The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-12-21

life of terrible hardship, without my
knowledge until it was over. Every
man in the corps went down with ma
lignant typhoid fever. Rufus was the
last man up, and for days, while suf-
fering with the fever himself, took
charge of and administered to the bal
ance of the camp, finally succeeding in
moving them to a place of comparative
comfort. He then temporarily col
lapsed, only to pull himself together
again and. alone and sorely stricken.
set out on the long joursey home.
at is hard to speak of the suffering
of the fifty-mile wagon trip to the rail
road station, of his long wait there, of
the terrible railroad trip home, when
he was unable to sleep or eat, and of
his final arrival, which was our first
knowledge of his trouble. For weeks,
without a word of complaint, he fought
the fight of life and death, and then
when relief and apparent concalescence
came it was only to usher in a relapse
for as long and severe second time.
How He Used His Money
"Gaunt and haggard; yet happy and
cheerful, he finally left the sickroom.
He saved out of his compensation for
his surveying work, over and above
his expenses, the sum of $50. OF his
own initiative and without suggestion
he devoted this money to the follow
ing purposes: He made a close con-
tract with his friends in the whole
sale department of Jevene & Co. for
twenty baskets of provisions at 81
each, which, on Christmas day, he
personally delivered at the houses of
poor. OF the remaining $40 he eX-
pended $50 for a Christmas present for
his sister and kept 500 for his per-
sonal use.
"The next summer, with his dear
friend, Melvin Erickson, he went to
Seattle and took a position in the gas
company in which his brothers and l
are interested. The superintendent,
who is one of our personal friends, en-
deavored to persuade the lads to ac-
cept salaries large enough to enable
them to live at the best hotels, but
Rufus and Melvin declined on the
score that their services would not
fairly command the sum offered, took
lesser one, and secured board and
lodging elsewhere for $25 a month
each.
The next summer Rufus spent in
the wholesale plumbing establishment
of his close friend, Donald Raymond.
With his characteristic masterfulness,
he announced to Donald that he would
fix his own salary at $50 a month,
which he believed he could earn in
the sales department. In this place
each month he turned profits into the
firm amounting to two or three times
his salary.
Learned To Make Gas
This present summer he spent in
the gas works at Chicago Heights I'M
der the tutelege of his friends, Walter
f. Booth and Verne Cutler. During the
hot summer days with the temperature
40 degrees Fahrenheit in IT,, gas
house, Rufus Fearing learned to make
gas. lie also mastered gas analysis.
and in the last week of his work was
given charge of the entire plant.
The last two weeks of his present
vacation, which proved to be the last
two of his life, he gave up to recrea
ton, with the great nervous energy
with which he did everything.
but ! pass now to the more i'm
portant things. My boy was only in
the beginning Of his business career,
while the career of which j am to
speak is complete. The Lord gave him
ample time fully and wholly to com
plete it.
"The truly great character must unite
unusual strength and determination
with great gentleness. My boy was
imperious. He recognized no superior
on earth, and yet was the tender and
intimate friend of the weak and hum
BILE. / have taken him with me among
the greatest in the nation and looked
in vain for any evidence in him of awe
or even curiosity. He has taken me
asking me to help them, among the
poor and lowly of earth.
He loved his friends, and but re-
Gently told his mother that our house
was all through the coming years to
be the stopping place for his college
friends passing through the city. How
grateful our lonely hearts will be to !
them now if they will only accept this