Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-01-25
"MR. WASTE PAPER. :"

street and finding itsolf too narrow ly
half had stopped at tho end of two
blocks and novcr COMO any furthor-
'ivod shabby old man, callod by his
noighbors ''Mr. Waste Paper" and by
rude boys and girls of tho neighborhood
"Old Miser" and "Qucor Eyes"
Ho bought and sold waste paper, and
all tho four rooms in his housc-ho was
tho only ono in tho street that occupied
whole house and was looked upon with
great respect on that account-iu fact,
think if ho had only ronted room or
two like tho rost of the inhabitants Ii,
would havo boon "Wasto Paper john"
instOad of "Mr. Waste Paper" were
almost filed with it.
oae, indeed, the largest, was filled
to tho worry ceiling, only narrow path
way being loft in tho ccntro like
small valley bctweon two stocp noun
tains.
A dccp drift like snow lay upon tho
floors of two of the other room., and
hu drcds of books from which the COW
ers had departed forever, old maya
ztnos, uscd-up ledgers, torn hand bills
and circulars, wcro stacked along tho
walls and in the fourth ROOM whore tho
old man atc and slept, all tho furniture,
with tho exception OF tiny stove
gridiron, saucepan and toa-kcttlo;
was mado of paper. O;tomaus formed
out OF newspapers laid neatly ono upon
tho other, bod built of somo twonty
largo bundles of coarse brown papcr
with an old "Wobstci's U alb, ged
Tor pillow; table made by placing
xix big account books on tho floor, six
moro on tho top of them, and SO on
until enough had boon used. All leg
loss. of course, but serving Mr.. Waste
Papor as we'll as though they had any
number of legs.
You never saw such quoor place in
your life, and never heard such cor
;inual rustling and cracking as tho
furniture kept up, and vary likely you
oovsr met such very odd old man.
One shoulder was a little higher
and ono leg littlo shorter than tho
-sthor, and no had ono black eye and ono
'sluo ono. And whom no was good.
'aaturod he looked at you with tho blue
sonc, aud when no was cross he looked at
you with tho black ono and l don
think there could over havo been two
moro expressive eyes in tho whole world
ono could look so cross and tho other
80 kind.
Well, nobody in Sam stroot-that is
what they called the ambition, alley,
alter old Sam Junkmau, who built tho
irst house there fifty years ago-know
anything about BIr. Waste Paper, cx-
cept that ho had lived in that four.
sroomed houso for the last ton years, and
that tho only person that he was at al
friendly with was Mira. Do!f, tho kid
glove cleaner, who lived next door.
and who boiled tho water for his
tca on summer evenings, when he had
rno fro at homo.
Mrs. Dolls children, Amos and
Cherry. likod tho old man very we'll.
for no used often to give Thorn pretty
pictures which he cut from the picture
papers which fell in his possession,
iand, moro rarely. o penny or two; but
tho other Sum street children called
him ''old miser," because he gavo than
enothing, and because they heard their
fathers and mothors say: "Wasto Paper
has agood sum of money in somo bank
sor other, you may bet, for he's boon
buying and selling for ten years, and
mover had day sickness, and woar-
ing tho same old clothes, summon and
winter, aud not chick or child, or q
dog, or cat to look after, and never
asking any body to have drop OF boor
>or Pipe of 'baccy. Hes q regular old
miser, that what no is.'
But tho old man paid no attention to
tho rude boys and girls, EXCEPT to turn
his back eye. on Thorn once in while
when they became too annoying, but
passed his title whom at homo roading
something from his stock in trade, or,
Win oyos uuAi closou III ucep tnought
: about what no ono but himself over
know, whom ono bright, warm May day
he camo slowly into his living-room
from the street, carrying heavy bag
on his shoulder.
Ho placed tho bag upon paper otto.
man, sat down on the paper bed bssil o
thu nanor table winod his faco with n
handkerchief, and thon opened tho bag
and tumb.ed tho contents out upon tho
paper carpet.
Ho had bought them that morning o +
school teacher who lived at tho othor
ond Of tho town, four miles awly, and
they consisted of solo copy books. old
grammars, biographies, arithmotics,
histories, readers, with as many dogs
L.. Il 4