The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-06-04
A GENTLEMAN OF HIS woRo


Twelve Years Not Too Long FOR One Man
to Remember "a Promise.
what makes some men the soul of
honory' asked the story teller. Every
one Of us has had some experience in
life to prove TO us that there are men of
unimpeachablo honor / think the
most honorable gentleman whom 1 ever
met was man of absolutely Internal
luck. ! first saw him in q frontier town.
He had been q cowboy, but he had got
caught in a terrible winter back on the
plains. and at the time / first saw him
he was only n wreck Of a man, with legs
misshapen and weak, and eyes that were
nearly blind He seemed TO be just
clinging to life in that little Colorado
| town. doing what little he could in bar
rooms or going slow errands, until fate
should be kind enough to take him
away from his misery.
"He stopped me in the street ono night
"'Will you lend me ten dollarsE he
said roughly. i am in a bad way and l
need it,
"Now ten dollars was a good deal of
money to me at that minute, for in my
western experience l had my ups and
downs, and at that time was having my
downs
sWouldn'ta dollar doyouy asked Cor
the fellow looked so bad that | wanted
to do something for him, but knew
that should never see my money again.
" No he said duggedly, 1T won't /
want TO go to Denver. ! am about crazy
with pain and want to get there and
see if can't find some relief haven't
a cent in the world There were good
many men i'm that little town who were
in the same redicamcnt.)
q" But ! can't spare ten dollars I an
swered Il need it,
You don't need it so much as do,
he said fercely. Lend tito me. I'll
pay it back to you. Give me your name
and address I'll find you--if live
"Well gave him the ten dollars. l
told him that he need not worry about
paying it back. ] expected to get out of
my troubles some day and then should
not feel the need of it.
No he said L won't touch it ON
any other condition. l want TO pay
it back with interest-12 per cent. a
year Money was worth something
out therc.)
$50 | wrote out my name for him,
! giving him as my permanent address the
home of my family in the east. The
next day he went to Denver, Shortly
afterward | climbed into saddle and
rode away to punch cows Ipunthed
them with varying success all over the
Colorado grazing fields for nine years.
Having had enough of cattle raising by
5 that time and my ideas Of great fortunes
having been considerably modified,
sold ont my cattle and came back
"Of course, after the first few months
following my loan Of ten dollars TO tho
, cripple, he never came into my thoughts
, though there were times when that ten
dollars would have been n good friend
, but l completely forgot about it. ! had
been east for three years, had married
3 and was the proud father Of the two
handsomest children in New York, wher
, letter was forwarded to me from my
fathers home in Massachusetts. It wa'
from the cripple. In it was postofficC
order for my ten dollars and interest OF
it for twelve years, at per cent. n month
There was no word in the letter except
thanks for my kindness and the assur
ance that he was now doing pretty wei
for him
81 call that man gentleman and
told him so when | wrote him, and
: also told him something in the lettei
p which hoped would please him-tha
on that day | had made the first banl
a deposit for my baby son, and that tn,
amount was $2i.40, his loan aud the in
terest, and that though the interest fo
,. the boy would not be anything like Il
per cent, the deposit ought to bring hin
good luck That's all there is to thi
story. New York Tribune.