The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-12-01
A SHOEMAKER'S STORY.

1 Was uorrI In the Luxembourg Just
about fifty years ago. Goodness! How |
used to work at the bench when | was a
lad, sewing and hammering, hammering
and sewing on boots and shoes. There
was that dear Old father Of mine, with his
trimmed spectacles perched on his nose,
who set me an example of thrift and
honesty. above all" he used to say to
us, for a brotherthen worked with me,
"be a good shoemaker. Never scamp
anything. Do the best you can, and do
it all the time" We would work from
sunrise far into the night. The pay we
got was little enough, so small that we
usedto watch the candle that fluttered
in the wind, and worry over its cost. If
We worked very, very hard, and custom
was good, we might count on a gain of 10
sous each, but sometimes we would all
stop pegging away because the poor peo-
pie in on village had no money to spend
for shoes. On, how difficult it was 10
buy a sack of flour, or u little scrap of
ulCdbt VIC hSCu " Idu0 W HlOuLu.
Poor old father, do what we could to
help BIN, he got into debt. and owed at
one time as much as 80 francs. What a
huge sum that seemed to me to be!
What a whole mountain OF embarrass-
mentl
I starved myself in order TO put a lit
tie money aside. One day / said to faith
err: This thing don't work. / am going
to clear out. / can't stand it." "You
will leave me, Ecy SOM Your poor old
father is an incumberance to your"
''No, not at all. But | must go away to
work for him" ct is well" replied my
father. you are a good shoemaker.
Your stitches are strong and even. You
shape well. Go see the werld, and Gods
blessing accompany YOU"
I went to Paris and led a memorable
life there for g time. / hardly gained
my bread at first. The habits Of the
Partisan shoemakers Mortified me, for /
had been brought up by a pious father.
I was q good workman, however, and
after a while found steady employment,
but I could help poor father, but little.
Oh! it used to make my heart sore to
think of him cramped up in his little
dingy room, working away for dear life,
with a meagre reward of a crust of dry
bread. The habits of economy he had
taught me helped me then. | scraped
together sou by sou, and at last sent him
ten francs. He wrote me that the sum
had saved him FROM being turnes out of
his poor old chamber. "This will never
do,' said /. 81 must go somewhere
else. / i'm a good shoemaker, and my
experience in Paris has given me the
finishing touch. | must go somewhere
else, where the art of Crispin will be APP
preciated."
One fine day in 1860 / took a place
as landsman on an English barque, from
Havre to Boston. ] landed in the Uni
ted States with just forty cents two
francsl in my pocket. / sought work at
once. / saw in a little shoemaker's shop
up q narrow street a sign written on pa
per and stuck on the glass with waters.
/ could not read it. did not know a
single word of English then, but over
the door was a German ame 1 made
bold to enter, and talked German TO the
proprietor. 'Sit down." he said, 'on
that bench and sew me on that SOLE"
81 am a fair shoemaker, and you Will
see," / replied. 1t was a pleasure to
take hold of the tools once more; they
seemed to know me. How / blessed nay
father thenl My BOSS Was satisfied anu
| got q job right off at one dollar o day
and nay food. This was a fortune to me
then, i worked for six months steadily
and, save for a second hand pair or
trousers bought by me at q bargain. 1
boarded every penny. l sent the dear
old father 80 dollars and back came his
blessing. He wrote he had never seen
so much money at one time in his life.
But | was ambitious. Just then the
California fever was raging. Something
told me to 20 TO the Pacific coast. l took
ship and crossed the Isthmus. Just be-
fore arriving at San francisco there Was
a heavy gale; we came near being ship
wrecked, and / lost my hat. l remem-
Der that quite well / landed with one
dollar exactly. On board there was
a carousing shoemaker, who had
been sent from the east by 9 man who
kepta shop at San Francisco. 1 heard
him say he had come before his time,
and that, anyhow, ii he could 40 no
better, be was going to work at coDDling.
He mentioned the name OF the man
who was to hire him, and l had Ills
consent to apply for the place.
went Ia the shoe shoe at once and
asked for the position. 1T is given TO
another man who ought to be here soon
and / can't make use of you. Besides
YOU have no hat. THAT makes no
difference | replied. II see shoemak-
ers wages at SIG q day Git was the flush
time for California them give me $S and
feed me and only let me stay till the
man Won hired turns IN, for / am in
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