The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-05-27
AN OLD CLOTHES
MANS STORY
By c. L. PIONEER
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
By c. l. PIONEER

Ill
ii Association.
I am an old clothes man. buy old
clothes from door to door. take them
to my shop. repair them. press them
and sell them for a good profit. But
this is not alb there is in the old clothes
business. 1t is very easy for small
coins. principally ten cent pieces. to
slip through little holes, or, rather.
rips. in a vest pocket. The first thing
I do with the clothing l buy il to
search the pockets.
But the most interesting things that
get into old clothes are old letters.
Few old clothes men pay any atten-
ton to them. burning them without
reading them. always read them.
Possibly there may be something in
them to render them valuable. l have
found letters Of this kind that would
have paid me we'll were disposed to
levy blackmail. but l am not in that
business.
I once bought a coat that had q let
ter in side pocket sealed and with
a stamp on it ready for mailing. The
envelope was not soiled. The letter
had evidently been placed in the pocket
for delivery in the mail. forgotten. the
coat hung up without being worn
again and eventually sold to me with
out being examined by the seller.
constituted myself a dead letter
Office. opened the envelope and read
the letter 1t was from wife to her
husband. offering to make up after
a quarrel. She proved conclusively
that he had been mistaken In the mat
ter he had against her, vowed that she
had always loved him and would never
love any one else. She begged him for
the sake Of their children to come to
her and be reconciled.
I wondered what had been the re-
suit Of the failure to mail this letter.
became interested in the poor wo-
man. who might have been suffering
from some ones carelessness. as well
as her husband and innocent children.
for there is nothing more melancholy
than the case Of a child seeing Its
father and mother quarrel and finally
separate. 1t appeared likely that the
writer must have given 1t to the man
who had worn the coat to mail and
he had neglected to do SO. felt that
I would like to wiring his neck.
It occurred to me that. being an old
clothes man. l had never had any op-
portunity to do any one a kindness.
couldn't give money. because made
only enough to keep the wolf from the
door. If gave to any one took away
from what my wife and children
needed. So 1t occurred to me to find
this couple between whom the letter
should have passed and deliver It.
Perhaps they did not need it; perhaps
they had been reconciled In another
way; perhaps they had been divorced
and one or both married again. Then
the remarriage Of parent always
seems to me a farsmore terrible hertz
age to the children than the parents
death. The latter is an awful bereave-
ment. but the former is living horror.
AS the letter was but year old I
hoped that l would not be too late in
delivering it to at least save the little
ones from this last hopeless condition.
didn't know how to go to work to
find either Of the parties. SO went
to tn postoffice and asked for advice.
q note to the man whose letter l had.
advising him Of the fact that a letter
that might be Of importance to him
had come into my possession. adj
dressed the note as the letter had been
addressed. and the postoffice men
agreed to deliver 1t If the man could
be found.
Within a couple of weeks gentle
man came into my shop with my note
in his hand. saying that he was the
man to whom 1t was written.
"Have you a wifeT' asked.
mo" he answered bitterly.
"Are you divorced from a wifer'
eyes"
Are either you or your wife mar
ried again."
"No"
+ drew a sigh of relief and banded
him his wife's letter written year
before. He seemed much affected. not
speaking for some time after reading
1t, and saw tears standing In his
eyes. was curious to know what
feeling would be uppermost in his
mind. for he would surely give express
sion to it. This ia the first thing he
said:
.I'll kill that Internal fellow IL
hang for it!'
what internal fellowY'
1.-THE stupid idiot that was given this
letter to post"
He had his eyes on the letter. but at
this point looked up at me and con-
tinued:
"And now. my good man. I wish to
reimburse you for any expense you
have incurred In this matter, besides
| giving you suitable reward"
There has been no expense. Az to
the reward. my pleasure In having
done one act without pay In my con-
| temptible life is far greater reward