Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-10-12


THE STORY OF A SHOEMAKER
was born in the Luxembourg just
about fifty years ago. Goodness! How
| used 90 work M the bench when I was
u lad. sewing and hammering, ham
mcring aud sewing ON boots and shoes.
There was that dear old father of mine,
with his big stecl-rimmcd spectacles
perched ON his nose. who set me an ex-
ample of thrift and honesty. above
all, he used tO say To Us, for brother
then worked with me, "bc good shoe
maker. Never scamp anything. Do
the best YOU can, and. do il all the
time" We would work from sunrise
20 far into the night. The pay we got
was little enough. so small that we
used 10 watch the candle that fluttercd
in the wind and worry over its cost.
II we worked very. very hard. and Gus
tom was good, we might count on n
gain If ten Sous each. but sometimes we
would all stop pcgging away because
the poor people In our village had no
money to pay for shoes. Oh! how diff
cult IL was To buy n sack Of coarse flour
or little scrap Of meat. We lived
from hand To mouth. Poor old father,
do what we could To- help him. he got
into debt, and owed 10 one time as
much rs thirty francs. What n huge
sum that seemed tO me To- be! what n
whole mountain az embarrassment.
| starved myself in order tO put n
little money aside. One day | said TO
father: This thing don't work. I am
going to clear out can't stand It,
You will leave me, my son? Your
poor old father is an incumbrance 10
youP' "NO. not at all. But must 90
away to work for him." ut is well, -
replied my father "YOu are n rood
shoemaker. Your stitches are strong
and even. You shape well. Go see
the world and Gods blessings accom-
pany you
! went to Paris and led a miserable
life for time. hardly gained INV bread
nj first. The habits of the Partisan
shoemaker Mortified me. for / had been
brought up by pious father. / was a
good workman, however, and after
while found steady employment. but
could help poor father ont hut very little.
o. 10 used to make my heart sore Ia
think Of him Crampcd up In his little,
dingy room, working away for dear life
with the mcagcr reward Of crust OF
dried bread. The habits Of cconom,
hc had taught mo helped me then.
scraped together SOU by sou, and mt lasl
sent him ten frances. lie wrote nm,
that tho sum had saved him from being
turned out II his poor old chamber,
This will never do I said. II mus
go somewhere else. am good shoe
maker. and experience in Paris ha,
given me the finishing touch. / mus
- somewhere else. whore the art ~
trispcn Will be appreciated. One iint
day w 1870 I took place rs laudsmar
en- an English bark, from IIavrc To Bos
ton. landed in tho United States will
Just forty cents 1.-TWO farthings) in ms
pocket. | sought work ut once. saw
IN little shocmakcrs shop up n mar
row street sign written on paper and
stuck on the glass with waters. I could
not read Il. did not know sincl,
word of English then. but over th,
door there was German name.
made bold To enter, and talked Ger
man tO the proprietor. ''Sit down"
he said, ION that bench. and sew me on
that sole" II am fair shoemaker
rs You will Sec" I replied. IL was .
pleasure to take bold of the tools once
more; they seemed tn know me. How
blessed my father then. NV boss wa.
satisfied, and got n job right of nj one
dollar u day and my food. That was q
fortune To me then. / worked for six
months steadily, and. save for n second,
hand pair OF trousers bought by me nj a
bargain, | boarded cverv penny. I scni
he dear old father fifty dollars. and
back came his blessing. He wrote he
had never seen so much money nj onc
time in his life. hut was ambitious
just then the California fever was
raging. Something told me to co IA
the tfarlhc coast. took ship and
crossed the lsthmus. just before arriv.
ing ut san Francisco there was n heavy
gale; We came near being shipwrcckcd,
AMI lost my hat. | remember thai
quite well. landed in San Francisco
with one dollar exactly. On board
there was n carousing shoemaker. who
had been sent for from the East by a
man who kept shop in San Francisco.
heard him say that he had come be.
fore his time. and that. anyhow, II hs
could Ito better he was not going e
work nj cObbling. He mentioned the
name Of the man who was To hire him
and | had his consent 10 apply for tn,
place.
went To the shoe-shop ut once ant
asked for the position. "lt is given q
another man, who ought TO be herr
soon, and can't make use Of YOU. BE
sides, you have no hat" That make,
no difference" replied. II see shoe
makers wages arc six dollars n day
10 was the flush times Of California
thon-give me three dollars and fec
me, and only let me stay until the maj
YOU hired turns up, for | am indeed
shoemaker" The boss gave n Kind o
grudging consent. Then set 10 work
and slept that night in the shop. Wher
the master came To the place In IN,
morning he found everything i'm elegant
order, and | had made five dollars be
fore breakfast by mending boot.
suited him exactly--for 4 am n RooC
shoemaker. lived with that man FOL
year, and saved all my money. SEN
the dear old father at home one hun
dred dollars. IL you could only hav,
seen the letter that came back! The
blessed old daddy wanted to know II
thought he was a spendthriftP That ON,
hundred dollars he was going to max,
do Tor the next three years. There wa,
a chance heard Of in Sacramento.
went there, my master giving me som,
or me- shoP-worn stock did a splen
did business. In six months had mad,
Tor my share three thousand dollars
NY fortune was before me. Poor ole
daddy was not forgotten. got eros,
letter rom him this time. The poo
simple soul wanted - know whether
thought ne was going to the dogs. DID