Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-21
HIS FIRST $1,000.
A Romantic Incident in the Youth of a
Wealthy Coloradoan.

From the Chicago Evening Post.
do l remember the first $1,000 ever
earned?" echoed Henry Westfall, wealthy res
ident Of Colorado, in answer to the question of
fellow-lodger at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
swell, rather. was young lad at the time
and the only child of the poorest family in a
coal-mining town of Pennsylvania. One day.
while engaged picking slate, heard big
commotion at the top of the mine. The men
were very much excited, and the owner. who
was the richest and most devout churchman in
the town, was wringing his hands and implor-
ing the men to do something. Running I'D
learned that the men had fired fuse attached
to an extra-large cartridge and had Just come
from the mine, when they discovered
that they had left the pretty little daughter
her father and while the latter came up for an
errand had wandered away. The cartridge
had not yet exploded, as the fuse had pur-
posely been made long to enable the men to
get up The father, as you may imagine, was
agoniZed. He offered $1,000 to any one who
would go down after the little one. But no
one would stir. All of them had families of
their own-except, of course, myself-and
would not run the risk of death. The sum was
fortune to me, especially as my father was,
from sickness, unable to work. Jumping on
the car l called to be let down, and amid the
cheers OF the men descended Each moment
had death in it for me unless the fuse were
longer than was thought. But tried not
to think of it, and when / reached the bot
tom the child was playing at the mouth
OF the shaft. / grabbed her, put her in the
car and gave the signal to be hoisted up. But
the car did not move. l repeated the signal
but still without avail. In agony Of fear |
jerked it again and the car still remaining at
the bottom bade the little girl to stay where
she was and then ran into the new drift where
the tai A
revealed the whereabouts of the fuse The
fuse was still an inch long and took hold of it
and pulled it out. tried to cheer, but had
tainted instead. When came to l was on top
OF the ground, taken there by the men who,
when In answer to my last signal-they had not
received the other two-had raised the little
girl and had then come down after me.
Well the next day the father thanked me,
but said nothing about the $1,000. The men
advised me to ask for il. I.refused Then
them that they were mistaken; he had offered
nothing. So mad were they that they threat
ened to throw him down the mine, but thew
deslsted at my request. A few weeks later
was discharged, probably because l was an eye
sore to the owner. My father having in the
meantime recovered, went away and obtained
work in New York and after a while secured a
fair position. One day about fifteen years after
this event charming young lady drove up in
her carriage, and, coming in, called for me.
Suc oiu uot ~ urst give uer name, Dut
asked me if / would do her a favor.
or course I said yes. She then told
me that it was she whom I had saved; that
her father had died a short time before, and
that in looking over his papers she had found
. letter from some of the men to him upbraid-
ing him for not paying me the $1,000. This
was the Arst she had heard Of the obligation.
and she had Immediately set out to find me.
As she said this she handed me q check for
u 900. the extra $500 being, she explained,
the interest. was about to refuse to accept
the check, but she reminded me that had
promised to do her favor and that must
keep my word. So I took it, with her card,
and she left. What became of her? Well, six
months later she became my wife"