Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-05-12

grew stouter and stronger every year
and became more and more the stu
pidest blockhead that ever thumbed a
schoolbook. | was fourteen to q day
when l squeezed through the final
grammar grade; think of it--fourteen
years old and still with the woman
teachers l found out afterward that
| got my obviously given passport to
the high school chiefly because my
father was one Of the best-known and
bestowed men in the old home town.
Perhaps it wasn't the magic seven that
built me all over new that summer;
perhaps it was only the change in
schools and teachers. But from that
year on all the hard things were too
easy. 1t was as if somebody or some
thing had suddenly opened a closed
door in my brain and let the daylight
into all the dark corners at once"
Grislow sat up and finished for him.
Yes; and since that time you have
STAYED your way through the univer'
sity, and butted into the reclamation
service, and played skittles with every
other mans chances Of promotion un
til you have come out at the top Of
the heap in the construction division
all of which you're much too modest
to brag about. But, say; we've
skipped one Of the seven-year flag sta
tions. What happened when you were
twenty-one-or were you too busy jus
then chasing the elusive engineering
degree to take notice."
Brouillard was staring out over thu
loom of the dozen camphres-out ant
across the valley at the massive bull
of Mount Chigringo rising like hug
barrier dark to the skyline save for
single pinprick Of yellow light fxinl
the position OF a solitary miner
cabin half way between the vale
level and the summit When he spok
again the photographer had been give
time to shave another pipe charge c
tobacco from his pocket plug and t
fill and light the brier.
when l was twenty-one my fathe
died, and"-he stopped short and the
went on in a tone which was NOR
than half apologetic-"I don't min
telling, Grislow; you're not the kin
to pass it on where it would hurt. A
twenty.one l was left with back loa
that | am carrying to this good day
that l will probably 60 on carryin
through life"
Grislow walked around the fir
kicked two or three Of the charred lc
ends into the blaze, and growled whe
the resulting smoke rose up to chol
and blind him.
Forget it, Victor" he said "ln LEI
than a hundredth part Of that tin
you'll be at the top Of the reclamatiC
service pay roll-won't that help out
mo; not appreciably."
Grislow gave it up at that and we,
back to the original contention.
Were lodging the main issue"
said. What Is the active prinCip
of your 'sevens-or haven't you Fl
ured it out?"
\ Change" was the prompt rejoi
\ der; always something different
! radically different"
| And what started you of into t
| memory woods. particularly tonight
4 Condolences. 1t began with tn
i hopelessly unreliable little clock tn
4 Arson persists in carrying arou
| with him wherever he goes, While y
were up on the hill cutting your spru
c tips Arson went over to his tent a
lighted up, and few minutes aft
ward heard the clock strike-sevt
e Just as | was comfortably forgetti
e the significant reminder the clio
s. went off again, striking slowly, as
IT the mechanism were nearly r
Il down"
.e Another seven?" Queried GrislC
D. mo; 1t struck four"
% "Well?" was the bantering CONNIE
81 81 suppose Arson was tinkering W
his little tin god Of timepieCe,
3 a habit of his"
81 was curious enough to go a
re look. When | lifted the flap the Il
NJ was empty. The clock was tick
IN away on Anson's soap-box dresst
re
al