The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-10-05

the source of all evil I was robbing
myself to pamper him-but for all that
there was a lot of sweetness in the let
ter.
| Well, I thought that fortune was now
mine. But one night bad fire broke
out and | was burned out. Fires oc-
Cured in Sacramento every night and
were the work of thieves. I gathered
togethe- the few pairs of boots I could
put my hands on, and placed them with
my money, all in gold, in a trunk, and
| carried it out of the wooden shanty
just as the roof fell in. For better Sc
curity sat on my trunk, and gazed be-
wildered-like at the flames g have
something left" I said, latter all, to
begin the world with just then /
was struck heavy blow over the head
with club, and lost all consciousness.
When came to found myself on the
ground and my trunk gone. The
thieves had done the business for me.
All! then | gave myself up, inst for a
moment, to despair. 81 am ruined
ruined for ever. Poor daddyr' I
thought. But was not ruined. for that
crack on the head was the means of nv
making my fortune.
| didn't cry over things much, for I
am good shoemaker, and that is al
ways solid capital. / had little
money in my pocket, and went to San
francisco. | knew my old master
would take me back, and he did SO. 1
resumed my old place. There was an
auctioneer among his customers with
the tenderest feet ever saw, and, as /
am shoemaker, that explains all my
good luck. This auctioneer had been
glumbling ever since | left San Fran
cisco. When he saw me he was de-
lighted. cat least now," he said, 81
am out OF my great misery. | shall
limp no longer.' At once made him
o pair of shoes, and be was delighted.
One day he said to me: 81 had an
auction yesterday, and l put up, with
out getting single bidder, lot of very
fine French boots. They won't sell be-
cause there's glut of boots on the
market They were imported year
ago, but the shape is out of fashion
now 1t was square toe then, now it is
around one. Do you want to buy them?''
elbow much?'' I asked. MAKE YOUR
own price. "But l have no money. y
''That makes no difference; you may
have them on credit; pay me when YOU
cam" went to look at those cases of
boots. They were of the finest quality,
and excellent as to make. Some of
them were cavalry boots, and such as
only dandy horsemen or general officers
wear. Remember, / am good shoemak-
er and know my trade. thought those
boots at one dollar pair. The leather
alone was worth twice that. At night
| used to work on them. made the
square toes pointed-for / am good
shoemaker. Some of them cut down
into bootees. Oh! worked night after
night on them after hours. Then T
hired a small shop, and hung up a few
pairs in the window.
AMexican came first. sHow much %,
'9Ten dollars" He took the boots.
Ahen a miner passed! GLOW muchP''
'Fifteen dollars Then a gentleman
on fine horse came by and looked
from his horse at the boots, and he tied
up his horse and asked ''How muchp''
"lWenty dollars" He put a double
eagle down. must have made $4,000
clear on those boots. Then [ found
more OF them-a mine of these boots.
and put in my pocket $4,000 in three
weeks. l worked on for a year and
made money in my trade steadily. for l
am good shoemaker. Then [ GOT
married IN San Francisco to a woman
loved, and my married life has been a.
very happy one. 1t was pang when l
said to my wife: 81 must leave YOU. nv
love, for short time--only long ENOUGH
to pay my dear old daddy visit. +
left my business in her charge. IT was
q voyage of business and pleasure. for T
went to Paris to buy goods.
Poor old daddy! There was the same
magple In the wicker-work basket. and
ne saluted me, for he remembered me.
When was little boy stuck tail of
false feathers on him with some cob
bler's wax. He never forgot me, and
RULED his feathers at me as soon as he
saw me, as If my insult to him had been
OF recent date. There was hardly a
change in the room. There hung faith
er's old watch, as big as a saucer, tick
ing away, with spray of lockwood
over it for luck. Then there was on
the shelf the same old earthenware mo.
The handle L broke one unfortunate
day, and a piece Of leather was bound
round it, and it hung on a nail nv q
thong. He had the same anvil IN his
hand-at least it was the same handle
Tor once came near getting thrash
ing for having whitfield it. Even an old
almanac OF a year long gone past was
there, tackled to the wall with shoe brads.
lie had on the same apron, only it was
worn thinner
The dear old father was bending over
his work, pounding slowly at some bit
OF leather on a last. You could count
one, two, three, four between the ham
merings. In my time it was rat-tat-tat.
like drum beating, with no interval be-
tween the strokes. | strobe in and the
old gentleman first looked at NV feet:
that was way he had. At glance
for he was the king of shoemakers-
could take in all the difference between
your foot and the feet of the rest of
the world. He looked and looked
again. He must have recognized a
family foot, for | saw his hand tremble.
then he pushed up his great steel
trimmed spectacles and the tears ran
down his cheeks as he rose and tottered
and then fell into my arms. How we
kissed one another. "My son. nv son.
you never would have succeeded had
you not been good shoemaker: Won
never scamped anything; you did the
best you could all the time, was what
he said when told him of nv GOOD
luck. Like my dear old daddy did
before me- added. Then / Kicked
over his workbench, and said: emo
more work for you, old pappy, forI am
rich. have awife; have a babv-a bow
baby, named after you-and you are to
take the cars-first-class-to-
or the day afterward, and come post
| haste out of the old country to Cafifor-
MIA, so that grandchild shall sit on your
knee, and you shall teach him to be
honest and pious, and to love you.''
''And may not make him a good shoe
makerT he asked. sBut YOU 90 too
fast. Let me think over it. You ask
me to leave this old Luxembourg. where
was born. should never see AGAIN
the grave where your mother, nv GOOD
wife, has slept for these last thirtv-odd