PLUCK.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 440, 18 August 1904, Page 8

PLUCK.

\ By Laura E. Richards, \

(froai the Tomtb'*Companion, lieprtnssd by Sp«ci«.i Permixaion.) f, "t7"ES," eaid the ironmaster, "first Y honesty, and then pluck—those are tae things needful. Speaking of pluck—" lie stopped to answer the summons of the telephone, said "Yes," and "No," by turns for five minutes, and then resumed: "Speaking of pluck, as you were doing just now, reminds me of a story, the beginning and end of which is that one word."

We settled ourselves in our chairs. "We were sitting in the office of the iron works, and the air was full of the sound of great hammers, crashing *nd pounding; of the sharp hiss of swollen, metal, and the clear ring of smitten steel.

"I was sitting here in. this very j -hair," the ironmaster began, "one; •lay about seven years ago, or maybe «ight. Time goes so fast I hardly try | o keep count of it in these days. At iny rate, here I was sitting, reading the newspaper, when there came a I rock at the door. " 'Come in!" I said; and in walked a

stranger. He was a young man, about 25 years old, dressed like a gentleman, though his clothes had seen a good deal of service. Tall, with his head held up, and gray eyes that met mice fair and square. "Aways look first at a man's eyes, my boy! If he looks you in the eye, he is worth trying. If his eyes Ghift about here and there, as if they didn't know where to look, or were afraid of seeing something they aidn't like—have nothing to do with him! That's ray experience! «*

"Well, this young man came up to my desk, and spoke without waiting for me; yet it was no want of manners, for his manners were good. '"Good morning, sir!' he said; and his voice had a clear ring to it that I liked. 'I want work. Can you give me any?' j "I shook my head. We never took strangers in that way, and I don't recommend the practice at any time.; " 'No, sir!' 1 said. 'Wehave no work here. Sorry I can't accommodate j you.' I took up my paper again, and; looked to see him go out without more j words, but he stood still. T must have work!" he said. 'I would try to give you satisfaction, sir, and I tell you I must have it!'

" 'My good sir,' I said, putting the paper down, 'there is no vacancy in the place. If you will give me your, name and references, I will make a note of them, and some day when we do have a job to dispose of I will remember you. That is the best I can do for you to-day.' "The young man shook his head. 'That won't do!' he said. Think again, sir. Surely in this great place there must be something a strong, willing man can do. It is useless to talk of waiting till a vacancy occurs. I must have work now, to-day! It ia absolutely necessary!' j "It wae on the tip of my tongue to tell him that it was absolutely necessary for him to leave that office and shut the door after him; but I looked at him again, and didn't say it. ' "I saw that he was telling the truth, and that he must have work. It wasn't that he looked shabby, or that there was any suspicion of whin* gor snivelling about him. If there id been, out he would have gone in retty quick time. But there was a ;ok in his eyes—well, I hardly know: ■>** to describe it, but the man was iaperate, and had some reason foj eing so. " 'What kind of work do you want?* I said, putting down the paper again. *"Any kind.' 4 " Ton mean that ?' "T cV. Anything that will put bread L. '.he meuths of—' he choked a little, and stopped. Then, 1 came from Canada, two days ago, with my wife and three children, and was robbed in the train of my wallet. I have not a penny!' '"Come with me!' I said. And he followed me out of the works, frfa Btory might be true, or it might not, but I had thought of a way to teßt the metal of which he was made. "The Stark mill, in which I had eome interest, had been burned a few days before, and I had a gang at work, clearing away the rubbish. A dirty job it was; the men were up to their waists half the time in Jnad and water, and the whole place was a muddle of rusty iron and burnt timbers and what-not—looked like the end of the world, and the wrong end at that.

"The gang Jkhad on were mostly Italians—it dirty work for a Yankee to touch, and even the Irish were shy of it. They were little, dark, monkey-looking- fellows, working away, and chattering in their unearthly gibberish. I glanced from them to my gentleman, with his clear white skin, and hands which showed' that, whatever trade he had worked at, clearing away wreckage hadn't been part of it —though he looked like one who might have takon a good deal of exercise in athletic sports.

"'Here is a job!' I said. "The only one I know of. How do you like it?' " 'Well enough,' he said, as cool as possible.

'"You'll get a dollar and a half a day,' I told him. 'You'll get your death, too, probably. When, will you go to work?' " 'ln an hour,' he said. Well, off he went, and I "hardly expected to see him again. But before the hour was out he was back again, in a flannel undershirt and a pair of old trousers. 3a took bis pickax, and down L»

UK aE.Ti. S >-> 's 0»' *»ff IrQBBV i : for coWs, p ;i>i*twit e*oph3 * T,rr.vPDtivf oir* l *»-i.'onia. It is Atbrrs* favrtji=*r fair whooping hj r v T —c -.» r. -

alts,. ;;t «;nitd With .. aovt-j tj.ii got to talking ~:••; i. -. :. and were deep in a dh.;usfck- ....v.s J udd, when there canu a Iu ..: '• .-•-•! '.. at the door. % "(.ri;.: : ;oti!" I exclaimed, inastag< whisper, the rosy advantages of ir.. plan suddenly fading in the cold ligL of reality. "There, I told you aol" cried Margery ungenerously, sitting up abruptly s that her hair fell about her in agreai shining, coppery shower. "Sb —shut up!" ! whispered, reachinj out with an agitated stockinged toe fc :he bedroom slipper I bad carelessly kicked off a moment before.

Again the knock came, this time more imperative. "What in heaven's name shall we do?" gasped Margery. "Keep still, you chump!" I said, sotto voce, too nervous to pick my words.

Then the door handle turned and we heard Ned's voice saying: "There'snobody home. Let's come in and wail "or them." "All right," was the reply, in Jack'* bass tones. "Maybe it's not the prope; thing, but we might as well risk it," am •.vc heard the door close as our visitor; entered and took possession of ou; apartment. It was too ridiculous. I'd have had to laugh if our lives had been at stake, and in spite of the imminent danger oi discovery in this mortifying plight i stuffed all of a sofa pillow that wouh. go into my mouth and shook till rn.\ sides ached.

It was the expression on Margery's face that recalled me to myself at last. Chancing to glance up from behind ft corner of the cushion I was trying to swallow, I caught her listening with strained attention to something that was being said on the other side of the screen, with every bit of color .gone out of her face and a look in her eyes I'd never seen there before.

"Yes," Jack was saying, "if they don't hurry I'll have to go without saying good-by. My train leave* at ■evfti, and I've lots to do." * Ned lighted his pipe before he replied. Dear Ned, I believe he would smoke in Heaven if Peter didn't take the precaution to search him before he let him in.

"I guess it'll surprise them some," he remarked at last. "Especially when they hear you're never coming back." I nuged Margery violently at this, but she didn't look at me —the minx—and then Jack went on dolefully: "Oh, they won't care very much, I'm afraid."

"Of course they will," protested Ned, puffing away. "And I will anyway. Must you go, old boy?" "Well, it's this way, Ned. As long as I hoped that Margery might care for me I wouldn't give in to my uncle's proposition that I should marry his ward, Miss Wilson, and become his heir, but now that I'm satisfied I have nc, chance with the girl I love, I might as well marry the other one and please the old man, I suppose. I'll be miserable anyway." And Jack heaved such a sigb that the big paper screen waved about till it threatened to come down aboul our heads.

I gave a horrified look at Margery, bui her hair had fallen over her face, and J could only see one little hand clinchei fiercely as if she had a pain somewhere. L reached dumbly over and tried to take the little hand, but she shook me off. and so I fell to listening again. "Well, it's not so bad as it might be,' Ned was saying, encouragingly. "} hear Miss Wilson is a beauty." "She is," said Jack, with enthusiasm "And then think of the money, mj boy. Most any fellow won Id envy you." "I suppose so," said Jack, drearily "But I must go. Time's up; Will yor. say good-by to the girls for me, Ned \ Tell Margery—" •

Here Jack choked and I was so bus;* catching a large, warm tear that wa* chasing toward the end of my nose thai I forgot to look at Margery, when tr ny amazement a little figure in a gra.A oath robe, with a cloud of coppery hah Ijing after it, bounded right over me. in<l as the screen toppled over with a trash I heard Margery's voice cry: "Oh, no, Jack, you mustn't go. I—] 'ove 3*oll, Jack." I had a confused vision of Jack seizng the little figure in his arms, an<! hen I started to run—l don't look st retty with my hair wet as Margcr Jfcrt somehow when I got to II ! loor 1 met Ned, and as 1 looked i wrathf%lly something I saw in his e\ made me stop short. "Ned Tucker," I easlaimed, "yoi: knew we were there all the time." "Well," he said, not a whit ashamed, "if you will leave the ventilating shafl open—" "You wretch," I cried, and then somehing else struck me- "And the uncle,'' I gasped, "and the beautiful Miss Wilson—" "Are about as real," said Master Ned, "as civil service reform."—Chicago Herald. One Woman's Wisdom. He had proposed to the idol of his heart, but things failed to come his way. "Do you know," he said, as he was leaving her presence forever, "that you :ire wringing my heart from my bosom?" "Possibly," she answered, coldly, "but it's i ilher that or marry you and wrinp she bosoms from your shirts in afto: ■ears." Sreing the case was hopeless, the •a.-iy of the first part lit a cigarette .ml wandered hence into th< hither. — Chicago Evening News. Trne to His Pr:--e":>los. The exhriurted tr:«.vr!er. fronting and li-ilf dead trr.rn thirst. .-:..■ ; : '| nr.ur-'d to 'he dimr:!; 1 cf the !ro".;<:-.. ];•-■ ••■.'•sj»iiig. They ■• - : -• ■ !;{.., ;.,:;; OHT'iit. "We \ ;;: - <;k this." they said. "The • "jßler:.; wi!J rrvivo von.'" ""iV',::{ is inside of it ?" he askod. ••; - •• • ~,.1, -*••• -......:.» i. ...... ,T v