The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-07-14

to ''Bibbs" mainly through lack OF
imagination on his mothers part, To-.
though 1t was her maiden name, she
had mo strong affection for it. One
day when the sickly boy was nine. he
requested with unwonted vehemence
to be allowed to exchange names with
his older brother. Roscoe COnking
Sheridan, or with the oldest, James
Sheridan, Jr., and upon being refused
went down into the cellar and re-
NAMED there the rest OF that day. And
the cook. descending toward dusk, ~
ported that he had vanished; but .
search revealed that he was In the
coal-pile. completely covered and still
burrowing. Removed BY force and
carried upstairs. he maintained . cryp-
tic demeanor, refusing to utter Z syl-
liable Of explanation, even under the
lash. This obvious thing was wholly
q mystery to both parents; the mother
was nonplused, failed to trace and
connect; and the father regarded his
son a. 4 stubborn and mysterious fool,
an impression not efaced - the years
| went by.
At twenty-five Bibbs was physically
no more than the outer scafolding OF
la man, waiting for the building to be-
gin inside-a long-shanked, long-faced,
rickety youth. sallow and hollow and
haggard, dark-haired and dark-eyed,
with a peculiar expression Of counte-
nance: indeed, at 1rst sight Of Bibbs
Sheridan he seemed upon the point Of
tears. To q slightly longer gaze, not
grief. but mirth, was revealed - his
emotion; but Bibbs never, on any oc-
casion in his life, either laughed aloud
or wept.
He was = disappointment" to his
father. At least that was the parents
words confirmed and established
word after his flrst attempt to make
q business man" Of the boy. He sent
Bibbs to 'begin 1t the bottom and
learn from the ground up" In the ma
chine shop Of the Sheridan Automatic
Pump works, and at the end Of six
months the family physician sent
Bibbs to begin at the bottom and learn
from the ground up in 4 sanitarium.
you needn't worry. mamma" Sher-
idan told his win. there's nothin'
tho matter with Bibbs except hs hates
work 90 much It makes him sick. !
put him In the machine shop. and I
guess I know what I'm DOM about
az well ~ the next man. Ole Doc Cur
ney always was one o. them nutty
alarmists. Does he think I'd do any.
thing d be bad for my " nesh
and bIood7 he makes me tired"
Anything except perfectly definite
health or perfectly definite disease was
incomprehensible to Sheridan. He
had . genuine conviction that lack OF
physical persistence In any task In
volving money must b due to some
subtle weakness Of character itself, to
some profound shiftlessness or slyness
"LOok &C me-" he said. Look al
what I did It his age! Why, when ]
wa twenty years old. wasn't l up ev.
cry morning at four o'clock chopin
wood-yes! and out in the dark and
snow-to build a firesin a country gro
Gerry storel And here Bibbs has to 60
and have Z doctor because he cant
Pilot It makes me tired! If he'd gone
.at it 1ke q man he wouldn't be sick
he paced the bedroom-the usual
setting for such parental discussions
In his night gown, shaking his big
griExled head and ~gesticulating to his
bedded spouse. my Lord!" he said
III tho little, teeny bit o. work like
this q too much for him. why, he AIM
1t Tor anything! It's nine-tenths imag
ination. and the rest Of it-well,
won't say its deliberate, but l would
like to know just how much Of it's put
on!"
aB1bbs didn't want the DOCTOR" said
Mn. Sheridan. 1T was when he wal
here . dinner that night. and ! noticed
how be couldn't eat anything. Honey
yoa bstter come to bed"
NEaefs - snorted. "Eatl NJ work
that makes men eat! And there's an
other thing you'l notice about good
health, lf you'll take the trouble to
look around ron. Mrs. Sheridan: busy
men havsnt got time to b sick, and
they don't get sick. You just think
It ovsr. and youll End that % pei
cent Of the sick people you know an
either women o. loafers. Yea. ma'am!
Honey" che said again. drowsily
lyon better come to bed"
"IAck at he other boys her hus.
band babe her. Look at Jim and Ros.
coe. Look ct how they work. Right