Wichita eagle., 1889-12-14

pher-Now Living ia Michigan.
Car No 81 on the south side cable stopped
moment on Wabash avenue at the corner
| of Randolph street and took on board a tall
straight old man, whose long gray beard
| swept almost to his waist, but whose brigh,
eye and upright bearing spoke the man OF
| maturity not oecrepitude- At State street
as fbe car rounded into the loop, second old
man, evidently farmer, stepped on board
and took u seat by the ancient OF days As
the train passed on around into Wabash ave
nue. again perhaps dozen others got on the
car, ali well dressed and clearly moving in IN
element aside from that of the two strange
! characters who sat side by side. The old man
moved up to his farmer companion and the
| two fell to talking quietly until EAvlins thea
| tire was reached The car stopped and sew
! eral persons got ont to Join the crowd press
! ing into the foyer.
HAD VENTED THEATRES.
! ''Lots OF folks going in there who can't pay
| their rent, said the ancient Lots Of 'em
! don't own the clos on their back. Got to
/ take EN- home tomorrow and pay rent on
/ 'emn
Did you ever visit theatre7" asked the
farmer in an effort to be agreeable.
Yes" said Longbeard, and then after a
pause he added, I've been to theatre in
Hong Kong" He shifted his legs, and bent
his eyes kindly on the farmer as a man who
knew he had struck hard and was willing to
! give the victim time to recover.
Hong Kong in Japanf asked the farmer,
dazed htua, yet hoping his companion
meant some city near home.
"No, Hong Kong ain't in Japan; it's in
China" said the other. and I've been to
theatre in Toxic, TOO; that's III Japan; and
IN Calcutta"
well, you've Travelled" said the farmer.
Eyes, I've been to shows in Paris and Lon
don and Liverpool and Leghorn and Alex
andria; and I've been TO shows-not theatres,
but the best they had-on the east coast OF
Africa, and in Melbourne, Australia and
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. and I've seen
the shows in the Chinese quarter in San Fran
cisco.n
Several gentlemen bent forward and fired
questions at the old man He was in no wise
distUrhed be looked calmly, kindly on them
ALL and met every thrust with a precision
which showed, ''rocky" as he looked, that he
had either been over the ground or had
studied his story wonderfully well.
'On what ship did you sail to PARISH asked
one of the first.
Paris amt no seaport" said the ancient.
81 Travelled there in 1880 in diligence. We
call EN- onilnbuses."
How old are you?"
Seventy nine. l was born in 1910 in VIII
ton, q little town in New York state, on the
edge Of an Indian reservation
In May. 1916, my fathers brother, who
was q sailor, took me for walk in the
woods, and | didn't get back till 1888. He
carried ne to New York and put me on
board a vessel to Liverpool. that he had
shipped on for three years voyage.
We never reached New York for seven
years, and then had a good chance to ship
again and went OF without going home
But | always recollected my folks and where
| used TO live, and how old l was when uncle
took NE away
| learned TO read on shiDboard and used 70
get books and read about strange countries,
Then ] would talk to sailors. and when a
voyage was over / would snip on some craft
going where | wanted to go. That way |
learned pretty near all languages. ANY Of
you talk Frenchan
The lady did, and he proved to her his claim
to mastery of that tongue.
Anybody talk Russian, or Spanish, or
German"
The lady tried him in Spanish and a gentle
man present approved his German. The
other languages had to be taken on trust but
the passengers exchanged glanccs eloquent OF
faith in the ancient
ONE or MEACHAM'S HEIRS.
I'm 1881" he continued, II drifted down to
New Orleans, and old man Nencham there,
rich old slave deaier-you've all read about
hirn-was gettdng up crew for the slave
trade, and | shipped with him. He wanted
only choice men and lac got 'em. He paid
every ono the bsst wages for able seanen, and
besides that arranged that each one who
stayed with him five years should get $500, 00o
from his estate when he died.
''Old Meacham died three years after he
hired ais crew, and Only two fellows STAYED
in his service till the five years We're up.
They had got good pay for ttrir work. and
got good offers to ship again, and they left
and went. l stayed the FIVE years, and got
the 500 600 he left me in his will | went
into business for myself then-built boat
for floo COO and carried passengers to France
and England. | wouldn't carry ton Of
freight for no money, and my packet was the
finest thing that ever foated out of New Or
leans. Passengers had to pay for it, though,
and made e heap Of money. IN 1874 / built
the first ironclad boat that was ever put up
in Boston. Il wGs before the day of metal
bottoms bur | spent $4,000 in iron plates
half an inch thick on that boat. She run all
right, but she run into an icsberg in o fog
bank or Newfoundland in 1915 and was
sunk with crew, passengers and cargo.
I've built many vessel in my time, aud
Gp o he-D of rfacpAv | WAS in ma r al
trade till lost square rugged ship there I've
host one ship In the Atlantic, two in the Pa
cifc, one in the Red SEQ and three in the Mis-
sissippi river
"W here do you live nowa" asked one of the
gentlemen.
''Bcnton Harbor Mich. Nice town, too.
Just dl1fted there. Got some money left. but
I've lost a heap"
The erd Of the trip had been reached. The
lady had left the ear some blocks back. and
only three gentlemen stood beside him The
old man turned t. so.
I'm stopping till fdesdsy at 2726 Calumet
aveDue. You can find out there I'm telling
the truth. Bat yon young men look here"
and he grssped the two nearest him with a
vigor that would have dore credit to half his
years, I'm old enough 10 De your grsnd-
father, and | never drank, chewei nor
smoked, but I've seen more life in more lands.
had more fun and more trouble than all
three of you'll ever know about. But take
my advice and don't drift Chicago Her
aid
Lotns Roets Purify Water.
Indian Engineering states that large has
ket CT the roots Of the lotus has been received