Show STOLE ABES GIRL by HAROLD CARTER one of the most curious customers we ever had or rather two of 0 them said eald the shoe salesman were e abe and hank I 1 never knew that they had say ny other names it if they did they never ever mentioned them abe was N as an old union soldier and ho tod hod d lost his leg at gettysburg he used to come com e la in two or three times a year to get a pair of 0 shoes first time ie he looked at the odd shoe with a patronizing ron izing sort of expression malce make any reduction for a single shoe he asked no I 1 answered you see odd shoes hoos arent much value there ww demand tor for them what they all tell me answered abe pity to waste so BO much good leather that right foot shoo seems too good to go to the dump heap 1 I was feeling bright that morning mornine and I 1 bad an idea see here why dont you find a right legged man that ha takes the same size sheet shoe I 1 asked mm him where would I 1 find him asked abe round about the old soldiers tome I 1 suggested and the idea seemed to please him for he perked up ip and went out whistling with the right light shoe in his pocket 1 I had about forgotten the matter when four or five months later abe comes back with a right legged man he had been wounded at gettysburg atoo on the confederate side and their feet was a pair I 1 sold em a pair of tehres between em and they were so pleased they stayed halt half an hour chatting with me 1 I gathered that both were in modest conditions hank the right legged man had met abe quite by ac accident aident at the reunion of the two forces which happened last summer it turned out IJ 1 Z af pity to waste so much good leather that hank came from a little place in virginia where abe had spent three weeks week with his regiment abe gasn wasn t slow blow in those days and having then two sound legs and being as I 1 imagined not a bad looking young fellow he ha won the heart of a pretty virginia girl but I 1 wont marry you abe she said until we have hava whipped you out ot of your boots and peace has come then and not till then you can call lor for me abe was whipped out of his boots but gettysburg falsified the girls predictions and when the war ended abe received a letter in which the girl taid said that she bhe had bad just got married to one of 0 her own side and he to think about her any more abe was pretty gloomy as he be told that and hank tried to cheer him up but without much success it appeared that abe had never forgotten the girl and though he heard anything ny thing of her tor for all those years te ile still cherished her im image age in his old bachelors lache lorB heart so the two went out together it must have been six months later and nd I 1 had completely forgotten all about the partners when abe came in 11 alone ile he sat down on the bench why youre the young fellow that sold bold me that shoe last time I 1 was here mighty good shoe it was too ho ha sali wheres hank I 1 asked and abe chook his head mournfully dead poor fellow ho he answered he told me that a strong friendship I 1 had developed between them and that they had roomed together ever since until a couple of weeks before when hen hank handed in his checks king efting to an attack of pneumonia dome bome toye ile he died hank had told him that he had a wife living out west they separated years before on ac tot int of a misunderstanding and he wanted abe to go out and see whether aide he was in good circumstances he had lett left abe all his bla little hoard of and abe was buying a new shoo hoe before starting on his adventure like as not shell be some designs hi widow try to get holt of me now that at im a rich man he said but ank told me that it if the homana in poor or circumstances im to give up the ney to her however I 1 dont care bout that mat worrying me I 1 la uie the fear that shell take a fancy fanci to me and marry me and what can a man do when a widows NI dows set on him ive got a girl earl 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 before cheer up I 1 said like as not ashes dead or married again you aint much 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 LA L d lived a couple of weeks longer so that wo we could have gone halves on them shoes months passed and I 1 had clean forgotten all about the old fellow you know what a ahoe sales mans life Is feet ce c e and go and just feet to you and nothing more except when retty pretty ones which often because the ladles ladies generally prefer to tc go to the special ladies stores well it must have been about six months later when who should hould walk in but abe accompanied by a refined buxom looking woman who have been a day younger than he but she was evidently a lady hello young fellow you here still he cried why its abe it I 1 ex claimed cl aimed it surely Is he answered old abe it used to be but now its josl plain elal abe and growing younger every ever day thanks to my wife molly this Is the young fellow I 1 was telling you about who sold that pair of 0 shoes to hank and me ing 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 wag all fluttered for fear shed get me to marry her and after id been there a week I 1 was all fluttered for tear fear she that 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 I 1 II 11 well hollys her what ayou think of that 1 I was too much surprised to think thuinli much I 1 just stared and stared at them yes sir air said old abe thumping on the counter and hank had found out about it and that was why he sent me west to meet you L lord ord it id ha known rooming with that miserable sneaking flat tooted footed thief that stole my girl away from me it id ha known id id id have bought my own shoes yes sir air and thrown the odd one away copyright 1914 by W G chapman |