Year: 1874

A KNIGHT OF TUE LEGION Oh HosoR
He was a quiet, awkward fellow. anG


when he first came into Deacon Byer'


drug store the other clerks set upol


him for a ''greeny," and played al


manner of sly tricks upon him. The,


had to be careful, though, for the dea


con was good friend to Sam he uset


to know his mother when they wer,


both children, and went to school cross


lots, down at Cherry Valley. Sam wa.


a ''greeny," to look at. His clothe.


were homespun, with kind of countr,
cut and he had slow way with him
as if his thoughts were always wool
gathering.


He brushed up little, after a while
and looked more like other folks bu,
tho boys kept up their jokes, because
they'd got in the way of it; though
bless You Sam did MT mind 'em, any
more n so many flies /, He kept steady
about his business and, whenever he
had a spare minute, he would pull a
ragged old book out of one of his
coffee-sacks of pockets, and you might
fire torpedo under his nose and never
start him.


The deacon's store was Just over the
bridge by the cotton factory. Most of
the hands traded there, more or less
and it was curious to see, that, while
the other clerks never troubled them
selves to remember the names of any
but the forman, Sam knew every fellow
by name in three weeks, even to old
Ben Spafford, who never could let hard
cider alone, and got discharged and
taken on again about once a month.


One day, remember-itw was October
and the trees below the mill were color
ing splendidly-Fd been into the store
after some little notion for my wife, and
stopped by the door to see what the
school-children were in such an uproar
over. Sam came and stood by me. He
was the only one in the store nearly
every one on the street had gone to
dinner, for we are old-fashioned folhs
at Warrentown, and eat our dinners at
noon, which is the sensible time for
dinner, L take it.


Well, what should we see but the
whole troop of those little savages tear
ing down the street after uncle Ben's
Joe-a poor little half-starved fellow,
that never had seemed quite right in
his head since he had the scarlet fever.


| do mt think they meant to hurt him.
1t was Just little rough fun, set on by
that ugly, savage streak, that seems to
be at the bottom a. so many boys na-
lures, after all.


But Joe was as frightened as il q
horde of wild Indians were after him.
He ran past the door before We could
stop him, screaming, and looking right
and left, like some hunted animal. Half
the factory hands were at the windows
for the mill was stopped-some of
them laughing and cheering the boys,
when, quick as flash, Joe darted upon
a narrow plank that lay across the mill
race.


Whether it was fright at the swift
water that turned him dizzy,
or whether he had lit, as he sometimes
did, nobody can say; but the little
fellow staggered, and threw up his
arms, and, in an instant, was alone at
the shOp-door. In fact, am sure Sam
must have foreseen what was likely to
happen, and started as soon as Joe
turned towards the race. A. any rate,
there he was, lying fiat upon the edge
of the hume, one arm around a post,
and his cool gray eyes fixed upon the
water. An instant more and he made
plunge forward, and brought up little
Joe by the hair of his head. 1t was as
much as he could manage, but he had
him out before L could reach him.


How the women cheered and waved
their handkerchiefs, and how the men
rushed out after him, as he carried little
Joe, in his deliberate fashion, up to the
store, where the frightened schOol-boys
were waiting, with pale faces, to see
what had come of their cruel fun.


"COWards ~ was all he said, as he
walked past them, but it came out with
a sting that made them tremble.


"Can you swim, Sam ?" / asked, as
we two worked over little Joe, and
brought the color back to his white
face.


"No, SIR" said Sam, "Tm sorry to
say can't"


What if he had pulled you in? 1
Thought lOr While he would


81 don't know !" said Sam simply :;
''pe; haps you would have saved us
both, MIR. North. But at any rate, there
was no time to measure chances, you
know"


Good stock good, brave stock !"
said the deacon, nodding his head, and
his bandana, as we talked it
over. "He comes of the old Scotch
Covenanters. Why, bless you'll I've
seen his mother, when she was no higher
than this counter, charge upon couple
of little wretches to rescue sick kitten
they were tormenting; and Sam, why,
| do mt mind telling you, though it S a
secret, but he s wearing his old clothes
and scrimping every way, to help his
younger brother take drawing-lessons
Of the best teachers, because, you see,
the little fellow is a genius. while Sam
is only a good-natured, plodding fel-
low"


But / can tell you, as | told the
deacon, call Sam something better
than a genius. L call him knight of
the Legion of Honor?