Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-06-12

M HI
man, and then went whistling
away, thinking no more about IL.
Il can even tell you the air |
whistled. 1t was that ola street
song called The King of the Cam
nibal Island which was popular
at the time, and / think shared
public favor with another lyric
known as Jim Crow
81 had not gone far, however,
and was thinking of Investing in
saveloy and loaf of bread,
which would jointly cost my en-
tire fortune of twopence sterling,
when Grabbed looking old man,
mufaed up in q cloak, thrust some
thing hurriedly into my right
hand. $685.
1T was piece of gold--a SOW
ereign-and / stood staring az it
in state of bewilderment.
"'You have just done good
action growled the old man,
harshly; Il walked beside you all
the way from st. Georges Hos
pital, and saw you help the child
with the truck So saying, he
whlrled suddenly about, and
made off as though impatient of
thanks. ~ ff.. .-s
81 did no. do it for money,
sir,' / suffered, unconsciously
standing in his way, and REDEEM
ing to the tips of my ears in sur
prise and excitement.
"'That Is the reason why you
are rewarded" replied the old
man, with an impetuous snort.
and, brushing me out of his path,
he trotted back towards Piccadil-
ly, as though he had done moth
ing unusual. In truth, that was
the case. My unknown benefac-
tor was Mr.. iSimon Coldpepper,
who went along doing good and
running away from 1t. Twenty
years after we. became intimate
friends. He and L built q block of
almshouses together, and / was
sole executor to his will. q
"Well, that was my acorn. I
bought some decent clothes wit h
part of 1t, and got more for my
messages, owing to my improved
appearance. Then 1 began to save
money, and had the good luck, to-
gether with the quickness of eye
and hand required, to save AL
derman Dumping from being
run over by a fast-trotting butcher
er on q dividend day at the bank.
He only gave me half a crown in
money, but / got more In fact, for
/ found that / had acquired the
passive good will of a man who
who thought slowly, indeed, but
to some purpose. 'e no
"About six months after he en-
gagged me to sweep out his shop,
and told me to learn to read and
write. When he found I could do
so satisfactorily, he made me his
warehouse clerk; and at the end
of two years he said: ST have
been looking into your figures,
John Swinton, and find you have
not made a single mistake since
you came into the business. /
want to send a good man out as
our agent to Australia; would you
like to go?' So ~. .ll,.5, ea,a.b,
bel did like. to go, as you may,
suppose, and fell just into the
cream OF the gold discoveries. I
put all the money ! could rake to-
gether into sand lots, and / am
afraid to tell you how much ]
made by them. / became partner
| ID the great colonial firm of
Dumping, Swinton, Goldfeece q
Co. You know the rest. I am
now the headl of 1t, my worthy
chief having settled his last ac-
count all quiet and correct before
/ was forty.' .gat g9me.iraa i0
care you coming to tea ?" here
inquired q majestic voice. 1t was
that of Lady Marion Swinton, and
before its echoes had returned to
silence, we were invaded and ut
terIy overwhelmed by rosy, OBJ
streperous rabble of boys and girls,
who startled me out of a quiet
doze. ..s1mhnhs#