Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1879-06-06
" COME AND BE SHONE."
Borrowing Quarter Of a Dollar on Short
Acquaintance.

From the Detroit Free Press
The Detroit brigade of bootblacks
was increased by one yesterday. A
passenger train from the East car
ried one more passenger than the
conductor knew of, because the said
passenger was concealed on the
trucks, and looked more like hunk
Of mud than live boy IA years old.
He came across the river with the
Others, and after q brief look around
the depot he walked up to a hack.
man and said:
sold boy, Pm right from Jersey
City, with nothing to eat for two
hull days, and not q red in my
pocket. Pm game, am. Lend
me quarter and I'll make 1t o dol
lar before noon.u
g! don't know you," replied the
hickman.
"Nor l you, but that's all right.
A man who won't lend live boy
quarter to get q start in life is no
man at all. Come, what dye say?"
He got the money, and, walking
up to bootblack who stood SILVER
lug in the cool air, he said:
"Boy, you'll never make sinner
In the world. Your forte is land
scape painting or counting bank
notes. I'll gin We quarter for yer
kit, and If ye ever want money for
pint of peanuts, call on me-"
1t was a trade. There was new
box of backing and pretty fair
brush, and the new boy no sooner
had the box under his arm than he
cried out in wonderfully shrill
voice:
"Come and see me! Come and be
shone by chap who kin make
yer boots look nicer in two minits
than SLOUGH could in four days.
Hold out yer feet an gin me
chance to lay the cornerstone Of a
fortune-and don't you forget It'll"
"He secured five "blacks" as fast
as he could work, and in twenty
minutes he had paid back the
quarter. In half an hour lie was
sixteen cents ahead, and then
rubbed his aching arms and said:
"pve got to drop suthin' down
for my stomach to lay hold on, and
then Pll make the fur fly. ItIl
take me two hours yet to get
limbered up and feel like a buzz
saw run by chain lightning, but
when l do get to work in earnest
[ shall use up brush every nine
minits all day long"
After he had procured q CHEAP
breakfast at q restaurant, he found
himself confronted by four or five
bootblacks, who looked as IL they
had planned to give him the
"bounce."
morning, gents" said the new
boy, as he looked from one to the
other. "No use givin' me any
copperas, my beauties, for i've
struck town to stay. Pm right on
the black. I'd rather black butes,
but kin black eyes il Pm forced
to. I'm Kelly motor-only more
so. L strike, kick, bite aud pull
hair all at one motion, and 1t takes
three policemen to pull me away
from the mangled remains of my
Victims"
The boys consulted together and
concluded not to tackle him, and
in five minutes more they were
giving him their friendship. He
led them back to the depot, stood
them in a line, and said:
Now, slouches, you stick by me
and I'll stick by you. This town
hain't never bin half worked, and
know 1t. Down East we all
thought you used dishwater and
stove-blacking instead of shoe-pol-
ish. Repress your emotion few
minutes and see me tear myself all
to flinders.p
The new boy moved around like
top, worked like a pony engine,
talked like q candidate, aud made
twenty cents In about ten minutes.
Putting the 'clinkn down in his
old vest-pocket, he swung his box
over his shoulder and remarked:
"Sixty cents afore ten o'clock of
the first day is good huff. Now +
want to 60 up town, see the streets,
study architecture, steal me q dog,
and this afternoon I'll feel as IL /
was born here and had been in Jail
half a dozen times. Tata, chill
dren; don't spend your money for
taffy while Pm goneW
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