Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-01-03

that came back! The blessed old
daddy wanted to know if thought he
was a spendthriftl That 500 he was
| going to make do for the next three
years There was chance | heard
Of in Sacramento. | went there, my
master giving me some of his store
worn stock / did a splendid busl-
ness. In six months had made for
my share s.. 0O6 My fortune was be
fore me. Poor old daddy was not for
gotten. | got a cross letter from him
this time. The poor simple soul wan
ted to know whether | thought he
was going to the dogs Did / want to
make him a drunkard, a gourmand,
and put all kinds of temptation in his
way2 Too much money was the
source of all evil. / was robbing my
self to pamper him-but for all that
there was q lot of sweetness in the let
! ter.
Well. / thought that fortuns was
now mine. But one night bad fire
broke out and was burned out. Fires
occurred in Sacramento every night
and were the work of thieves. / gath
cred together the few pairs of boots |
could put my hands on, and placed
them with my money, all in gold, in
trunk, and carried it out Of the wood
en- shanty just as tbs roof fell in. For
better security ] sat on my trunk, and
gazed bewildered like at the flames.
II have something left, I said,
''after all tc begin the world with. "
Just then | was struck a heavy blow
over the head witt a club and lost all
consciousness. When came TO | found
myself on the ground and my trunk
gone. The thieves had done the bus
mess for me. An then | gave myself
up, just for a moment, to despair. ~
ann ruined ruined for ever Poor
daddy ] thought. But / was not
ruined, for that crack on the head
was the means Of my making my for
tune.
didn't cry over things much, for ]
ana a good shoemaker and that is al
ways q solid capital. / had a little
money IN my pocket, and went to San
Francisco. | knew my old master
would take me back, and he did so. |
resumed my old place There was an
auctioneer among his customers with
the tenderest feet | ever saw, and as !
am a shoemaker, that explains all my
good luck. This auctiOnecr bad been
grumbling ever since / left San Fran
cisco. When he saw me he was de
/ lighted "At least now, he said 81
am out Of my great misery | shall
/ limp no longer. . At once | made
( him pair of shoes. and he was de
I lighted.
one day he said to me: 81 had an
auction yesterday, and put up, with
out getting a single bidder. a lot of
very fine French boots. They won't
sell because there's a glut of boots on
the market. They were imported a
year ago, but the shape is out of
fashion now. 1t was square toe then
now it is round one. Do you buy
than" How muchW l asked Make
your own price but ] have no
money THAT makes no difference;
you may have them on credit; pay me
when you can / 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 morse
men or general officers wear Re
member, / am a good shoemaker and
know my trade [ bought those boots
lat 81 a pair. The leather alone was
worth twice that. AT night / used to
work on them. : made the square toes
I pointed for | am good shoemaker.
Some of them | cut down into bOoteeS.
\ Oh! / worked night after night on
them after hours. Then / hired a
small shop and hung up a few pairs
i'm the window.
A Mexican came first How much. '
"Ten dollars lie took the boots
Then a minerpasscd How much. ~
! Fifteen dollars. Then a gentleman
ON q fine horse came by and looked
from his horse at the boots, and he
tied up his horse and asked, How
much3' Twenty dollars He put
a double eagle down / must have
made $500 clear en- those boots
Then / found more of them mine
of these boots, and put in my pocket
SIC, GOO i'm three weeks / worked ON
for a year and made money in my
trade steadily, for | am a goo1 shoe
maker. Then / got married iu San
Francisco TO woman / loved, and
my married life has been q very hap
ply one. 1t was paug when | said to
my wife II must leave YOU my love,
for short time only long enough to
pay my dear old daddy a visit l left
my business in her charge, 1t was Il
voyage of business and pleasure, for
. went to Paris to buy goods
Poor old daddy. There was the
same magpie in the wicker work bas
ket, and he saluted me, for he remem-
bcrcd me When | was little boy !
stuck tail of false feathers ON him
with some cobblcr's wax. He never
forgot me. and rutled his feathers at
me as soon as he saw me, as If my I'M
suit of hiIn had been of recent date.
There was hardly q change in the
room. There hung fathers old
watch, rs big as a saucer, ticking
away, with a spray of box wood oven
il for luck. Then there was ON the
shelf the same old eartheuware Jug.
The handle | broke one unfortunate
dow aud e, ,,iaoa DF ln1f bpr 1y1e hound