Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-10-13
TOLD BY THEIR SHOES.
Human Character as OWNED by a Sleeping
Car Porter.

human Character as OWNED by a Sleeping
Car Porter.
Yes, sab; yes, sab" said the porter
as we sped along on the smoker at
midnight, sho's you bawn, kin al
ways tell er man by de way he wears
out his shoes. | been shinin' shoes on
dis run fo' yeahs an yeahs, an nevah
make er mistake bout any man."
And the old fellow gazed at the long
row of footwear in front of him.
His heah gemman fo' instance"
he said, picking up a neat-looking tan,
"dis heah gemman, he been wearin'
dis pah O shoes TO- er long time, but
dey is won bout de same all round.
You dom see any runnin' ovah beah
and wearin' out dar. Dey jes' de same
all roun'. Now, dat gemman. he gave
me mo- trouble den all de res OBJ de
cyah all togeder. He want everything
jes' so, an ef l fo'git de leas' thing he
be ringin' me up fo' l kin git back to
where started. Mex mawnin,' eff l
give him er brush-of, he keep me
busy doin' dis an doin' dat, till l dom
have time to pay 'tention to t'other
gemmen, an den he gives me 10 cents"
The old man was silent for mo-
ment. as he contemplated the villain
Gus tendencies of such a character.
"An' den, eff he makes reg'lar runs,
he dom even give me 10 cents, but he
say Next time, Sam, give you
quatah, but / dom git no quatah, sho's
yer bawn, till he makes sev'rul mo-
trips. No, sab, dom you talk ter me
bout desc men what weah dey shoes
out de same all 'roun'. Dey am pow
full mean men, an no mistake.
"Now, heah am de kind O shoe l
like. You see dis one, hit am worn
out at de heel an at de toe, an worn
fiat in the cen,ah OBJ de hoof. Now
dat gemman, he's all right. He call
me an he say, 'Ole man, make down
my bed de fust chance you sit,' an
den he go an loaf roun' in de smokah
till told him his bed made down, an
den he swing in widout sayin' any
thing, an fus thing you know he
SCUM sleep. No, sab, he dom go
tearin' roun' bout dis thing an dat
thing. Ell faint jes' right he jes' say,
in his min, you know, Dam Ike diff
ence,' an off he 60 to sleep.
"Dis gemman, he all right, too. He
ain no cah'luss man, but he jes' go
long an tend his business widout
raisin' so much cain, an yet he do
mo- in er day den dat yam feller he
do in er month. Mex day brush
him off an get done an he ham me er
qua'tah while he finish readin' his
papah. Dat am er nice gemman,
sho's yeh bawn.
"An' den heah's er 'nothe' kind O.
gemman, which sometime / like an
sometime / dom like. You see his
shoe; hit am worn all kinds O. ways.
Dey am hollered out here an turned
off dare an have all sorts O. curious
bruises. Now dat fellah he dom glib
er dam whether he 60 ter bed er not,
sometime, an den ag'in he apt to
sleep all day. Sometime l like to
watch an see jes' whut he gwine do
mex, TO- he certify am curious white
man. Ef he got any stuff he jes' apt
to give yeh dollah rs er qua'th, but
den sometime he broke an yeh don
get nothin', but, all de same, l like
dis gemman. Eff he gifts mad he
madder'n de debbil hisself, but gently
he dom care how de win blow.
"Dis' gemman 1 don like neither.
No sab, dom like dis gemman," said
the old man, picking up another pair
of tans. "Yeh see dis heah shoe?
Hit am worn out mo- at de toe den
anywhar else. Dat man he pow'ful
lot O. trouble. He am fidgity, an er
fidgity man am worse'n er fussy wo-
man, an er fussy woman-may de
Lawd sabe me!
"Dis man he always in hurry.
He want his bed made down befo'
anybody else, an all enduin' OBJ de
night he ringin' fo' de potah. Dere
he 60 now; heah him? Let him
ring. 1 done been dere sev'l times,
an he dom want a Gawd's blessed
thing wuth noticin'. When he nigh
whah he goin' he so fidgity to get off
dat he fo'git ev'rything else-fo'git his
grip an his walkin' stick, an he
neveh fails ter disremember dat you
dom wait on him like er dawg all
night. OATS de meanest thing bout
dis heah fidgity gemman. / hope he
doan git on my cyah no mo- dis sum-
nah.
"But heah's sompin l don like.
Heah's one of dem Jonah shoes. You
ask any po'tah an he tell you dat dis
kim er shoe mighty nigh bring er
wreck er sompin' wuss ev'ry time.
Now look at dat shoe, sab. See dat
lef heel. Evah see anything like it?
Hit am worn right off'n one side.
How you s'pose dat gemman eveh
weah he shoe off dat way? Dom