The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-05-21

smile of curiosity from the rest, answered his
question in the affirmative.
You must have been in luck, stranger .
said an envious looking little man. "You've
more than your share of gold.o
81 have, ell? Well reckon moi; come hon.
cstly by II; that's so. And there's them living
who can remember this child when he went
round the p'rairries trapping p'rarry hens
and the like to get him nights lodgings, or a
pair of shoes, to keep the massasaugers from
biting my toes. I've hung myself up more
nor one night in the timber, to keep out of the
way of the wild varments; best sleeping in
the world in the croch of tree topl Now, I
reckon you wouldn't believe it, put pve gone
all winter without a shoe TO my foot; and lived
on wild game, when could ketch it, That's
so!''
"Did'nt it stunt your growts, }" said voice
near.
"Not bit Of il. II brought me right up.-
These p'rairries are wonderful roomy. l
thought one spell would let myself out entire
ly but me and mother held corcus, and de-
ciced that as she was getting old, and blind
like, it Tux too long and cost too much 10 sew
up the legs of my trowsers, and SO put stop
to 1t, and concluded that six foot FIVE inches
would do for feller that couldn't ford the
expensive luxury of wife to make his breech-
es. 1t was only my love for my mother that
stopped my growth. II Pd had an idea Of
sewing machine, there's no telling what 1
might have done.
"fou have so many gold pieces in your pock-
ct, You can afford to get your trowsers made
now. Why don't you and your mother hold
Another c'rcus and see what you can do? If
she would let you expand yourself, you might
sell out to Barnum, and make a fortune trav-
cling with Tom Thumb, and take the old wo-
,nan along"
Stranger" said the rough, great man, ard
his whole face doomed up with mingled ex-
presssion of pain and pride, ''stranger spoke
a word here didn't mean to, slightly word,
like, ab'ut my mother, would give all the
gold in my pocket to bring her back for one
'onr, to look upon this conntry as it is now
She had her cabin here when Chicager was
nowher.; here she raised her boys-she
couldn't give them larnin', but she taught us
better things than books can give: to be hon.
est, and useful, and industrious. She taught
as to be faithful and true; to stand by a friend.
and be generous to an cnenemy. It's thirty
years, stranger, since We dag her grave b the
AXE, here, with our own hands; and with
many tear and sob, turned ourselves away
from The cabin where we'd been raised-,hc
Ind ans had killed our father long before. and
we'd nothing to keep us--ard we went out to
seek our fortunes. ny brother, he took down
to s.. Louis, and got married down there
som'ers; and jest went where the wind blow
ed, and when I'D scraped money enough to-
gether, | c,m back and bought few acres of
land around my mothers old cabin, for the
place where I'D lain her bones was sacred, like.
Well, IN the course of time, it turned up right
IN the middle Of Chicager couldn't stand
that-I loved my old mother too we'll to let
omnibusses rattle over her grave, SO | cum
hack about fifteen years ago, and quietly le.
moved her away TO the buryip ground; and
then Went back to Texas. and wrote 10 an
agent afierward to sell my land. What cos
few hundred 10 begin on, sold for over for
ty thousand-if I'D kept it till now, 'twould
have been worth ten times that; that's so. but
got enough fort soon turned that forty
thousand into eighty Thousand and thas into
twice as much, and so Oh, 'sill l don't know
nor care what l'm worth; that's so. work
hard and am the same rough customer, remem-
Der every day Of my life what my mother
taught me; never drit k, gamble nor fight; wish
! didn't swear aud chaw; but them's got to
be kind a second natur' like ard the only thing
That troubles me is my money-haven't got
no wife nor children, ami Pm going now to
hunt up my brother and his folks. If his BOYS
are clever and Industrious, ain't ashamed of
my big bo,'s and old fashioned ways, and his
gals Is young women aaa no; ladies; il they
help their mother, and dant put on more than
two frocks day, rll make ein rich every
one Of EN-.
NOV, gentlemen, faint often I'm led to
tell on myself after this fashion. But these
old places, where trapped when was a boy,
make Inc feel like child agin-and Just
felt like telling these youngsters here about
the chances feller may NEE. in life, If he
only tries to make the most Of himself.
But, boys, said he, turning to party of
young men, s'there is something better than
money. Get education. Why, boys if had
as much larnin' as money, could be Presi-
dent, in 1887 just as e-a-s-y. Why, could
buy up hall the North and not miss It out of
my pile. But get larn;n'; don't chaw tobacco;
don't take to liquor; don't swear, and mind
your mother-that's the advice of a red live
Sucker, and il You mind what say you NAV
De men, (aad it aia't every Teller that wears a
goaise and breeches that's man, by long
ways.) Foller out her councils; never ca a
hing that will make you ash med to meet her
IN heaven. Why, boys never done bad
thing but herd my mothers voice reproying
me; AMI never done good thing and made a
good move but SCENE to hear her say, .That's
right, Jack, and 'sThat has been the best of all.
NothlP like mother, boys; nothin' like a
mother--that's So"
All This had passed while waiting Tor wood,
just onssde OF Chicago. The great man was
swelling with emotions called up from the
dark shadows of the past: his bis rough FRA me