Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-12-05
Jim Blaine Stories,

When Blaine Was boy, his mother,
Sho WAS living in Washington county.
Pa, sent him over here to 60 to school,
and he lived in Senator Ewing's family,
and slept with young Tom in the house
next to Shermsn's, on the corner. Tom
and he we're play mates and sworn friends,
and stole apples together in the or
chards that cit on the hills east OF the
Court House. Blaine lived here two
years WAS prepared for college at the
Lancaster Academy, and when be left
entered Jefferson College, OF Pennsyl-
vania, as q student. After graduating
there, he drifted into Kentucky to teach
school, and Kentucky gave him his very
excellent wife. From Kentucky he
wandered of to Maine as an editor, and
became famous. When Blaine was
here, "Cump Sherman vas al West
Point. and John was big boy at the
academy.
/ was wandering about town this
evening and met al old residenter. He
was in his shirt sleeves, and bent over q
cane. As asked him a question about
the Sherman place, he sat down to rest
and wiped the persp!ration out OF the
WIlukleS Oh his lace.
Did you know John Sherman when
he was boy ?" asked.
"To be sure, to be sure" he said.
I've know'd the Shermans ever sence
l know'd anybody. an that's long
time"
What sort of boy was John?"
He WAS likely boy, but no one
never 'spected he'd make SO much on
himself rs he has. John was quiet
boy, and wasn't up to much sport /; but
Cump he was alters great on havin'
good time. If was to have picked
any one on EN- out to have been q big
man should ha' said Charley, who was
ledge. and died not long ago in Cleve-
land. He was the likeliest of the lot"
"What kind of q man was their ia
Their, the old Judge?"
"Waal, he was alters a good deal
starchy. John favors him more than the
other boys. 'Cump is more like his
mother. She was Stoddard, an an
excellent woman she was, too. She
died when John was very young"
"How old were you when John was
young man here?"
was man grown /; I reckon I was
fifteen years or so older than him."
(Which was liked the best here of
the boys?"
"Waal, Cump was the favorite among
the boys, but the grown folks thought
we'll of John. He was o well.behaved
boy, and Cump was alters up to all
sorts o. scrapes. Sometimes folks
thought that boy Cump would go to the
bad, sure. It's amazin' how he has
come up"
"Do you recollect Blaine, when lie was
a boy here?"
"To be sure to be sure. Iseen him
here only last week, and I'd known
him ef I'd seen him in Chiny. He
was Jim Blaine all over. Jim was
wild boy, like Cump Sherman. How
he did cut up !" said the old man, mus
ing. "There's lots O. folks here who
knows Jim Blaine, and he haint been
back here much neither. And it was
surprisin' the way Blaine knowd every
body he hadn't seen for years gone.
Why, there was John Eggers he used
to run with Blaine. His folks lived
alongside o. old man Ewing, and him
and Blaine was alters together, like as
two peas. Last week John Eggers
went down to the depot, and walked up
and says he to Blaine "How dy do,
Mr.. Blaine you're grayer than when I
saw you last An says Blaine. John
Eggers, you old sinner, I know you :"
and he didn't leave off shakin' hands
for five minutes. Blaine hadn't seen
John for more'n thirty years, yet he
knew him the minute he set his eyes on
his face, and they stood there and
talked about what they used to do when
they was boys, while all the folks was
standin' around trying to shake hands
with Blaine"