The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-16
THE CASE OF
CAL VANPORT

Plaa, N. Y, lie dWelt Win MS motneTI
irish by birth, washerwoman by trade,
and relIct of the only pure blooded Hol-
lander ever known in the village, in
white washed cottage fronting a little
used side street. Aside from Deacon
orcott, of the Farewell Baptist church,
who was too old to work, ana besides
had q little money laid by, and old John
Tomllnson, who lived in the big white
house across from the postoiTice and
was rich, being worth $4,000 at least,
and maybe more, Cal was the only
grown man IN the place who seemed to
have no regular occupation, Hence his
unpopularity.
"You see, doctor" Jabez Ruggles, the
wagon maker explained to me one day,
soon after began praotlcing in North
Pisa, zeal amt got no gumption In
fact, hes-wal, what you might call
shif'less, He won't never work mono
at all, 'ceptin' when the beans Is ripe.
Then he does go out into the field and
pulls sometimes, though he didn't last
year. When he's mind 90 he can do
more work n anybody / know, for he's
the able bodiest man anywhere
around here, but you never see him
pltchin' no hay, nor a-workln In no har-
vest field; not even when such men as
Supervisor Bulger or Deacon Warbogs
is offerln' two and ha'f day to save
their crops,
mo, sir: he'd druther live on his poor
old mother than to work, an about all
ne does IS to go'n get the clo'es in
baskit before she washes 'em, an kerry
'em home afterward. You kin see I'm
a'doln' that every mornin an night
regular. What he does in the middle OF
tho day Is u mystry to everybody
Some days he goes a-flshln' but that's
mostly on Sundays. Week days he gen.
ally shets 'imself In the house Jest TO
loaf, / s'pose sh'd think 'twould
make him 'shamed to hear the sound
of the scrubhin' when his mothers to
work over the washboard an he's layin
round a-doin' nothin'.
Some day the boys II get mad and
run him out unless he braces up and
goes to work. When that happens
North Pisa II sit notice in the coun-
try paper. sure"
In spite OF the wagon makers story
found 1t hard to dislike Cal Vanport
without knowing more concerning him,
and invited talk about him from var
ious village magnates. But the testi-
mony thus gathered was all OF one
sort. 1t was clear that all the men of
North Pisa both hated and despised him
rs an utterly worthless vagabond. The
feeling OF antagonism between Cal and
his kind however, was like jug han
die, all on one side" as ! found when
came to know him personally. If ever
there was man who bore nobody i'll
1t was Cal Vanport, and before l had
met either Cal or his mother face to
face perceived that some Of the women
of the place held the young man In bet
ter esteem.
They may say oil the mean things
they want about Cal Vanport," eald
Mrs. MigEs, the sturdy old blacksmlth's
wife, who had two grown sons of her
own, land l won't deny that It does
look like small potatoes and few in the
hill for him to live on his mothers
earnin's as he pears to; but therg'd
he some happier mothers In North Pisa
II all sons was like him / know some
young men In this village that work
hard enough an save their money that
amt near so kind to their mothers as
he Is. When Mis- Vanport was young
or, and Cal was going TO school an she
used TO so out TO wash, which she don't
do no more, she told me he never spoke
a sassy word TO her in his life. | wsht
everybody could say as much for thelr
boys. / told my man Yesterday, an |
made him mad, that some folks I knew
would be willin' to have their boys n
little la2ier II they could only sag what
Mis- Vanport kin, but they can't" she
concluded, In tone clearly showing
the desire to be confidential. which l
carefully ignored by promptly bidding
her good day.
The more heard about the washer
woman's shlftless son the more I liked
him. somehow, and the wagon maker
told me story two or three days later
that aided to ing interest.
There goes the girl that Cal Van
port wants to marry" said Ruggles,
Standing in front Of his shop and point
ing across the street 20 tall good
looking young woman, undoubtedly the
handsomest IN North Pisa Yes. she
Is the daughter OF Squire Woodmansc
and when she was in the same school
here in the village that Cal went to the
two got to thinkin' lot of each other
OF course, her folks didn't like the idea
Of her marrying n washerwoman son
and so they sent her away to school
for year or two. At that time most
folks kinder sympathized with Cal, but
now he's growed up so shiftless like
they don't no more. Her folks Is n
tryln' too git her TO marry Billy FIJI
chener. the berry farmer. He's likely
chap, with his land most paid for, but
somehow Helen. she doesn't seem TO
care much for him. Cal Vanport hain't
got no chance though. an, he amt a.
tryln' none, neither: he aln't got enough
Rumptlon. ] herd him tell Squire
Woodmansle right here IN front of my
shop one night about year ago that
he shouldn't try to see Helen no more
! thought they'd be iight that night.
The squire he called Cal a shlfles5
l6Ofer right to his face and swung his
big cane real thuuderin Ike. Then tho
squire said Helen didn't think no more
Of Cal than yellow dog. Cal KEEP still
TIL then. but at chat he picked the
squire up just 'sif he'd been baby an
kerried him out IN the street, a-klcliln
an a-wigglln' like all possessed.
1T was then Cal said he shouldn't
lrV to see the girl But he Mold the
Squire that he'd better not mention
her name 10 him no more when he was
n-speaklu about yeller dogs II he want.
Cd TO keep out OF trouble an the Squire
Bhct rlght up an went home. Cal does
sometimes Becm TO have n bit Of spunk
In him, but you'd think he'd be 'shamed
to let his mother work 80 hard an he do
nOthin'. Why, say the wnahin' that
little old woman II do In one day are
sometimes big enough FOR two or three
like her Nobody kin see how she kin
do IT, Some thinks she has a machine,
hut nobodv can't got no further Int1