The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-07
A ~SH0EMAkER'S STORY.

l was porn III the Luxembourg just
about fifty years ago. Goodness! flow |
used to work at the bench when | was a
lad, sewing and hammering, hammerirg
and sewing on boots and shoes. There
was that dearoId father ofmlne, with his
rlmmed spectlcles perched on his nose,
Who set he an example of thrift and
honesty. above ALL" he used to say to
"be a good shoemaker. Never scamp
anything Do the best you can, and do
it all the time" we you'd work FL. Fiji
sunrise far int1 the night. The pay we
got Vas little enough. SO small that we
used to watch the candle that fluttnred
In the wind, and worry uver its cost. If
VIC worked very, very hard, and custom
was good, We nightcount on u gain of 10
sGus each, hut sometimes we would all
stop peggin9 away because the poor peo-
pie in CUR village had no money to spend
for shoes. On, how difficult it was 10
buy a sack OF -four, or a little scrap OF
meat! We lived from hand to mouth.
Poor old father, do what We could to
help bin, he get into debt. and owed at
one time as much as 80 francs. What a
huge sum that seemed to me to be-!
What q whole mountain OF embarrass.
ment!
starved myseIfin order to put a lit
tie money aside One day l said to faith
err: "This thing don't work. I am going
to clear out. l can't stand it." ''You
will leave NE. rcy son? Your poor old
father is an ineumb rance to you?!"
mo, not at all. Bnt ! must go away to
work for him TT is well" replied nv
father. "You are q good shoemaker.
Your stitches are strong and ever You
shape well. Go see the world, and Gods
blessing accompany you"
| went to Paris AMI led a memorable
life there for Il time. | hardly gained
my bread at first. The habits of the
Partisan s1lnetnakers Mortified me, for [
had been hrpngh up ~ a pious father.
! was q good workman, however, and
after II while found steady employment,
but | could help poor father, but little.
Oh, it used to make my heart sore to
think Of h'rn cramHed up in his little
dingy room, working away for dear life,
with n ,aeagre reward OF a crust of dry
bread. The habits of economy he had
taught me helped me then. | scraped
together sou by sou, and ut last sent hin
ten francs. He wrote me that the sum
had saved him from being turnes out of
his poor old cha nber. This will never
do" said |. 81 must go somewhere
else. | am a good shoem ker, and my
experience Ill Paris has given Inc the
finishing iouGh. | must go somewhere
else, where the art of Crispin will be APP
precIatcd."
0ne fine day in 1850 I took a place
as landsman on an English burque, from
Harre TO Boston. ! landed in the Uni
ted States with just forty cents uwc
francs) in my pocket ! sought work al
once. | saw III Al Lutte shoemaker's shop
up Il narrow street u sim written on pa
per and stuck on the glass with waters
could not read it. | did not know
single word OF English then, but ovel
the door was Il German name. | made
bold to enter, and talked German to the
proprietor. SIT down." he said, f'or
thai bench and sew me on that sole ;
81 nm Il iair shoemaker, and you viii
see," | replied. 1t was a pleasure lc
take hold of the tools once more; they
seenie.i tn know me. How ! blessed N,
jatner then! My was satisfied ant
| got a Job right dG al one dollar Il day
and nay food. THIS q a fortune to mt
tEen, ! worked for six months steadil,
and, save Tor q second hand pnir o
trousers bought by me ata bargain.
boarded every penny. l sent tue deaI
old father so dollars and back came his
blessing. He wrote he had never seer
SO much money at n time i'll his life
But l was ambitious. just then the
. (NuIIfnrnlA III VAr ll'lS tlOlny Snnnfhip,
told me to 90 to the Pacific coast. | tool
ship and crossed the lsthmus. Just be
fore arriving at San Francisco there wa
a heavy gale; We came near being ship
wrecked, and l lost my nat. | Iemem
Der that quite well | landed with on,
dollar exactly. On board there wa.
II carousins shoemaker, who hat
been sent from the east 10y q man wht
kepta shop at San Francisco. l heart
him say he had come before his time
and that, any how, it he could do nc
better, he vas going to work at cobbling
He mentioned the name Of the mar
who was to hire him, and l had iii.
consent TO appiy,for the place.
| went TO the shoe shop at once ant
ASKED for the position. 1T is given Il
another man who ought to be here sool
and / can't make use of you. Beside
Won have no nat" THAT makes n,
difference" [ replied. 81 see shoemak
ers wages at S. u day Git was the ausl
time for California them give me IS ant
feed me and only let me stay Till tn,
man you hired turns up, for I am in,
deed. q shoemaker" The boss gave
kind of grudging consent. Then | slep'
that night in the shop. When the mas
ter came to the place he found every
thing in elegant order, and | had i, ad
So before breakfast by mending a bool
i suited him exactiy-for l am q GOO,
shoemaker. | lived with that man 10
"a wear, 2ni saved all nay money. / sen
the dear old fellow at home $l09. |
you could only have seen the letter tina
came bacEi The blessed old daddy want
ed to know if I thought he was a spead
thrift, That SlHU he wss going to max
do ior the next three years. There wa
81 chance | heard Of in Sacramento,
went there. my master giving me som.
of his shoDworn stock. l did
snlendid bnslness. In Elk month
had made for my shar,
5000. NY fortune was before me
poor old daddy WAS not forgotten.
got q cross letter from him this time
The se,or simple soal wanted to knov
whether I thought he WAS going 10 the
dogs. Did I want to make him df.lnk
ard, g gpslrmand. and put all kinds O
temptation in his WY? Too mact
money waa the source OF I'll evil. l wa
robbinstny<Sl to pamper aim.-bn, 70.
all tl,at tt.ers WAS u lot OF sgesllsss il
cha lnttar