The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-06


him a little; and he said the mar
was his father, and he was tax.
ing him home: and gath
cred further from his talk that this
man was confirmed inebriate. Now
! EouH remember the boy told us her.
a"hlie ago he had no father. and wher
! he recognized me a moment since and
/ round himself caught in one yarn a.
least. he very naturally supposed
: would think his entire story a fabrica-
! ZION, hence the suspicious nature al
MS last remarks, and the sudden tram
sltlon of his manner from, that of real
delight to gravity, which change, in
my opinion. rather denotes lying to be
a new thing to him | can't be mis-
taken In the boy. for | noticed. as he
turned TO go, bald place on the back
OF his head. the left side. a trade
mark. first discovered last evening as
/ he bent over the PROSTATE form of his
father
Il noticed a thin spot in his hair"
said l, and wondered at the time what
caused it"
And don't you know?"
! shook my head.
Coal bins and entry floors That
| little fellow hasn't slept within a bed
for years, perhaps" tflr
But he told you. as you say. last
night, he was taking the old man
Yes. home! can imagine that
boy home. There are myriads like it
In the city here-a cellar or a shed-a
box car or a loft in some old shop.
with father to chase him from il in
his sober interludes and to hold him
from il in unconscious shame when
helplessly drunk. Home. Sweet Homel'
That boy has heard it on the hand or
gan, perhaps. but never in his heart
-
a thousand cranks."
The remainder of that day eluded me
somehow; 1 don't know how or where
1t passed. l suppose it just dropped
INTO comatoSe condition. and so
slipped away ''unknelled, uncoffined
and unknown
But one clear memory survives-an
experience so wildly imprinted on my
mind that / now recall It's every de-
tail. Entering the union depot that
evening to meet the train that was to
carry me away at 8 O'Clock, nluff1ed
closely in my eVercoat, yet more closely
muffied in my gloomy thoughts, I was
rather abruptly stopped by a small boy
with cry of: Here, you man with
the cigar; dont you want them boots
BACKED? Shine 'em for ten cents,
Shine EN- fer nickel, on'y you mustn't
give me away on hat be added, drop
ping on his knees near the entrance
and motioning me to set my foot upon
the box. -ta
II was then too dark for me to see
ms lace CLEARLY, but had recognized
the voice the instant ne had spoken,
and had paused and looked around.
Oh, you'll have plenty o. time he
urged, guessing at the cause of my APP
parent hesitation. None o. the trains
on time tonight-on'y the Panhandle,
and she's list a-backin' in-won't start
Ter thirty minutes" and he again beck
oned. and ratified a seductive tattoo on
the side of his box
We'll, said I, with a compromising
air, come inside, then, out of the cold"
Ginst the ruleS-cops won't have it,
They Jist fired me out o. there not ten
minutes ago. Oh, come, Cap: step out
mere; II won't take two minutes" and
the little fellow spat professionally
upon his brush, with a covert glance
or pleasure as he noted the apparent
success of the maneuver. you don't
1--we here, I'll bet," said the boy. set
ting the first boot on the box, and paus-
ing to blow his hands
How do you know that? Did you
ever see me here before?"
No, never see you here before. but
that amt no reason. l can ctell you
don't live here by them shoes-'cause
they've been put up in some little pen
nyroyal shop-thats how When YOU
want fly shoe you want to git her
put up somers where they know some
PIN about style. They's good enough
metal in that shoe, on'y she's about two
years off in Style
You're posted, then, in Shoes" said
/, with laugh.
ort to be- he went on. pantingly,
brush in either hand gyrating with a
velocity that POSTED his hat over his
eyes, leaving most plainly exposed TO
my investigative eye the trade mark
before alluded to; II ort to be posted in
shoes, cause amt done nothin' but
black EN- fer five years"
You're an old hand. then, at the
business" said I. II didn't know but
maybe you were just starting out
What's an outfit like that worth?"
Fhinkin' o. starting up?" he asked.
facetiously.
"Oh, no." said I. good humoredly. ST
just asked out of idle curiosity. That's
a new box, amt it?"
Newt" he repeated with a laugh.
Put up that other hoOf. New? Wy,
If that box had ever had eyes like a
human il would a-been a-wearing'
specs by this time; that's a old, bald
headed box. with one foot in me
grave
and what did the old fellow cost
you?" ! asked. highly amused at the
quaint expressions of the boy.
Cost? Cost nothin'-on'y about a
hours work made that box myself.
bout four years ago"
"Ah," said L.
yes he went on. they don't cost
nothin': the boys makes 'em out o
other boxes, you know. Some of 'em
gifts 'em made, but they amt no good
amt no better'n this kind
so that didn't cost you anything"
said /. though 1 suspect you wouldn't
like to part with il for less than-weil
| don't know how much money TO say
* cents maybe-would anything less
than IS cents buy it?'' craftily inter-
rogated.
Seventy five centsi Wy. what's the
matter with you. man? I could git a
CARLOAD of 'em fer 10 cents. III take
yer measure fer one like il fer 10. too
quick" and the little fellow leaned
back from his work and laughed up in
my face with absolute derision.
1 pulled my hat more closely down
for fear of recognition, but was reas-
sured moment later as he went on:
.'wisht you lived here; you'd be OLD
fruit fer us fellows. I can see you
r.ow a-takin' wind-and we'd give 1t 10
YOU mighty slick now, don't you fer
giti" and. as the boy renewed his work,
I think his little, ragged body shook
less with industry than mirth-
s'Wisht I'd struck you bout 10
O'Clock this morning." and, as he spoke
ne paused again and looked up in my
face with real regret. 'Oh, you'd a
sta fox-aiiaST n 'ero ALI