The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-09-10
4 PAIR OF Sleeve
PROTECTORS
The Fat MANS Memory Was Stirred

| saw cnlCken butcher wearing
pair of those basket sleeve protectors,
and | stood and laughed like fool"
said the fat man with the white
woollen mittens. First time I'd seen
I a pair of basket sleeve protectors for
years-don't get to markets much
and SO | just had to laugh. Tell you
why, When l was a tyke l used to
look with wonder and awe upon a fell
low who wore a pair of basket sleeve
protectors. | considered that fell
low with a pair of those things was
all right all right, and then plus some
more.
They had a kind of a jounty, devil
may-care air about EN- that can't de-
fine, but it was there. and l revered
and reverenced EN-. | made up my
mind that if ever l grew up and got
the price, me, too, for a pair of those
basket sleeve protectors, no matter
what sort of work I'd happen to tackle
to make a living.
Queer dickenses, boys, hey? Mem
Der those patent pencil attachments
that marketmen used to haye-may
have EN- yet-hitChed to their aprons?
| Well | thought those were pretty
nifty things, too, and | used to secret
| ly banker to own one of EN-. Made
up my mind that would own one Of
EN-, too, when I got to be man
but somehow or another | never
seemed to want one after | reached
the shaving age.
Guess some OF my ambitions as a
boy Wore pretty crazy, anyhow, was
so jealous Of the first boy 1 ever met
that could spit through his teeth at
4 mark and hit it that hated him. That
same boy pretty early in life got Il
job driving a delivery wagon for a
grocery. Well, pretty soon after he
got that job he was wearing pair of
those patent elastic shirt sleeve sup.
purteIs, or holders, or whatever you'd
call EN-; things with clutch at either
end that pulleA the cuff of the sleeve
back from the wrist. This boys pair
of those things were of ping elastic,
and how he used to flamt them before
my eyes!
"IIe know blamed well that those
ping elastic sleeve supporters looked
finer to me than any Star of India
or Victoria Cross could possibly look,
and he knew, besides. that because |
had to go to school and wasn't earn
ing anything there wasn't a possible
chance on earth for me to get pair
like 'em-and so he just held 'em over
me and made my life miserable. Yet
when ! got to the wage earning age
never seemed to care at all for
a pair of pink elastic sleeve support
ors.
Another boy that | hated had a
maroon Colored Cardigan Jacket That
was before the day of sweaters. This
hated boy wore the Cardigan Jacket
beneath his regular outer coat and SO
he didn't have to wear any OvercOat
That ! considered was gorgeous
blesSing-nOt to have to wear an over
coat to school. | despised this boy
for having 1t on me that way. Any
how, his maroon Colored Cardigan
Jacket had a couple of pockets il
front that he kept full of all kinds o.
Junk sometimes he even carried mice
to school in 'em. And that made my
Indignation all the greatcr-the fact
that he had those fine covered VI
pockets to his Cardigan jacket,
zone great triumph did come to my
tykc life, though, and that was the
fact that ! was the first boy of my
: school to own a pair Of copper-tocC
boots. Well, sprang the first pair
as say, at my school, and ! guess
didn't break the hearts OF all tbs
other boys or nOthin. BESIDES the cop
per toes these boots had red tops
with n silver star and crescent
stamped on the red tops. and thai
made the blow all the more frightfu
TO the other tads that had to sec me
stalking around in those boots. After
a while, though, nearly all Of the other
Youngsters showed up with copper
tOcd boots and thus took the wind
out Of my sails.
I'VE never see boys wearing peaked
caps any more-uotice? | don't near
these dnky little cloth caps with
peaks to 'em, but regular soldiers
caps, with glazed peaks. First boy
that turned up in our ucighborhoot
with one of those things on made {
sensation all right. This same boy hac
got hold of carpenters pencil some
where, and he'd stick that carpenters
. pencil underneath his forage cap witt
the sharponed end projecting in {
mighty blasc way that certainly
, caused us 10 regard him as some pun
,jns was always crazy for a car
, penters pencil when / was "A boy. bu
! never got hold of one. NGXcr iii,
have much luck when was boy
anyhow. because my folks were toe
blamed respectable.
+ AS a matter Of fact--you can be
lievc /, or not, but I'm telling You the
truth-thcy wouldn't let me at the az,
+ Of ten apply for the job of brakeman
, on a passenger train That, | thought
, was the finest jon in the world
, brakeman on a passenger train. Jus
swinging a red lantern all the tim'
and wearing peaked cap mostly OF
the left ear and the peak pushed bacl
SO az to show an oiled bang plastcTet
7 down and sitting on a wood box II
the smoker talking 10 Gellers. and car
wing = pair Of red flags around every
, Where. and all that. But the main ap
. peal or the brakeman's job was tn,