &C
quaintances, and spent money free
ly. 1t was not long until my cap
ital was so low that l had to seek
employment. 1t was here | made
my first mistake, instead of taking
any position l could get, until [
could find something that suited me,
| thought | knew too much for any
thing but an easy job, and you
know that easy positions are not 50
easy to find in any town, least of
all in city.
Up Against 1t
Well. l was up against it. One
of the friends | had made told me
one day about living without work.
Of course, 1 fell for it. And one
night we broke into store and
stole lot of things which my
friend sold to pawn shop.
Things went like this for several
months. when one night we were
arrested as we were leaving place
we had broken into. was sent to
the reformatory and was there for
eighteen months. After I had got
my discharge l intended to get job
and behave myself, but | met my
old friend again, and l allowed him
persuade me to 60 back into the old
life, this time it did not last so loug,
and we were arrested and got two
years in the state prison.
I stayed my time there, and when /
was released, made a bee line for the
west. At Sacramento, California,
/ got work as wiper in the round
house of the southern Pacific rail-
way and afterward went on the road
as fireman. That was five years
ago, after had been firing for
about four years | was preparing
to 60 up for promotion when l met
woman and we became good
friends, but I found out that our
friendship was getting too warm.
l knew | could not marry the wom-
an unless l told her about my past.
1t did not take me long to figure out
that if size cared for me in the right
way, that she would overlook my
past. so, l told her my story, and
asked her to marry me. She SEEM
ed highly insulted because she said
I, an ex-convict. wished her to be-
come my wife.
Well, l packed up and came here
and have been holding down the
left side of an engine for about a
year now. But let me tell you, and
fh1pE fool