Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-09-25
Selett gtprly.
NICODEMUS DODGE.

tow headed, jeans clad, countrifed cub
of about sixteen lounged in one day, and
without removing his hands from the
depths of his trousers pockets, or taking
off his faded ruin of a slouch hat, whose
broken brim hung limp and ragged about
his ears like bug eaten cabbage leaf,
stared indifferently around, then leaning
his hip against the editors table, crossed
his mighty brogans, aimed at a distant
fly from a crevice in his upper teeth,
laid him low, and said with composuro:
"Wha's the bossp"
81 am the boss" said the editor, fol-
lowing this curious bit of architecture
wonderingly along up to its clock face
with his eye.
Don't want anybody fur to learn the
business, faint likely"
"Well, don't know. Would you
like to learn itp"
"Pap's SO po' he can't run me no mo-,
80 want to get show somers, if can,
tain't no difference what-I'm strong
and hearty. and I don't turn my back ON
no kind of work. hard nur soft"
"Doyou think you would like to learn
the printing businessP"
"Well, I don't rely k'yer durn what
/ do learn, SOS git chance fur to make
my way. I'd jist as soon learn print'n's
anything"
"Can you readp"
"Yes-middlin'.
"Write!"
"Well, I've seed people could lay over
me thar"
"Cipherp"
"Not good enough to keep store, !
don't reckon, but as fur as twelve times
twelve l amt noslouch. Tother side
of that is what gifts me-"
"Where is your homep"
"I'm from old Shelby"
whats your fathers religious de-
nomination."
"Himp Oh, he's blacksmith"
mo. no-I don't mean his trade.
What's his religious denominationP"
"Oh-I didn't understand you befo'.
He's Freemason."
Mono, you don't get my meaning
yet What l mean is, does he belong to
any church,"
Now you're talkin'. Couldn't
make out what your was trying to git
through yo' head no way. B'long to a
church! Why boss, he's been the pi-
FINEST kind Of Freewill Baptis' for
forty years. They amt no pizener
ones'n he is. Mighty good man. pap is.
Everybody says that. If they said any
differunt they wouldn't sad it where /
wus-not much they wouldn't"
"What is your own religionP"
"Well, boss, you've kind o. got me
thar-and yit you haiR't got me so
mighty much nuther. / think It if
feller he'ps another when he's in trouble,
and don't cuss, and don't do any mean
things, nor nuth'n' he amt no business
to do, and don't spell the Savior's name
with little &, he amt runnin' no resks
he's about as saift as ifhe b'longed to
q church"
"But suppose he did spell it with a
little g-what thenp"
"Well. if he done it a-purpose, /
reckon he wouldn't stand no chance
he oughtn't to have no chance, any way,
I'm most rotten certain bout that"
"What is your nameP"
Nicodemus Dodge"
81 think maybe you'll do, ,Nicodemus.
Wen give you trial, anyway"
"All right"
"When would you like to beginP"
"Now."
So, within ten minutes after we had
first glimpsed this nondescript, he was
one of US, and with his coat off and hard
att.
Beyond that end of our establishment
which was furthest from the street was
a deserted garden, pathless. and thickly
grown with the gloomy and villianous
"jimpson" weed and its common friend
the stately sunaower. In the midst Of
this mournful spot was decayed and
aged little I" frame" house with but one
room, one window and no ceiling-it
had been smoke-house generation
before. Nicodemus was given this
lonely and ghostly den as a bed-cham-
Der.
The village smarties recognized
treasure in Nicodemus, right away-a
butt to play Jokes on. 1t ives easy to