Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-05-15
What Was He Made For?
By JOHN HABBERT0N.


Such was the question which every
right hearted inhabitant of New Roches-
ter had asked himself about Sam Minney
many times during the twenty odd years
which had elapsed since New Rochester
s:as first settled. In Rochester proper,
from which the colonists OF the new
town had labored through several hum
dred miles Of wilderness, 1t had been
the common impression t..lat Sam was
made to be either preachar, a lawyer
or q member of congress. suth his par
ents were intellectual, ana their only
child had inherited their ts.j ants so COM
pletely that when be was 's years Of age
he occasionally stood upon a table in
the minister's parlor and read aloud
paradise Lost" with evident feeling
and appreciation, although greatly to
the disgust of many larger boys, who
had been dragged away from their IA
vorite sports to behold this model for
Rochester youth. AS he grew in years
and intelligence, and his parents were
too poor to complete his education, some
wealthy persons supplied the money
which enabled Sam to graduate, at 10,
from an eastern college
After he graduated, however, Sam
did not at once begin to give practical
evidences Of the ability which he was
supposed to possess. In fact, he develop
ed no special ability at all, except as a
connoisseur in smoking tobacco. The
ministers all liked him, for he enabled
them to recall their own college days,
but the other citizens began to remark
to each otler that Sam Minney wasn't
doing much. At last, after receiving
several hints on the subject of unused
talents, Sam became clerk in store.
All his customers liked him exceeding
ly, perhaps because he was too good
natured to stand out against an or
dinarily vigorous beating down. His
peculiar sort of ability gained Sam an
early release from the thraldom of the
counter, but no lawyer stood ready to
seize him as a student and prospective
partner. Not even a. Rochester editor
seemed anxious to secure Sam as an as
sistant.
HE ought to go west, )" was the final
decision of Rochester. He needed some
thing to stir him up, and in the west
he could get it. So Sam Joined a party
Of colonists who were to leave Roches-
ter for the far vest. e., Indiana. As
every other man was obliged to desig-
nate, his occupation Sam called himself
"a innd surveyor ana actually traded
away great many books for second
hand theodolite. Experience proved that
he had reasoned rightly. for his services
were not required more than an hour in
a week during the first year Of the col
ony, while the schoolmaster who vas
employed by the people in the follow
ing year proved as capable surveyor
as Sam and O great deal more trust
worthy in point of time.
What Sam did after that it is doubt
ful whether he himself could tell He
seemed to get sudden start in the
world when new and well to do store
keeper employed him as private tutor
to his half dozen large children. We
sly advisedly that this employment
gave him sudden start, for it enabled
him to obtain a much needed suit Of
clothes on credit, an achievement which
would shortly before have been impos-
sible. The merchants children made
considerable progress, but hardly in the
direction contemplated by their parents.
The boys learned more college songs
than mathematics, while the Oldest
daughter found Sam so agreeable that
she exhibited symptoms Of falling in
love with him.
For long time after Sans discharge
by the merchant his only business ef-
forts consisted in running in debt for
his board. As 81 per week was the price
of board at New Rochester in those days
his transactions in this line were not
large, but he could conscientiously say
that in this respect at least be did his
best. But, after receiving notices to quit
from every one at New Rochester who
ever took boarders, Sam conceived de-
sire to visit the sunny. south, in which
land be understood existence might be
maintained without labor. He embark
ed for New Orleans on a fatboat, or
rather he became one of the crew Of such
a boat, and for five weeks told jokes in
the little cabin and grumbled when he
was called on duty. After he parted
from his mates at New Orleans the citi-
zens of New Rochester heard no more
of him for year, when suddenly he re-
appeared just after an upward bound
steamer had left New Rochester. His
clothing was not overneat, and the
shoulders of his coat were rubbed through
in the manner peculiar to the ''rousta-
bout" (deckhand). He brought no bag
gage ashore with him and made no Sc
cret Of the fact that he had been very
hard up and had learned to work.
But the good hearted storekeeper who
employed Sam Immediately on hearing
the ex-surveyor's story soon found that
his new clerk had forgotten the excel
lent habit he had learned, but had not
been SO successful with certain other ac-
quired accomplishments. He had learn
ed to drink. and he parted with not a
fragment Oh his knowledge on this sub
ject He had learned to make palatable
beyerapeS from raw materials and he