Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-08-24
THE OLD CARTMAN.

About five years ago John Ainsley,
or Pap Ainsley,h as he was familiar
" called. was the owner OF hand
cart, and earned living by conveying
miscellaneous packages from one part
Of the town to the other. and recetv-
| ing therefor the sum Of fifty cents per
load. When not employed, he could
always be found on the corner OF
Montgomery and California streets.-
/ His hair and beard were quite gray,
and his limbs feeble and as he could
not shove as heavy load through the
deep sand or up the steep grade above
I him as the stalwart TeutOn on the
Opposite corner, thereby losing many
a job aud many dollar, and the Light
loads in the neighborhOOd fell to his
/ lot, and kind-hearted men not unfre-
quently travelled square or two out
of their way to give an easy job TO
old Pap Ainsley.n
Four Years ago last September, hav-
ing two or three dozen volumes TO
transfer to my lodgings, / gave Pap
Ainsley the task of transportation
Arriving at my room just as he had
deposited the last armful on the table,
and observing that the old man looked
fatigued after climbing three flights
of stairs two or three times, I invited
him to take a glass of brandy-a bot
tie of which I usually kept in my
room for medical and soporific purpos-
es. Although grateful for the iRvita-
tion, he politely declined. / was as
tonished.
fDo YOU never drink ?'i said I.
HVery seldom" he replied, drop
ping into a chair at my request, and
wiplng the Precipitation from his fore
head.
"Weu, if YOU drink at all" 1 in
sisted, ''you will not find as fair an
excuse in the next tYelvemeDth for
indulging, for you appear fstigued and
scarcely able to stand
'tTo be frank" said the old man,
''I do not drink now. I have not
tasted intoxicating liquors for fifteen
years-since-"
"Sinee when 21 I Inquired thought
lessly, observing his hesitation.
The old man told me sixteen years
ago he was a weIl-tO-do farmer near
Syracuse New York. He had one
child. a daughter, and while attending
a boarding school in that city then q
| girl of sixteen years OF age, she forin-
Q y
clan. Aequainting her father with
the circumstances, he tiatiy refused
| his consent to q union with man ne
had never seen, and removing her
| from school, sent note TO the young
man with somewhat pointed 1ntorma :
ton that his presence in the neigh
bOrhOod of the Ainsley farm would
not meet with favor.
The reader, Of course, surmises the
result, for such a proceeding could
have but one result In less than q
month there was an elopement. The
father loaded his sdouble-barreled shot
gun and swOre vengeance, but, falling
/ 70 find the fugitives, he took to the
Z bottle. His good wife implored him
not to give way to dispair, and he ae-
cused her of encouraging the elope
ment. I- ~ ---.....
| In three months his wife died and
I at the expiration CT a year, when the
young people returned to Syracuse
! from Connecticut, where they had re-
mained with the parents of the hus-
I band, they learned that the old man
| had suuandered his money and was
I almost destitute. Learning of their
arrival, Ainsley drank himself into q
frenzy, and proceeded to the hotel
where they were stopping, attacked
/ the husband, wounded him in the
arm by = pistol shot, and attempted TO
take the life Of his daughter, who hap
PLY escaped uninjured through the
l interposition Of persons brought TO
the spot by the report Of the pistol.
Ainsly was arrested, tried and ae-
Ouited on the plea of insanity. The
| daughter and her husband returned
! to Connecticut, since which time the
| father had not heard from them. He
was sent to the lunasic asylum, from
/ which he was dismissed after remain
! ing six months. In 1851 he came to
! California. He had followed mining
/ for two years, but his strength was
UNEQUAL to the pursuit, and returned
/ to tie city, purchased a hand cart,
and-the rest is known.
rfSince then,D concluded the old
man. as he bowed his face in agony,
az have not tasted liquor, nor have l
seen my child"
I regretted that 1 had been so in
uuisitive, and expressed to the sufferer
/ the sympathy I really felt for him.
After that seldom went past the cor
ner without looking for '.Pap Aims
| lew and never saw him but to think
of the sad story he had told me.
One chilly, drizzly day in Decem-
her following, a gentleman having
I purchased a small marble top table at
an auction room opposite, prohered TO
I the old man the job Of carrying it to
his residence in Stockton. Not wish
1 ing to accompany the carrier, he had
selected the face giving the best assur-
ance Of the careful delivery OF his
( purchase.
Furnished with the number Of the
house, the old cartman, after trying
struggle with the steep ascent of Cali
fornia street, reached his destination,
and deposited the table in the hail.
! Lingeringa q moment, the lady did not
/ surn1ise the reason, until he politely
informed her that her husband lfOr
suchI took him 10 be- had omitted,
probably accidentally, to pay for the
carriage.
Very well, 1 will pay you" said
the lady, stepping into an adjoining
room. a
She returned, and. stating that she
had no small coin in the house, han
ded the man q twenty dollar gold
I piece
He could not m axe change.
Never mind, VIII call tO-mor-
row. ~ he said turning to go.
"No, no." replied the lady, glanc-
ing pityingly at the white locks and
trembling limbs, 81 will not put you
to so much trouble" and she handed
the coin to Bridget, with instructions
| to see if she could get it changed at
1 one of the stores in the neighborhood.
''Stsp into the parlOr until the girl
returns; the air is chilly, and you
must be cold, y continued the lady
"Come," she added as she looked at
his attire and hesitated ''there is a
fire in the CRATE and no one here but
/ the children"
cit is somewhat chilly" said the
old man, following her into the parlor
and taking a seat near the fire.