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Show ALONG LIFE'S TRAIL By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK Dean of Men, University of Illinois. (, 1S25. Wesiera Newspaper Union.) MY SFCRET AMBITION TX7HOEVER we are or whatever we are, we all cherish or have cherished cher-ished some secret ambition. As a boy, I had the great desire to be a railroad engineer. The joy of having the great engine under my control, con-trol, the feeling of power and the rapid motion of the train all stirred me. I remember today with a thrill the sensation sen-sation I had when Ike Steels let me climb up into the cab of his engine and handle the levers. As I grew older . my ambition changed, and I decided that I should like most to be a doctor. Doctor Trip-lett Trip-lett seemed to me to have the most delightful time in life. He had a pleasant pleas-ant office in town, he drove a beautiful beauti-ful sorrel horse to his sulky when he went into the country, .and he got two dollars and a half a visit Just for driving driv-ing out three or four miles and back and feeling father's pulse and looking at his tongue. It seemed to me easy money. Just recently I have thought that since I lack the scientific training to be a plumber, I should like to be a janitor. I should like to see if I could not occasionally put the waste-paper basket where the occupant of the office of-fice could reach it conveniently when he wanted to throw something into It. I should like to get all the "pussy willows" wil-lows" out of the corners, brush the cobwebs down from the ceiling, and. just for once, dust off the rounds of the chairs. I'd like to see if I could not pull down the window shades evenly, even-ly, fill the ink well without getting ink all over the desk, and replace the pens which have been in the holders since the office building was erected. When spring came I'd wash the windows win-dows and open one or two every morning morn-ing before the boss came In to give him a little fresh air and keep him in a good humor. When the radiator got out of order, I'd have It fixed before it leaked all over the floor and took the finish off. I'd try to enjoy doing these things, for I should want to he the best janitor jani-tor on the job, and I'd like to feel that the offices I was taking care of were the cleanest, best looking going. Maybe I'll try it some day when I lose my present job. |