Evening journal., 1901-10-28

Inc possibilities Nl SutNtoo III Nut ire
Of an American boy were never better
illustrated than they have been during
the life Of a man; we gaze back for
sixty-hve years to behold him q boy,
when both of us embarked upon sea
Of trouble. as this life usually is, to
rich or poor. As we stand. at a period
Ibf seventy-three years from our own
inauspicious beginning on earth and
see the mountains we have crossed the
wales we have traversed, the creeks
we have forded. the rivers we have
navigated and the seas we have cross
ed or explored; realize the tolls, hard
ships. dlsappdntments, trials, tribula-
tions. and with them all delights un-
looked for, Joys not expected, bless
ings in disguise. or undeserved. are so
mixed, until we questioned and doubted
equally.
why our life to us was given,
Or whether life was worth the living
AS we look back it appears to US a
long. long while ago. but to memory,
when trying to travel over joyous ways
of old again. oh. how short'--seeming
but yesterday.
The life of the one. TO whom we will
have reference in this, commenced al
most with our own. and has been
known to us. as has that Of our own
life. for we kept tab and tracked it near
and far among his friends all the time
with almost the hawk-eyed vigilance Of
our friend. Even Jone. when in search
for a violator of the law. and about
as successful in keeping my eye (of
mind) on him. To save TO the long
line Of respected and highly respectable
relatives. the embarrassment they
might experience in our reference to
the pit from whence were digged'their
.ancestry on the paternal side-although
we deem it a source OF pride-and the
brightest feather in VIII Erbert's cap;
and we NAV say that another reason We
offer for Withholding proper names and
resOrting to a coinage of our own, Of
all the parties 10 this story. is that
we want to Yankee-like set the old
time boys Of our boyhood at guessing
who the parties are. We will introduce
our characters not exactly in the bi-
Ographical style OF narration. but when
approaching them will do as the soldier
did when on picket duty. with the hog
he wanted to capture. knowing his
comrades were out of meat flank him
In taking this privilege and liberty
with the nomenclature we will when
dealing with incidents. accidents and
facts as to fault and foible which all
have and we speak no i'll Of the dead
we will Thew TO the line. let the chips
fall where'er they may"
well VIII, my boy" said Charley
Wardoll-a character long since gone
to his reward, and who. when on earth
had his uses and abuses" whether for
good or evil we viii entrust TO God
while we permit our old friends. Ed
Ballinger and other OF the old "time
boys" of Old Castle. aid us in answer
ling-"your dad and Jack (Will Er-
berts brother). had an ugly time Of
it this mornin' afore day an the old
man is drowned. They are fishin' for
him now en- are a-hevin a hard job OF
t. what with tide and wind. an the
Lord knows ware he lays" Thus did
old Charlie break the sad news of old
John Erbert's drowning. viii, who
was ten years old. had just arose from
his bed in the old Gallihan house or
the corner of what was then Water
street and Gallihan's alley. and was
standing in the old dingy doorway.
half asleep and half awake and crying
over the calamity which had come to
his mother a most estimable woman
and her family of three children.
Old John Erbert had been a resident
of Old Castle-the town which Penn
. had intended for the city of Brotherly
Love. instead of the one now having
that familiar name further up the river
| that could not have been prevented but
| by Lord Baltimore. and others. and
their influence with Charles ll-foI
wears John had lived there and. like a
number of its people was honestly en-
gagged in fishing for shad at that par
ticular time. His family consisted OF
wife and three children, John, aboui
he. VIII. about 10. and Mary, about
or z. The family were very poor but
honest" and the wife and children did
the very best they could to keep the
wolf from the door.
It was but a short time ere the people
of that grand old hive of hospitality
and kindness had heard Of the great
sorrow brought to the abode by ole
lCharley's sad tidings of the drownine
of the husband and father, before u
was the theme of conversation, anc
leach was vieing with the other as tc
who would dry up the most tears oi
lbring the largest amount or sunlshl