Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-11-29

The following simple and unvarnishet
story is strictly true. II il given as hor
ticuitural item, to illustrate the progress il
early life Of { young horticultural in tina
branch of industry!
Fourteen years ago last May, on Satur-
day at noon, boy called At my dwelling
house, TO sell strawberries. He was o.
slender form, apparently about fourteen
years of age, with bright and intelligen,
countenance. The fruit was beautiful and
tempting, but had bought enough at mar.
ket in the morning for dinner and for tea:
and refused to purchase more. He observed
that his strawberries bad just been picked
from the vines, and would keep for the
Sunday. My wife was much pleased with
his gentle and pleasant manners, and deci-
ded ut once to purchase, and to engage a
daily supply from him for the season. Up
on inquiry we learned that, with his father
and young brother, he cultivated vegetables
and fruit to cell in the Cincinnati market,
OH a small place near Newport, Kentucky;
that he had a taste for horticulture and for
books, and that no effort was spared to i'm
prove his knowledge in both. In sum-
m er he cultivated the soil, in winter the
mind.
For three years we were regularly sup
piled by this boy. from the earliest to the
latest period Of the season, with strawber-
res freshly gathered, Of fine quality, and at
moderate price, then with raspberries in
succession.
The fourth year we missed him on his
accustomed round, and feared that we
should see him no more. Ny wife felt dis
appointed good deal about il.
He was SO intelligent and obliging, so
gentle and engaging in his manners. that
she had taken fancy to him. Beside all
this. where could we supply our table with
such fine straw berries, brought daily to
the house! Various inquiries were made,
but nothing could be heard Of him. She
only knew his Christian name, the other,
if she ever heard it, had escaped her MEM
DRY. She recollected to have obsery-
cd an occasional hectic flush on his cheek,
and feared tina, tie fell destroyer. consump
ton, had marked him for its own. Poor
boy. she said. we shall never see him again;
he has run his race, and will soon be for
gotten.
Years had passed away, and we had
ceased to speak of him, when one day a
young man of genteel appearance called at
my store and, presenting his hand, asked
i Remembered him. In the hurry and bus
lie of business life, one forms SO many ac-
luaintances that it is not easy TO recolect
very name or face at first sight. there
ore answered that | did not He replied
hatwhen boy he used to supply US with
strawberries, and he then inquired kindly
for my wife and children.
He stated that, by diligence in his horti-
cultural pursuits, he had saved some money,
and was then interested in small store in
a neighboring town. was delighted to
see him. and TO hear of his prosperity, and
gave him cordial invitation to my house,
but he pleaded want of time, and departed
On reaching home in the evening my wife
was much pleased to hear that her young
friend the strawberry Boy was living and
well, but felt rather sighted at his not call
ling to see her.
Two years ago. when saw him again,
he was comp aritively rich, worth some fifty
thousand dollars, had married the daughter
Of late distinguished lawyer, and had pur-
chased and was then residing in his fine
mansion, in one of the cities opposite our
own. Occupied in business Of public trust
and responsibility, he lives respected and
esteemed by all his neighbors. He is well
known to many Of our citizens Of Cincinna-
ii. With all this prosperity, he has the
good sense to remember that he was once
the little Strawberry Boy and, no doubt,
feels prouder Of being the architect Of his
own fortune, from that foundation, than if
he had inherited ten times as much from
his ancestor. -Horticulturist.