Year: 1871

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TOM J0INEzI'S "GOOD ANGEL"


The following narrative is told to
the reader in nearly the same words
as it was told to the writor, by us fine
O specimen of the British workmen as
ever stood in o workshop.


that time-oould I, Maryland as to
book learning, was tho only one in
our shop not able to read tho news
paper. I was almost ashamed to lis
ten to them, and always kept out OF
sight when they were reading. At
breakfast time they would oil be sit
ling down on heap of shavings and
sawdust in one corner of the shop,
reading and talking, while would
stay in the next room pretending to
work; but I stopped there motto work,
bat to think, and the only consolation
I obtained was the knowledge of my
ignorance, You might have seon me
crouching behind the door, with my
ear against the crevice, listening until
I felt thoroughly ashamed Of myself
and my lack of education. Butthen,
thought /, there is not man in the
workshop who can plane, or join. or
chisel. or cut better than / can, and
/ do it without the aid OF books-so
you see that although envied them
when they were reading. ] hadn't t the
courage to take kindly TO learning


"No," said, "if q man comes TO
be thirty years of age and knows his
trade we'll, without having any book
learning he is sure to get on in the
world"


That was the way I put it to my
self, and / believe that is the way
with hundreds of others. Some say
learning makes q man proud-not u
bit OF it-nor does it make him over
ambitious. I am quite content with
my present situation, and do not in
tend putting myself very much out
of the way to get rich faster. for be-
lieve they who run too swiftly soon
lose all their breath.


What did / do with myself Of an
evening? Sometimes, when ! could
afford it, went to the theater, and
sometimes to the music-halls, and
when couldn't afford it, only went
TO the nearest public house to drink
five or six glasses of ale, and smoke
my pipe in company with q lot of
others. My opinion of thesters is
this: They may be innocent enough
to those who can pay to go to the
best parts Of the house, for all l
know. or they may not; but / know
that / received not good in the gallery,
mixing with so many of ell sorts, and
/ very often caught severe cold COM
ing form the almost suffocating heat,
into the pure. cold, night air of the
naked heavens. It wonld never do
for a man in my trade to frequent
theaters; he can't get up early the
next morning, and, in consequence,
he very often loses bis situation.


was going to tell you how / came
to be foreman in the shop where l
now work. / shall come to it pres
emily: When married Mary, / didn t
know B from o bull, as the saying is;
and on taking her the first weeks
wages. she said, holding up sshillings
II am going TO put by shilling
every week TO buy papers and books
for you when you can read"


THAT won't be for long time TO
come," said I. ''How long did it
take you to learn?"


"Not q great while; about twelve
months think"


"It seems to me, Mary, that's q
long time. But why should j learn
to readY I asked, for l didn't like
even Mary to know that I wanted to
learn, and was too proud to COM
mence.


"Never mind" said she, playfully,
"you shall buy spelling book to-
night. and I will teach you myself" F."


Nonsense, Mary, you've quite
enough to do to attend to the house,
to say nothing of your dress-making
trade"


"I can find plenty Of time to teach
you, Tom," and she come up TO me,
and laid her hand 30 lovingly on my
shoulder, and fell to coaxing me in
such q pleasant manner, that I could
oppose her wishes no longer, and
went straight to the booksellers shop
for the spelling-book; and that very
same night Mary gavo me my irst
lesson. 1 never had many hours to
spare, and havn't now; SO you must
not expect that know great deal
but can and do read and understand
my Bible and the newspapers, and on
Sundays, when We go to church OF
chapel, I can always join heart and
soul in the service, because / now
know what it all means. We read
the Bible together every evening,
Mary and I; she reads one chapter
and / the next, and we should do SC
in the morning also. but you know
how early I 60 to work-long before
she is awake.


About month after We were mar,
ried, whom should meet but very
old mate of mine, Jack Ruggles.
Twas Saturday night.


"Well, Tom" said he, chow are
you? I haven't seen you this age"