The San Francisco call., 1905-06-04

deal while the case was on. and the
papers had her pictures in them the
fellow she got a divorce from tried 10
make out she was bad woman because
she'd been on the stage and was IN love
with this other fellow. I guess IT sort or
crushed her. She cried good deal IN
the night and she didn't eat much May
be the victuals wasn't what shed got
used to. though Mrs Smith was GOOD
cook.
.I remembered about the fork and the
coffee, so that I wouldn't vex her any
more than could help, when she had
all that trouble on her mind One day
when 1 was tryin' TO get some things 10
my mouth and spiilin them on the fork
she sort OF smiled minute and then sne
come over and kissed me-
"Dear old dad she says. don't
mind about those things any more. Man
ners amt everything I've found out
what lot of scroundreIs there Is IN the
world. that's polished on the outside and
dirty as can be underneath she
made me eat with the knife again.
The cobbler stopped. as II musins.
I'm thinkin' what a strange thing
fate is" he remarked, ''and how differ
enC IL all might nave cHu0u oN~ 40 SN0~
the way things had to happen.
George and the secretary was goin'
to get married" he resumed "He was
mighty fine young fellow. and gentle
man. too. Yes. it's queer God couldn't
of let it come out natural and happy
after all the trouble they had"
The old man sat with his head bent for
ward, studying little patch Of sunlight
hof0 hfrr1
I'm gettin' to the end" he said. don't
lose patience with me. was just think
in how different it all might have been
ssIt was like this. The young secretary
fellow happened to go to an outdoor res
.taurant-just before they was goin' to be
married. George and him. He'd never
gone there before. 1t just happened.
While he was settin' there, eatin' his
dinner. Georges husband-that-was. come
in with three other fellows, all drunk
He seen the secretary and pointed to him
and saws: There's the damned snake
that broke up my home Then he come
over and raised his cane to hit him. The
secretary took it away and broke it In
two. Then the society fellow called
George a bad name and the secretary
knocked him nat on the grass He pulled
a
to shoot the secretary. While they was
fghtin' for it, the gun went or and killed
: the fellow.
..They had the secretary arrested and
the men that was with Georgie's hus-
band all swore he did It on purpose
That got him convicted, for there wasn't
any one else saw the shootin' except the
waiter and I guess he was bribed or
scared
1--WE tried everything to save the young
fellow Georgie went to the Governor
herself to ask for pardon. but II wasn't
any use
well. Just before the last day-when
she was goin' to bid him good-by. George
says to me: Dad wish you'd bore a
hole in this heel for me big enough to
hold a piece OF lead pencil or something
like that I fixed it for her. I didn't ask
her why. We was all too upset then TO
think about things. She put something
in II. with cotton around and then she
asked me to cover up the hole 50 1t
wouldn't show.
'.They never hung the secretary. He
was dead when they went to get him the
next morning. and they never found out
how he did 1t. But Georgia. she carried
it to him some way when the guard
wasn't lookin' She knowed they'd search
her before they let her IN to see him, but
she fooled them.
Maybe I wouldn't have done II II I'd
known and maybe I would-but I didn't
know what she was up to or anything
about it till she told me when she died.
She didn't live long after the secretary.
man did, my George.
I'VE got pretty close to each other
them last uays-closer than we ever was
before. though she was my own child.
Just before she died one OF the fellows
that saw the shootin' confessed he'd
swore false oath against the secretary.
1 guess that helped some to break her
heart-to think 1t couldn't have happened
a little sooner"
The cobbler arose and took the heel
from my hands. He ran his finger. low
ingly. over 1t. Then he peeled the COW
ering from the back and disclosed cav
ity large enough to hold small vial
A few fakes of cotton still adhered to ii.
Thai where she carried the stuff.
said the cobbler. He set down the heel
and resumed his work on my shoes.
s Soon they were done and he wrapped
them in piece of newspaper
i ascended the stairway. after I had
bid HIM good-by, in a retrospective daze-
The sun was just going down and its last
ray faded from the cobbler's window as
looked back from above.
The stir and noise OF the street seemed
strange to me. gripped the parcel and
walked slowly away. AFTER me, like an
echo Of the past and its tragedies. came
faint sound 1t was the eobblsr's ham
ner.