The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-10-18
4 GoOO SHOEMAKER.


WAS horn in tho Luxembourg Just
about titty years aga 0oodness, how
| nsed IL work NJ tho bench when l was
Y lad, sowing and hamMering. hammer.
ing ana sewing on boots and shoes,
There was that dear old father ot mine.
with his stecl.rimmcl spcctacles
perchcd on his nusc. Who set me an
example ef ,h,iit and honesty. "Ahove
ALL" Lc used IL say Ia us, for a brother
then worked With me. "he a good shoe.
maker Never scamp anything. Do
tho hcst YOU ean, and Ito il all tho
time"
We would work from sunrise uatil
far into the night, Tho pay w got
was little enonRh~~so small that w
used IL watch the candle that ilutteretl
in the wind ami VERY over its cost Ii
w worked very. Very hard, and custom
MAS good, w might count a gain Of J
SOUS eachs hut sometimes We would all
stop rsgging away. because the poor
people in our village had no money H.
spend for shoes, oh, how difficult il
MAS Ia buy u sack of coarse flour or 4
little scrap af meat, We lived Nom
hand IL mouth, r,ar old father, 10
what W. could to help him. Ac got into
debt, and owed at one tine as much M
M francs, What huge sum that
seemed To mo To- W., What u whole
mountain af eMl.ar, assment,
l lstarvel myself in order 10 put a
little money aside, Onu day l said IL
father: "lhis thing don't work, am
go,ng h. clear cut, / can't stand it."
"Non will leave me, my sony Your
old father il an incumhrance to yous"
NO, not at all, Hut l must ~
away h work for him."
at il we'll, replied my father, "iou
are u good shoeMaker Your stitches
are strong and cveM You shape we'll,
Ge sce tho world, and Gods blessing
accompany yea,"
went h Paris, and lel a miscrahl,
life there Tor a time | hardly gained
my hrcaa at first, The habits of th.
Partisan shoemaker horriiel mc. for
had been brought up by pious father,
l Was good workman. however, AMI
after while found steady employment
but could help poor father but yer,
little Oh, il ussSl H. make my hear,
sore to think ef him cramrcd up in hi,
little d,ngy room. working away fol
dear life. with a mcager reward of 1
crust of bread. The habits Of econom,
he taught mo helped mo then,
scrApcd together sou by SOU, and at las,
sent him ~ francs. He wrote me tha,
the sum had saved him from l,cinl
turned out of his poor old chamber
"rhis will never do" said l. Il mus
60 somewhere else, l am good shoe
maker. and my experience in Paris Ia.
given me the finishing touch. l mus
60 somewhere else, where the art o
Crsspin will he appreciated"
One fine day in 1850 l took a plac,
~ landsman On an English bark, from
Havre t. Boston. landed in tn,
United States with Just io cents /:
francsl in my pocket. l sought worl
ut once. saw in = little shoemaker
shop up a narrow street sign write,
on paper and stuck ON the glass Will
waters. / could not read it. iii,
not know asingle word Of English then
but over the door there was German
name. l made bold to enter. an,
talked German to the proprietor.
sit down." he said. ION that bench
and sew me on that sole"
Il am fair shoemaker, and yon vii
see" l replied.
II was a pleasure 10 take hold of Tia
tools once more: they seemed to knas
me. How l blessed my father then
My boss was satisfied, and got a io'
right of u, 81 day and my food. Thi
WAS fortune to me then. worke'
for six months steadily. and, save for
| secondhand pair of trousers, bought b
me nj a bargain, boarded every penn,
sent the dear old father $50, and hae
came his blessing. He wrote he I'm
never seen 80 much money ut one tim
In his life. But / was ambitious. Jus
then the California fever was raging
Something told me to 60 to the Paeiii
coast ] took ship and crossed th
isthmus. Just before arriving at Sa
Francisco there WAS heavy gale; "
came near being shipwreckel, and
lost my hat / remember that quit
well. l landed with exactly 81. q
board there MAS carousIng shoemaker
who hal been sent for from the East h
. man who kept q shop in San Fra,
cisco. l heard him say that he LA
come before his time. and that, an.
how, ii he could do no better, he va
going TO work ut cobbling. He mel
toned tue name of the man who was
hire him. and had his consent to appl
for the place.
went TO the shoe shop ut once AL
asked for the position.
1t is given 10 another man, vi
ou9ht To lie here soon. aud i car