Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-03-09
|FRIEND o. THE FAMILY

d good. You remember told you the
last time we was out fshin' together
that used 70 have q shop Of my own
Up IN old Illinois an made good money
too. Well, sir, all the kids in that
town knowed me, an they wasn't
one 0f 'eni that wouldn't have gone to
the bad place fer me II they'd been
old enough TO know what that really
meant. But they wasn't-bless their
little hearts!
"An there was two OF 'em In per
ticker, the incest little kids you ever
seen. It's q fact that there little girl d
come from school every day Ieadin'
her little brother by the hand. AM
they'd never be time they'd be pass
In the shop on their way to school or
goin' home TO dinner that they wouldn't
stop an knock on the shop window.
IAN often after school d be out
they'd stop in an see me. why. I've
had an high as ten or twelve Of 'em at
one time after school in my shop sing
In the shoemaker song an goin'
through the motions just like their
teacher d learn 'em to.
Sometimes some Of 'em would have
to stop an laugh-they thought it was
such a good joke on the shoemaker.
But there'd always be two or three Of
'em would 60 on an finish out, cause
they knOwed they'd never get the dime
fer candy IL they didn't. An there's
where used to have the joke on 'em.
They never knowed how much liked
70 hear 'em sing that there song. I'D
sooner hear II now than have a dollar.
"Well, that's just the way 1t was all
the time with 'em kids. They all
knOwed me. an they all knOwed my
dog. An when they knowed my dog
they knowed a mighty good dog.
wen. sir, this little girls daddy
used to be station agent there at that
town, an It was known all along that
part Of the Big Four line that there
wasn't a depot anywhere that was
what you could call as model a depot
as bis. Course / knOwed him, an he
knowed me, an his wife she used to
tell the little girl when they'd want me
to come an take dinner or supper with
'em. 1t wasn't very often I'd so, but
couldn't refuse when they'd send the
little girl after me.
Now, him keepin' his depot so model
Il what got him promoted. The Big
-Four sent him over to a bigger town
In Indiana. Course was glad to see
him dom betteF-he deserved it, But
after they'd gone me an my dog we
used to shut up shop an go fshin'. an
huntin' little oftener than before.
well, come along Christmas time
am what d do but one day get let
ter from this here little girl tellin' me
her an her little brother was goin' to
have Christmas tree an couldn't l
come over to Indiana an see 'em
Christmas.
$50 made all arrangements to 60,
an you bet / laid out a dollar or two
fer presents. But course, like It had
10 be, one day gets word her an her
little brother was took down sick
diphtheFia, the dispatch said
$50 makes up my mind I'd go any
way. There's no tellin', you know.
what's liable to happen In case like
that So put 500 in my pocket-an'
even at that / didn't have to put 1t
there: always carried at least hum
dred In them days-an' went over.
An didn't get there none too soon
neither. She died the afternoon Of the
svenin' got there.
"WeIl, didn't know then what
70 do. l wasn't what you could cali a
friend o. the family but l wished
could do somethin' fer that poor little
girl a-layin' there. An before three
days was out got my chanst.
you see, her dyin' Of diphtheria,
they wouldn't let 'em ship the body
back over the railroad. Her daddy be-
In agent didn't help 'em none in that
case. neither. He tried hard enough to
get a permit, but 1t didn't do no good.
He just couldn't get it.
The mother was Just about crazy to
think they'd have to lay her away in
Indiana instead Of the old buryin'
ground over in old Illinois alongside Of
EN- that had gone before. But you
bet yer life they didn't have to. fer l
went an got team an a wagon. an I
says. III drive her through
"It was ~ below zero when start
ed, little before midnight They took
the mornin' train next day an got
there long ahead Of me. Ninety one
miles IN a spring wagon at II below
amt no picnic.
II didn't get to zee 'em after the fu-
neral felt just a little bit wore out.
an thought the best thing could do
was to SO lay down awhile. An, leave
me tell You. got all the layin' down
wanted in the next year an a half, an
II cost me everything had but my
tools an shOemaker's Kit. I've got that
stored mp there In old Illinois Jet.
II wrote to her folks one time. but
didn't set no reply. thought maybe
thay thought I wasn't quite as good as
they was. 30 never tried writin' no
more.
This here letter I got the other day
was from q friend o the family that
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