New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-27

"GoOd work. said /
GYou bet il was good work. he blurted
out, with an admiring glance at his son. ~
was the best work | ever done, and the pest
part of it was she liked me, and the hrst
thing we knew we got married. wen, on,
do YOU know what happened them you re
n smart man. and YOU won't need many
gucsses It was the very thing We might
forcsecn. The idee o me, the husband o
the schoolmarm, not KNOWN how TO rcad
why. twas simply appropriations!
don't believe Colonel Roosevelt ever put
more syrupy electricity into the first syliaDIe,
Of his famous "dcelghtcd' than that old
gentleman got into the pre- OF his pree-
postcrOus.'
ayes, Sir" ne ran on, "and there was no
way out Of it but that she should tcach me
10 read. ind she dill 1t was tough .propo-
stion for that wonderful teacher oi NINE;
but her patience finally pulled - through
and at the end Of about year ! was rcady
TO tackle most any kind of stunt in the way
Of n printed page. And then the burning
question arose Now that | know now
what in Dothan shall read! That's big
problem, my friend, to young feller that
has earned his right to literature by the
sweat of his brow wasn't goin TO waste
any of nv new gift on flashy stuff. What
wanted was the real thing, and one mornin
tbe problem was solved A copy Of a weekly
naDer come to the house, with an advertise
ment in it of a book called The Origin OF thc
Species by a Teller named Darwin, coStln
two dollars and half. That was some
money in those days; but somehow or other
that title sounded good and hcfty, and ! sent
nv little two-ifty by mail to the publisher
and within a week or two The Origin OF me
Species was duly received, and | went at 1t.
AND what did you make out Of IT." |
n asked, my interest truly aroused.
"Nothin'-not the first damn thing at
first" said the old gentleman; except II
made me wonder if hadn't lost my nina,
or something. sat down to read the thing,
and by thunder, Sir, | couldn't make head
nor tail out of it! I'd always thought |
knew something about the English language;
but this time | was Stumped, and 1t made me
mad. >,
"Thcrcs something happened to me- l
said to my wife. I've read this darned iirst
page here over five times, and I'm blcst If l
can get glimmer Of anythln out OF 1t. She
smiled and advised me to try something
easier; but, 'NOt-On-y 0W-lJe! says !:
I've been through IRE ana famine anu "lhu
and blizzard in my day. I've seen the roof
over my head burnt to cinder by savages,
and I've fit Injuns, and come nigh bein,
scalped by EN- and in all my life, my dear,
SAYS |, L hain't never been stumpcd ylt,
and don't prccpose to begin now, specially
by page O printed words, said to be writ
in the English Observation-Disclosures
HeH
so went at it again. read it, and | re-
read it. | wrastled with every page, para
graph and sentence in that book. Some
TIMES had to put as much as five days on
one page-but by CORY, Son, 1cken got IT
got it good, and when it come it come with
a rush-and n01g-"
The old man paused drew himself up very
straight, and squaring his shoulders he
leaned rdandpu hishandso my knees.
Sand no1p, my friend, he said. his eye
flashing with the joy Of victory, IF there's
ANYTHING yon 7rdni 10 kn0ar about Day1giH' s
origin Of The Species -yoH-jwt-aSk-me!'
[Anothey of Mr.. Bangs "reminiscences 1cW
appear in an early issue.