Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-12-15
A Friend o he FQ|lly.

Well sir" said the shoemaker short
~ after the sunfish quit biting Il got a.
letter yesterday that done me lot Of
good. You remember | told you the last
time we was out hshin together that
used 10 have shop OF my own IN IN old
Illinois an made good munsy too, Well,
sir, all the kids IN that town knowed me,
/ an they wasn't Que Of en- that
wouldn't have gone "a the had place fol
me il they'd been old enough TO know
what that really meant. but they wasn't
bless their little hearts.
IAN there was two of EN- ia peftickler.
he incest little Kids you ever seen It's D
fact that there little grid come from
school every day leadin her little brother
by the hand. An they'd never be time
they'd be passin the shop on their way
10 school or goin home IL dinner that
they wouldn't stop an knock on the shop
window
AN often after school'd be out they'd
stop IN an see me. Why. I've had as high
as 10 or II OF 'em at one time after schooi
ia my shop singin the shoemaker song
an goin through the motions, just like
their teacher'd learn EN- to.
Sometimes some of 'em would have
to stop an laugh--they thought 1t was
such good joke on the shoemaker But
thered always be two or three OF 'em
would 70 on an finish out. cause they
knowed they'd never get the dime fer
candy IL they didh't. An there's where J
used TO have the joke on them. They new
er knowed how much liked to hear them
sing that there song. I'd sooner hear IL
now than have dollar.
"Weil. that's ipst the way II was all
the time with them kids. They all know
I'd me, an they all knowed my dog. An
when they knowed my dog, they knowe0
mighty good dog
"Wel. sir. this little girls daddy used
to be station agent there at that town.
an II was known all along that part OF
the Big -Four line that there wasn't a
depot anywheres thai was what you
could call as model depot az his. Course
! knowed him nm he knowed me. an his
wife. she used to tell the little girl when
they'd want me to come an take dinner
or supper with EN-. Ii wasn't very often
I'd 20, but | couldn't refuse when they'd
send the little girl after me.
Now. him keepin his depot so model is
what got him promoted. The Big -Four
sent him over TO bigger town in lndi-
ana. Course ] was glad to see him do
in better--he deserved 1t. But after
they'd gone. me an my dog. we used to-
shut up shop an go fshin an huntin lii
tie oftener than before.
"Wel come along Christmas time, al
whatd | do but one day get a letter from
this here little girl tellin me her an her
little brother was goin to have Christ
mas tree, an couldn't | come over TO In
diana an see EN- Christmas?
80 | made all arrangements to go. an
you bet | laid out dollar or two for
presents. But. course, like II had to be,
one day | gets word her an her little
brother was took down k--diphthera,
the dispatch said.
$50 | makes up my mind I'd 80 any
way. There's no tellin. you know. what's
liable to happen In case like that. So
put 500 In my pocket--an even at that
didn't have to put 1t there: always
carried at least hundred in them days
an | went over. An didn't get there
none too soon neither She died the aft
ernoon Of the evenin ] got there.
"Wel. i didn't know what the devil to
do. wasn't what you could call "a friend
o. the family but wished | could do
somethin for that poor little girl a-layin
there An before three days was out
got my chanst.
You see. her dyin of diphtheria, they
wouldn't let 'em ship the body back over
the railroad. Her daddy bein agent
didn't help 'em none in that case, mel
Their He tried hard enough to get a per-
nit, but IL didn't do no good He just
couldn't get IL.
"The mother was just about crazy to
think they'd have to lay her away In In
diana instead of the old buryin ground
over in old Illinois alongside Of them that
had gone before. But You bet yer life
they didn't have to, fer | went an got o
team an wagon, an | says, IN drive
her through
1T was IL below zero when I started
little before midnight They took the
mornin train next day an got there long
ahead Of me. Nincty-one miles in
spring wagon at II below amt no picnic.
II didn't get TO see 'em after the flu
neral. ! felt just little bit wore out.
an thought the best thing ! could do
was TO go lay down awhile. An, leave me
tell you. ! got all the layin down ! want
ed in the next Year an half, an II cost
me everything | had but my tools an
shoemaker's kit. I've got that stored up
there in old Illinois yet.
81 wrote TO her folks one time. but ]
didn't get no reply. I thought maybe
they thought wasn't quite as good as
they was. so 4 never tried writin no
more.
"Ths here letter ! got the other day
was from a friend o. the family that
knowed them an knowed me. 1t said
they hadn't never heard a line from me,
an they often wondered what had become
Of me. 1t said that little girls mother Of
ten wished she knowed where | was at,
so she could write. because, this letter
went on to say. she said was the best
friend o the family they ever had.
Gan that's the kind OF letter that makes
a Teller feel good.'--St. Louis Republic