Evening star., 1897-02-06
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ceiving as nigh as 81 per day for the labor
of each man. To satisfy the labor organi-
cations the company pledged that they
would never teach a convict trade, and
that they would allow him to learn a part
of a trade only. Thus in. the shoe shop
men were frequently kept for years put
ting on heels soles or at work on some
other part of the shoe, but never taught
now to make an entire shoe. Finally AL
hany county bought out the company, and
now the penitentary is owned by the coun-
ty and is used as county Jail and pen-
Tertiary. The matter of transportation has
been very costly IN sending prisoners up to
albany This will be reduced under the
new contract. 1t would have been much
cheaper and better all around had the PEN
ltentiary been kept here. There was no
reason except private greed on the part of
a corporation which caused the change to
Aioany and the abolition of the United
states penitentiary. The climate at Albany
mas been specially fatal during winters,
especially to colored persons sent from here
anu otner places further south"
i. X *
Ihe quickest marriage te-up I ever
heard of" remarked the charming and ac-
comphshed New York drummer, to a crowd
OF ordinary drummers. took place on a
Baltimore and Ohio train in the state of
west Virginia, about three years ago, and
L was witness to It, l was coming
through from the west, and somewhere In
the neighborhood of Deer Park a very
comely and wholesome-looking mountain
woman got aboard. She was, 1 should
judge, about forty years old and had
every appearance of thrift and widow
hood in a established condition. She
had with her a boy of about fourteen who
was her son. She was garrulous and
friendly, as some women sometimes are,
and it wasn't long until she was asking me
all manner of questions. She was talking
oil
of the stations about twenty miles west of
Cumberland, man, who would have been
considered excellent match for the wo-
man, came on and sat down across the
aisle from the lady and myself 1 thought
al first he was going TO mingle in the
conversation but he did not. though he
listened to the woman as if she were an
angel speaking out of the clouds.
Naturally the woman doesn't live who
could stand that sort of silent alteration
business. and 1t wasn't long until she was
really talking across the aisle to the new
conner, though she apparently still
talking to me. Just as the whistle sound
ed for Cumberland the man arose and
came over TO Us. stopping with his hands
resting on the back OF the seat the woman
occupied and on the back of mine.
Excuse me. a'am he said loud
enough to be heard above the noise of the
train, SO there might be no mistake. but
what might your name beg
Well, she responded pertIy and with a
blush OF some inner consciousness of what
was In the mind of the man, 1t might be
the same as yourn. L reckon, but l spose
it amt
why amt it.? he inquired nervously.
1T the oldest performance I had
ever witnessed and the dead earnestness
in the voices and manner of both the
strangers impressed me 50 that I turned
full around to hear what the woman would
reply to this apparently irrelevant. not to
say silly. question.
- Indeed. I'm sure 1 don't know she
said, looking him square In the eyes. but
reckon it amt, cause you never asked
me to-
Thereupon he asked her to. splump and
without any circumlocuton, and she ac-
cepted him. even before she knew what
her name was to be and before he knew
what name she was giving up for his. Re-
fore the preiminaries were concluded the
train had stopped at the station, and with
short goodbye to me they hurried away
up town to find preacher to tie the knot
thus strangely and quickly tangled on the
train
4 = X +
speaking of newspapers" said an old
journalist at the Raleigh the other evening,
Il wonder if Horace Greeley's spirit is
where 1t can see and comprehend what Is
going on here. If it is, and if his shade
has the gift of original and picturesque
expression with which he was blessed
while in the fesh it would, barring
streak OF unique profanity pretty certain
70 run through IT, be entertaining and in
structiVe to hear his opinion of the little
supplement- of the Sunday New York
Tribune. entitled 'Twinkles' With all his
Old command of forcible condemnatory
language l am afraid he would feel that
he couldn't do the subject Justice StiIi
should like to hear his effort
Inc wooden peg as far as the cobbler
Is concerned" said Uncle George wayman.
an old-time shoe cobbler. "has about play
ed its part and will never be heard of
again The steel nail or tack has taken its
place and is used exclusively by cobblers
now, except in building heel, where we
can run in few wooden pegs before we
put on the last top. which is nailed on with
steel nails. The wooden peg makes a much
easier wearing job but. as nearly all shoes
are now factory made and the welts put
In them are very thin. they are not strong
enough to hold the pegs so we can shave
on the ends. If we used the oId-style
shaver 1t would cut the welt to pieces.
past Few years that people find 1t cheaper
10 buy new pair of shoes than to have
them cobbled to any great extent Time
was when shoes were made so that thew
would wear out three or four sets of heels
and soies. but that time has passed 1t is
rarely these days that they will stand
more than one set of heels and soIes. Few
very few. persons think of having shoes
made to order any more in comparison to
the large number in former days This
ready-made shoe business has been stead
lily growing for the past twenty years As
for boots, except for a few old Fashioned
persons who will not change, they are
seldom made any more. Many Is the hum
dred pair of boots / have made for the
older residents of Georgetown and Wash
ington. But all of my customers of forty
years ago are long since dead. Why / am
left over 1 do not know. but 1 was taught
and always believed that God moved in a
mysterious way His wonders to perform
There was a time when l had a number of
customers who wore four pair of boots in
a year. l got from so to sl2 for each pair.
/ haven't made a pair OF boots for over
two years"
X X r X y
Several members of the Ohio delegation
were sitting In the cloak room during a roll
call In the House.
We'll" said one. "Col. Dom Piatt had an
appointment to meet friend in the lobby of
the hotel, and was standing by the stove
talking with the clerk. who was the only
other person there. Presently the hotel
bus drew up before the door, a young lady
entered and her trunk was deposited on
the floor. The clerk stepped behind the
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