FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  
eling for some one whose touch may inspire confidence. That's the position I'm in." "You make a strong appeal," said Henry, "far stronger than any personal advantages you could point out to me." "But is it strong enough to move you?" "It might be strong enough to move me to a sacrifice of myself, and still fail to draw me into a willingness to risk the opinion you have expressed of what you term my manliness. As a business man I know that I should be a failure, and then I'd have your pity instead of your good opinion. Let me tell you that I am a very ordinary man. I haven't the quickness which is a business man's enterprise, nor that judgment which is his safeguard. My newspaper is a success, but it is mainly because I have a capable man in the business office. It grieves me to disappoint you, and I will take an oath that if I felt myself capable I'd cheerfully give up journalism and place myself at your service." "Father," said Mrs. Witherspoon--and anxiously she had been watching her husband--"I don't see what more he could say." "He has said quite enough," Witherspoon replied. "But you are not angry, are you, papa?" Ellen asked. "No, I'm hurt." "I'm very sorry," said Henry, "but permit me to say that a man of your strength of mind shouldn't be hurt by a present disappointment that may serve to prevent a possible calamity in the future." "High-sounding nonsense. I could pick up almost any bootblack and make a good business man of him." "But you can't pick up almost any boy and make a good bootblack of him. The bootblack is already a business man in embryo." Witherspoon did not reply to this statement. He mused for a few moments and then remarked: "If it weren't too late we might make a preacher of you." Mrs. Witherspoon's countenance brightened. "I am sure he would make a good one," she said. "My grandfather was a minister, and we have a book of his sermons now, somewhere. If you want it, my son, I will get it for you." "Not to-night, mother." "I didn't mean to-night. Ellen, what _are_ you giggling at?" "Why, mother, he would rather smoke that old black pipe than to read any book that was ever printed." "When I saw the pipe that had robbed Kittymunks of his coat," said Henry, "I thought of my pipe tied with a ribbon." During the remainder of the evening Witherspoon joined not in the conversation, he sat brooding, and when bed-time came, he stood in his accustomed place on the hea
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Witherspoon
 
business
 
strong
 

bootblack

 

mother

 

capable

 

opinion

 
preacher
 

countenance

 
embryo

nonsense

 

sounding

 

calamity

 

future

 
moments
 

statement

 

brightened

 

remarked

 

During

 

remainder


evening

 

joined

 

ribbon

 

Kittymunks

 
thought
 
conversation
 
accustomed
 

brooding

 
robbed
 

grandfather


minister

 
sermons
 
giggling
 

printed

 
prevent
 

anxiously

 

failure

 

manliness

 

willingness

 

expressed


enterprise

 

judgment

 

quickness

 
ordinary
 

confidence

 
position
 

inspire

 

appeal

 

sacrifice

 

stronger