| Show STOLE ABES GIRL V 4 py HAROLD CARTER one of th 0 most curious customers gyer ever had or r rather two 0 of theu them said eald the chesh shoe pa salesman as 1 were e abe and hank I 1 never knew that they th cy had other names it if they did they say ny biever never mentioned them abe was an old union soldier and hed lost his leg at gettysburg ho he IV used to come in two or three times a year vear t to 0 get a pair of shoes first time 1 1 ie be looked at the odd shoo shoe with a pat roul zing sort of 02 expression make blake arty any reduction for a single shoe he asked no I 1 answered you see odd shoes arent m much uch value v there my any d demand band tor for them tats what they all tell me answered abe pity to waste so much good leather that right foot shoo 14 11 seems sp ems too good to go to the dump heap 1 11 I was feeling bright that morning and I 1 had an idea see here why dont you find a right legged man that takes the samo same size shoe I 1 asked urn him where would I 1 find him asked 8 abe 4 1 round about the old so soldiers idlers tome bome I 1 suggested and the idea seemed to please him for he perked 1 up lip and went out whistling with the t tight right shoe in his pocket 1 I had about forgotten the matter jahe when n four or five months later abe comes back with a right legged man he had bad been wounded at gettysburg koo on the confederate side and their leet was a pair I 1 eisold sold I 1 em a pair of I 1 athoes between em and they were so pleased they stayed halt half an hour chatting with me 1 I gathered that th at both were in mod eat conditions hank the right legged nan man had met abe quite by accident at the reunion of the two forces which happened lapp ened last summer it turned out J pity to waste so much good leather that hank came from a little place in virginia where abe had spent three weeks with his regiment abe low blow in those days and having then two sound legs and being as I 1 imagined noe no a bad looking young fellow te its won on the heart of a pretty virginia girl mut but I 1 wont marry you abe she said until we have whipped hipped you out of it your boots and peace has come then and not till then you can call tor for me abe was whipped out of his boots gettysburg falsified the girls predictions and when the war ended abe received a letter in which the girl that she had just got married to one of her own side and he to think about her any more abe was pretty gloomy as he told t hat and hank tried to cheer him up rot but without much success it appeared that abe had never forgotten the girl and though he heard anything ot of her tor for all those years he still cherished her image in his old bachelors heart so the two went out together it must have been six months later a 4 1 I had completely forgotten all stout out the partners when abe came in slone one ile he sat down on the bench why youre the young fellow that WW bold toe be that hat shoe last time I 1 was here eighty tY good shoe it was too ha wd wheres BS hank I 1 askeland asked aske dand and abe took hook its his head mournfully dead por poor fellow he answered ile he told me t that hat a strong friend ship nip had developed between them and that at they had roomed together ever since ce until a cou couple ale of weeks before ahen en hank ban handed ded in his checks lne ing to an attack altac k of pneumonia bei forg h he died hank had told him that 11 nenad had a wife livi living bad ng out west they separated Bella rated y years ears before on ac count t ot of a misunderstanding and he I 1 wanted ia abe to go out and see whether ah i hart had wall 8 ln in good circumstances he t i i left abe A all his little hoard of aboa KM we before and 1 abe was buying ye a new starting ng on his adventure 1 like ute as ab not shell bo be some borne design howth how 0 1011 try t ry to get et holt of me that h 1 bank it in bl fl a rich man m he said but ia booi door told ne me that if 1 thaw wom omana in money circumstances lamto Vm to give up aha to her lliott however wever I 1 dont caro care th thu Is the tear fear that shell take a fancy to me and marry me and what can a man do when a widows set on him ive got a girt girl down south that ive had in my heart tor for many a long year 1 I saw that he forgot having told me about that romance when he was in fit before cheer up I 1 said bald like as not ashes dead or married again you aint much ot of a catch abe as you seem to think you are 1 I hope I 1 aint he said gloomily as he went out but I 1 wish old hank L d lived a couple ot of weeks longer so that we could have gone halves on then them shoes months passed and I 1 had clean forgotten all about the old fellow you know what a shoe sales mans life Is feet cle ce c le e and go and just feet to you and nothing more except when retty pretty ones which often ft eri because the ladies generally prefer to go to the special ladies stores well it must have been about six months later when who should hould walk in but abe accoo by a refined buxom looking toman noman who have been a day younger t than h an he but she was evidently a lady hello helio young fellow you here still he cried why its abe it I 1 ex claimed it surely is he answered old abe it used to be but now its just jus plain abe and growing younger every ever day thanks to my wife molly holly this is ii the young fellow I 1 was telling you about who sold that pair of shoes to hank and me you dont mean to tell me you married hanks widow I 1 exclaimed forgetting my manners in my surprise but they the least offended they both laughed 1 I guess youve hit the nail there answered abe when I 1 got out to frisco I 1 was all fluttered for fear shed get me to marry her and after id been there a week I 1 was all fluttered tor for fear she that loblolly so molly but she did 1 I made you ask me twice said molly id have asked a hundred times answered abe gallantly it was quite pretty to see the old pair but the thing is said abe that I 1 was telling you about that girl down in virginia vircinia it I 1 well hollys her what ayou think ot of that 1 I was too much surprised to think thinh much I 1 just stared and stared at them yes sir said old abe aba thumping on the counter and hank had found out about it and that was why he sent me west to meet you lord it if id ha known kno n rooming with that miserable sneaking flat footed thief that stole my girl away from me it if id ha known id rd id have bought my own shoes yes sir air and thrown the odd one away copyright 2914 ly by W G chapman |
