Tip Top Weekly No. 118: Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 TIP TOP WEEKLY. What surprised everybody was the fact that Frank did not show hesitation in taking hold of any kind of a job, no mat- ter how dirty. He was not squeamish, or, if he was, he did not betray it. Nearly half the forenoon had passed before Frank Jearned that Martin Hail, or Old Slugs, as he was generally called, had not put in an appearance that morn- ing, but was reported to be ill in bed, unable to work. Then some strange workmen caine round to see the boy who had whipped Old Slugs. They looked him over doubt- fully, and were inclined to disbelieve the story. “Slugs could chaw him up in a min- ute,’ one declared. “That’s what everybody thought till they saw him try it,*’? said a witness of the fight. “Well, itimust have been an accident if that boy knocked Slugs out.’ “It wasn’t no accident. It was the cleanest, smartest fightin’ I ever saw. Why, look at him! He don’t bear a mark, and Slugs is in bed, with his face ali cut and plastered. ”’ ‘‘All right, if you say so; but I don’t understand it.’ All this was very embarrassing to Frank, who regretted the unfortunate occurrence that had made him so con- picuous in the roundhouse. He continued about his work, pretending that he did not hear the talk. Long before noon Frank was smeared with dirt and grease. It was a strange experience to him, for all his life he had been immaculate about his dress and his person. But he had started out to make his way in the world, and he had begun at the very foot of the ladder. No one under- stood better than he that there was no room at the top for slirkers. It was hon- est work, and he hoped for something better in the future. , He did not allow his mind to dwell on the pleasures that were past. He knew the winner in the battle of life is the one who looks forward, not backward. Frank felt confidence in himself. He believed he would be able to rise in time, and he had entered the roundhouse with the determination to keep his eyes and ears open and learn everything possible as fast as possible. Along toward noon, when«t happened that there was no worse work for him to do, one of the wipers set him to aiding in cleaning up a locomotive. It happened that the man was of a sociable turn, and he fell to talking with Frank, asking him mafiy questions, all of which Merry answered truthfully. | ‘It don’t seem to me that you was cut out for this kind of work,’’ said the wiper. ‘‘But mebbe you may have luck and get somewhere. It’s mighty hard, though. Now I know every part of an engine, and I can handle one as well as half the engineers, but I don’t get no show. I did think there was a chance for me to get on firing till the strike over on the P. B. & Y. That throwed lots of good men out of work, and some of them came right over here and found jobs fir- ing or running engines, which knocked out us chaps who was waiting for an opening. No telling now when my turn ‘li come.” Frank did his best to cheer the man up, and then found his opportunity to ask a nuinber of questions about the names of the different parts of the engine. Every explanation the wiper made to hin) he fixed in his mind, and, when noon came, he was satished that he had not let his first half day pass without learning something. | The foreman came uptohim. ' SHOW YOUR COLORS—GET ONE OF OUR FREE BADGES. ECOMICLO® SS (C(O)