Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-09-15
A GENTLEMAN OF HIS WORD.

Twelve Years Not Too Long for One Man
~ Remember Promise.
"What makes some men the soul OF
honorf" asked ths story teller. Every
one of us has had some experience in
life to prove to us that there are men OF
unimpeachable honor. l think the
most honorable gentleman whom ever
met was man of absolutely internal
luck. first saw him in a frontier town.
he had been cowboy, but he had got
caught in terrible winter back on the
plains, and at the time first saw him
he was only wreck of IN l, 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 one night.
"'Will you lend me ten dollarss ne
said roughly. i am in bad way and l
need it,
"Now ten dollars was good deal of
money to me at that minute, for in my
western experience l had my ups and
downs, and at that time Twas having my
downs
Wouldn't a dollar do you? I asked, for
the fellow looked so bad that wanted
to do something for him, but knew
that should never see my money again.
"'No,' he said doggedly, it won't.
want TO 20 to Denver. am about crazy
with pain and want to get there and
see if I can't find some relief. I haven't
a cent in the world (There were q good
many men in that little town who were
in the same predicament.)
".But can't spare ten dollars an
swered. 4 need it
".You don't need it so much as l do
be said fercely. Lend it to me. I'll
BAY it back to you. Give me your name
and address. I'll find you-if I live
"Well, 1 gave him the ten dollfsS.
told him that he need not worrysabout
paying it back. I expected to get out Of
nv troubles some day and then / should
not feel the need of it.
"sNo,' he said. I won't touch it OF
any other condition. I want to pay
it back with interest-12 per cent. g
year (Money was worth something
out there.)
$50 I 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 I climbed into saddle and
rode away to punch cows Ipunchec
them with varying success all over tht
Colorado grazing fields for nine years
Having had enough of cattle raising by
that time and my ideas of great fortune4
having been considerably modified.
sold out my cattle and came back.
"Of course, after the first few month";
following my loan of ten dollars to th'
cripple, he never came into my thoughts
though there were times when that tel
dollars would have been good friend
but completely forgot about it. I hat
been east for three years, had marriet
and was the proud father of the tw'
handsomest children in New York, whel
q letter was forwarded to me from m.
fathers home in Massachusetts,. It wa
from the cripple. In it was postoffic
order for my ten dollars and interest o.
it for twelve years, at per cent. 8 month
There was no word in the letter excep
thanks for my kindness and the assur
ance that he was now doing pretty wei
for him.
"I call that man a gentleman and
told him SO when l wrote him, and
also told him something in the lette
which I hoped would please hin-tha
on that day had made the first BAN
deposit for my baby son. and that tn
amount was S24.4O, his loan aud the in
terest, and that though the interest TO
the boy would not be anything Like /
per cent, the deposit ought to bring hin
good luck. That's all there is to thi
story."-New York Tribune.