The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-05-22
"COme and Be ShOne."

The Detroit brigade of boot blacks
was increased by one yesterday. A pas
sengsr train from the East carried one
more passenger than the conductor knew
of, because the said passenger was con-
cealed on the trucks and looked more
like a hunk of mud than live boy four,
teen years old. He came across the river
with the others, and after brief look
around tue depot he walked up to a
hackman and said:
"Old boy, Pm right from Jersey City,
with nothing TO eat for two hull days
and not red in my pocket. Pm game,
am. Lend me aquarter and I'll make
it dollar before noon."
II don't know YOU" replied the hack
man.
"Nor you, but that's all right A
man who won't lend a live boy quar-
ter to get start in life is no man at all.
Come, what dye sayw
He got the money, and walking up to
bootblack who stood shiveriDg in the
cool air, he said;
Boy, you'll never make a sinner in
the world. Your forte is landscape
painting or counting bank notes. Pll
gin ye quarter for yer kit, and if ye
ever want money for pint of peanuts
call on me-"
It was trade. There was a new box
of blacking and pretty fair brush, and
the new boy no sooner had the box un-
der his arm than he cried out in a won
derfully shrill voice:
"Come and see mel Come and be
shone by chap who'll make yer butes
J sSok nicer in two minits than a slouch
could ip four days. Hold out yer feet
an gin me chance to lay the corner
stone Of fortune-and don't you for
get itw
He secured five "blacks" as fast as
he could work, and in twenty minutes
he had paid back the quarter. In half
an hour he was fifteen cents ahead, and
then he rubbed his aching arms and
4 said:
"Pve got to drop sunthin' down for
my stomach to lay hold on, and then r II
come out and make the fur fly. It'll
take me two hours to get limbered up
and feel like buzz-saw run by chain
lightning, but when do get to work in
earnest l shall use up a brush every
nine minits all day long"
After he had procured cheap break.
fast at a restaurant he found himself
confronted by four or five bootblacks
who looked as if they had planned tt
give him the bounce.
as he looked from one to the other
mo use giving me any copperas, nv
beauties, for I've struck this town t.
stay. Pm right on the black. PC
rather black butes, but kin black eye
If Pm forced to. I'm Kelley motor
only more so. strike, kick, bite ant
pull hair all at one motion, and it take
three policemen to pull me away from
the mangled remains of my victims"
The boys consulted together and con
cluded not to tackle him, and in fiv
minutes more they were giving hin
their friendship. He led them back t.
!, the depot, stood them in line and said
"Now, slouches, you stick to me AM
I'll stick to you. This town hahn
never bin half worked, and know il
: Down East we all thought you use,
! dishwater and stove-blacking instead o
shoe-polish. Repress yer emotion
few minutes and see me tear myself al
: to finders"
|, The new boy moved around like a TOP
worked like pony engine, talked like
candidate, and made twenty cents i
t about ten minutes. Putting tn
Q "chink" down into his old vest pocke
7 he swung his box over his shoulder an
}, remarked:
"Sixty cents afore ten o'clock of tn
: first day is good 'nufr Now / want I
60 uptown, see the streets, study arch
: lecture, steal me "a dog, and this afte
q noon I'll feel as if. j was born here an
:. had been in jail half a dozen time
is Ta-ta, children; don't spend your none
}. for taffy while Pm gonep