News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-07-15
TOO GOOD 70 BE TRUE.
A California Story that Proves that There
is Such "a Thing as True Friendship.

A double house was recently moved
from Powell street, San Francisco, con-
corning which an old settler tells an in
teresting story in the Sacramento Bee.
lie says that two young men from New
York State, who had been to school to-
gether, arrived in San Francisco earIy
in the ''ifties.'' Black went to the
mines, and Gray remained in the CITY,
and, with small sum, fitted out q lit
tie store. He prospered, married, had
children. Then came a big reverse.
He found himself in a tight place, from
which nothing but $4,000 would ex-
tracite him. He went among his friends
to raise the money, but they had none
to give him. And then, as he turned a
street conner sharply, he ran into Blacks
arms. He told him his troubles, and
gave him all his history during the ten
year they had been separated.
81 have the money" said Black
"but $15, 900 just sizes my pile. l am
tired of mining, and hoped to settle
down here and get into some business,
but you can have it, my dear fellow, and
Tll take whack at pick and rocker
again"
"Gray took the money, and Black re-
turned to the mountain. In the course
O. that year the merchant made lucky
turn and sent the miner his money with
ample interest. Then they ceased to
correspond, and the last the merchant
heard of his friend was that he was
about to marry and move into new
mining district.
Five years afterward the miner and
his family returned to San Francisco.
Black was dead broke. Everything had
gone wrong with him. His mining
speculations had failed, the mines he
had discovered petered out, the men he
| had trusted deceived him, and he had
| about fifty dollars remaining of a once
ample fortune. He hunted up his friend
Gray, who was, of course, delighted to
see him. "And l don't see anything
for me to do, old man," said the de-
spondent miner, except TO get job
shoveling sand, if you can help me to
one"
81 have just moved into handsome
house on Powell street, said Gray,
''and want you to come and dine with
me tomorrow evening. 1t is double
house finished about a week ago."
The miner was on time, with his
| 6naDDlly uT6SStu WIG anu llGJle OHcS-
you did well sticking to the town, ="
he remarked to his old schooifellow.
"Here you are way up as a merchant,
living in fine house, all your own. and
having bank account as long as my
arm, | suppose"
Before dinner they visited the adioin-
| ing house, hich was furnished in pre-
cisely the same style as the merchants
| dwelling. Then they sat down, chatted
over old times until the lateness of the
hour warned the miner and his wife
! that it was time to return to their lodg-
| ing house"
''All right, my boy" said Gray, "but
just step next door; there Is something
l wish TO show you which l neglected
on our first visit" When they entered
the hall Black halted. ''Here, he said,
'that looks like my trunk"
Nonsense" said Gray, "come up
stairs to this bedroom"
"Why," said the miner, looking
about him, ''confound you, you have
moved all my traps up here from the
lodging house"
"Aye, have l, my friend" shouted
the OF er, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Whcre should man keep his things
but in his own house, and in what part
of his house better than his own bed
rooml" Black was bewlldcred, and
began to have doubts of his friends
sanity, but when his friend thrust a
deed of this very house into his hand,
and followed with a deed of copartner-
ship in his business, he broke down
and cried like a child.
"And now we are moving away this
old house, sir, to another quarter
said the narrator of this remarkable tale
of gratitude and friendship, "but
would not take a hundred thousand
dollars for it." 1t was Black himself
who told the story, now most success
full merchant