Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-25
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sively down at the toes that were com
ina out Of his boots. 81 did do some
little while ago, though, an done SO well by it
that I've bin thnkin' of doin' some more ever
since.
at was when I was trampin' round town, as
usual, y'know, arstin' for odd coppers at the
doors, and carryin' box o matches SOS the
peelers shouldn't have nothin' to complain about,
am at one place old gent comes out inquisitive
an looks at me.
whats your trade my MANI" he says
We'll, sir,' ! says 4 used to be a stonema
son, but there's too many of 'em at it, an all
through the perfession is overcrowded was
crowded out, an amt never bin able to cit in
ogen.
"He spoke very kind and sympathetic, but he
didn't give me no money.
I don't believe in pauperisin' people, he
says; L believe in self-hep. Now, I'll tell YOU
what I'll do for yer,' he says. I've got the mar
.ble top of a washstand in the back yard: it's
broken in two, an did think of havin' it mend.
ed; but III give it to you instead he says lust
to encourage you.'
'Thanky, sir ] says; but if it's equal con-
venient I'd sooner have am sandwich
Very good, he says, you can turn it into
ham sandwiches by industry an perseverance,
an | was wondering whether he wasn't OFF his
bloofnln onion an it might be safer for me to
run away afore he was took worse, but he went
on to explain, GAS stonemason' he says, You
can no doubt carve things out-sculp little so
to speak. Well he says, you take this top O.
my washstand an cut it into somethn beaut
full an sell it, an the more beautiful it is the
more you can charge for it. I'll give you one
harf now, an when you've made that into some
thin an sold it, you can come back an tell me
all about it, and I'll let you have the other harf
Many men, he said, have earned fortunes he
says, who haven't had near such excellent start
I'm givin' you
There didn't seem no chance of gettin' moth
in else, so | took his broken bit O. washstand
an had some idea of lettn it go at the marine
stores for much as the man was fool enough
to pay me; but / hadn't gorn far when it struck
me all of minute that, might do lot better
than that with it; an so l did.
Il borrored some tools from a pore workin'
man, which is pal of mine direclxly l start
ed with 'em found remembered me old talent
quite nat'ral, an tell yer-I Clipped that piece
O. washstand down into one O the prettiest lit
tie tombstones you ever set eyes on. Not big
enough for adult, mind yer, but it was plenty
big enough for young juveniles or dumb pet ami
mails, an ! reckoned it was worth ten dollars
of anybody's brass, an twenty-five dollars if l
spotted the right party.
ut was hat call orful delicate job, don't
you make mistake about that | had it wropt
up tidy in sheet of brown paper, an used to
go an knock sorftly, an look solemn, an talk
in sort of ushed voice; but as soon as un-
done the brown paper an they seen what it was,
nobody wouldn't have nothin to do with it,
Got quite narsty about it, some people did. Very
nice little tombstone it was, too give yer my
word, an credit to anybody.
"Still, it was no go; an when I called at one
house an persuaded the gel to go in an tell the
master that it looked good an he could have it