Show the old settler my dear san Jua ners that used to be a dangerous piece of road he explained but a funny thing happened there 1 want to take notice as we pass there this afternoon i What ll I 1 losk look for I 1 asked lock at the road see that work has been done on it in the list twelve hours who by some being no hes he just an ordinary human being but hes a strange old feller who has a little ranch somewhere above the dugway 11 1 see hes got something to F sell ell and his way of advertising it no he has nothing to sell bothi nothing ag to say just a kind of a strange old guy who seems to think he has to keep that piece of road in first class order all th time I 1 watched vat ched for that piece of road and was craning my neck to se I 1 as much of it as poc possible sible wh vh something went wrong with the I 1 vitals c our car and we I 1 got out and ascertained that thread around that point of cliff had been worked very recently with pick and shovel hammer and bar then I 1 got sight of the old man down the road below us and since our driver was still trying to diagnose the ailment of our conveyance I 1 hurried down there to give him a once over his clothes indicated that he i was industrious but not too pros berous his hands bands charled and calloused showed how well he knew hard work but he had a kind face and showed no traces of being eccentric no he answered 1 I dont object to telling why I 1 eo do this its simply a matter of standard and playing fair with my ideal of how things ought to be YOU continued on page 8 the old settler continued from page 1 I 1 see ive lived in this wonderful world for more than sixty years and ive been enjoying all kinds of good things prepared for his children and I 1 figure that a mans soul is too narrow for him to live within comfort if it is the kind to receive everything and give nothing how did you get started at this work I 1 asked he leaned on his shovel with a kind of apologetic smile it was because a fellow made me mad a fellow who claimed that the world owed him a living and he was determined to collect it I 1 wanted to whip im the infernal louse but I 1 got to thin kingdo I 1 owe him a living does anybody owe me a living then why do I 1 take everything that comes my way and figure it belongs to me what have I 1 done more than a louse in grateful return for what I 1 have enjoyed in this wonderful world and then one night there was a wreck on this road I 1 heard it and come down a little girl was i killed and her grandmother badly hurt it occurred to me right there that I 1 could keep this piece of road in safe shape and I 1 would still be giving out a mighty little bit in answer to what I 1 receive I 1 get more kick out of the time I 1 spend here than in anything elso elsa 1 I do id hate to go out of world knowing I 1 done a thin thing Z to make it better how much time do I 1 spend I 1 here 7 some days very little you see its this slide if something slides down from above I 1 might come down in the night ive never counted the hours I 1 spend all I 1 care is to have the road free of rocks how do we make our living my wife and our girl tend a little herd of pigs at our ranch up here on the hill sometimes after a storm or in the spring the girl helps me our driver had put his finger on the trouble in our car and waz was coming I 1 had only time to grasp the honest hand of the old pig herder and tell him I 1 wished all men could see the world through his eyes with my farewell glance I 1 saw him bending over his pick 1 and I 1 thought he that would b be greatest among you let him be the servant of all albett albert R lyman |