The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer - Lighthouse ...

38 LIFE OF GEORGE STEPHENSON. [chap. iv.
found her a high-principled young woman of excellent character,
courted her with the intention of making her his wife and
setting up in a house of his own. The personal attractions of
Fanny Henderson, though these were considerable, were the
least of her charms. Her temper was of the sweetest ; and
those who knew her speak of the charming modesty of her de-
meanour, her kindness of disposition, and withal her sound good
sense.
Amongst his various mendings of old shoes at Callerton,
George Stephenson was on one occasion favoured with the
shoes of his sweetheart, Fanny Henderson, to sole. One can
imagine the pleasure with which he, would linger over such a
piece of work, and the pride with which he would execute it.
A friend of his, still living, relates that, after he had finished
the shoes, he carried them about with him in his pocket on the
Sunday afternoon, and that from time to time he would whip
them out and hold them up to sight,—the tiny little shoes that
they were,—exhibiting them with exultation to his friend, and
exclaiming, " what a capital job he had made of them ! " Other
lovers have carried about with them a lock of their fair one's
hair, a glove, or a handkerchief; but none could have been
prouder of their cherished love-token than was George Ste-
phenson of his Fanny's shoes, which he had just soled, and of
which he had made such a " capital job.''
Out of his earnings from shoe-mending at Callerton, George
contrived to save his first guinea. The first guinea saved by a
working man is no trivial thing. If, as in Stephenson's case, it
has been the result of prudent self-denial, of extra labour at by-
hours, and of sound resolutions to save and economize for worthy
purposes, the first guinea saved is an earnest of better things.
It is a nest-egg—a token of increase—the beginning, it may be,
of prosperity and wealth. When Stephenson had saved this
guinea he was somewhat proud of the achievement, and ex-
pressed the opinion to a friend, who many years after reminded
him of it, that he was " now a rich man."
At Callerton, Stephenson—haljitually sober and steady was
a standing example of character to the other workmen. He
never missed a day's wages by being off work in consequence of