Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, October 20, 1914, Page 2

A S STOLE ABE' GIAL By HAROLD CARTER. “One of the most curious customers we ever had—or rather two of them,” said the shoe salesman, “were Abe and Hank. I never knew that they had any other names. If they did, they never mentioned them. “Abe was an old Union soldier, and he'd lost his leg at Gettysburg. He used to come in two or three times a year to get a pair of shoes. First time he looked at the odd shoe with a pat- ronizing sort of expression. “‘Make any reduction for a single shoe? he asked. “‘No,’ I answered. ‘You see, odd shoes aren’t much value. There isn't any demand for them.’ i ‘Thlt'!” hat they all tell me,’ an- awered Abe. ‘Pity to waste so much good leather. That right-foot shoe seems too good to go to the dump- heap.’ “I was feeling bright that morning, and I had an idea. ‘See here, why don’t you find a right-legged man that takes the same size shoe? I asked him, “‘Where would I find him? asked Abe. “‘Round about the Old Soldlers’ home,’ I suggested, and the idea seemed to please him, for he perked up and went out whistling, with the right shoe in his pocket. “I had about forgotten the matter, THR EVENING TELEGRAM I.AKELAND, FLA., OCT. 20, 1914. ‘! fear that she’ll take a fancy to me and ;marry me, and what can a man do when a widow's set on him? I've got , & girl down South that I've had in “Pity to Waste So Much Good Leather.” Yecelved a letter in which the girl sald that she had just got married to one of her own side, and he wasn't to. think about her any more. “Abe was pretty gloomy as he told | that, and Hank tried to cheer him up, | but without much success. It ap- peared that Abe had never forgotten the girl, and, though he hadn’t heard anything of her for all those years, he still cherished her image in his old bachelor’s heart. 8o the two went out together. “It must have been six months later, ptill? he crjed. ) ‘Wiy, 13- Abe, fen't it! { “I saw that he forgot having told in before. “‘Cheer up!’ I said. | ain't much of a catch, Abe, as you | 8eem to think you are.’ ! “‘I hope I ain't/ he said gloomily, |8 as he went out. ‘But I wish old Hank Ld lived a couple of weeks longer, 8o ¥ ! that we could bave gone halves on K them shoes.’ | & “Months passed, and I had clean for- K gotten all about the old fellow. You % know what a shoe salesman’s life is. | ¢ Feet c~e and go, and they're ]u-ti | feet to you and nothing more, except | when they're pretty ones, which isn't ; | often, because the ladies geneully: prefer to go to the special ladies’, | stores. Well, it must have been about ' ' six months later when who should ' walk in but Abe, acconipanied by a refined, buxomdooking woman who ; couldn’t have been a day younger than | he, but she was evidently a lady. I “‘Hello, young fellow. You here I I ex- claimed. | ‘“‘It surely is,’ he answered. ‘Old; Abe, it used to be. But now it's just plain Abe, and growing younger every | day, thanks to my wife. Molly, this is the young fellow I was telling you about, who sold that pair of shoes to | Hank and me.’ l “‘You don't mean to tell me you married Hank’s widow!’ I exclaimed, ' when, four or five months later, Abe | 824 I had completely forgotten all forgetting my manners in my sur comes back with a right-legged man. He had been wounded at Gettysburg, too, on the Confederate side, and their feet was a pair. I sold 'em & pair of shoes between 'em, and they were 8o pleased they stayed half an hour, chat- ting with me. “I gathered that both were in mod- est conditions. Hank, the right-legged man, had met Abe quite by accident at the reunion of the two forces which happened last summer. It turned out that Hank came from a little place in Virginia where Abe had spent three weeks with his regiment. Abe wasn't slow in those days, and, having then two sound legs and being, as I imag- ined, not a bad-looking young fellow, he won the heart of a pretty Vir- ginia girl- “‘But I won't marry you, Abe,’ she said, ‘until we have whipped you out of your boots and peace has come. Then, and not till then, you can call for me.’ “Abe was whipped out of his boots, but Gettysburg falsified the girl's pre- dictions, and_when the war ended, Abe about the partners, when Abe came in alone. He sat down on the bench. “‘Why, you're the young fellow that sold me that shoe last time I was here. ; you've hit the nail there, answered Mighty good shoe it was, too,’ he sald. “‘Where's Hank?' 1 asked, and Abe shook his head mourntully. “‘Dead, poor fellow,’ he answered. “He told me that a strong friend- ship had developed between them, and that they had roomed together ever since until a couple of weeks before, when Hank handed in his checks, owing to an attack of pneumonia. Be- fore he died, Hank had told him that he had a wife living out West. They had separated years before on ac- count of a misunderstapding, and he wanted Abe to go out and see whether she was in good circumstances. He had left Abe all his little hoard of $2,000, and Abe was buying a new shoe before starting on his adventure. “‘Like as not shell be some design- ing widow who'll try to get holt of me, now that I'm a rich man,’ he said. ‘But Hank told me that {f the woman's in poor circumstances, I'm to give up the money to her. However, I don't care about that; what's worrying me is the e ———— DO FEPPSEEGHEOPIPIIPPDDIIPED i B DDODDOD DD SR BDBEEED ETEERRELIEE EEEERRRS SRS Qak Chairs, Cane Seat..... Oak Arm Rockers Best National Spring All Feather Pillows, pair Dresser, Regular Value $15, now 10.00 Matting Art Squares, 9x12 Complete Bed, 1 1-8 Post, all Cotton 1.88 prise. “But they weren't the least offend- ed. They both laughed. ‘I guess : Abe. ‘When I got out to 'Frisco I was | all futtered for fear she'd get me to marry her. And after I'd been there a week 1 was all fluttered for fear she wouldn't. Isn’t that so, Molly? But she did.’ “‘l made you ask me twice,’ said Molly. “‘I'd have asked & hundred times, answered Abe gallantly. It was quite pretty to see the old pair. “‘But the curiousest thing is,’ sald Abe, ‘that—I was telling you about that girl down in Virginia, wasn't I?; Well, Molly’s her! What d'you think of that? “l was too much surprised to think much: I just stared and stared at them. *‘Yes, sir, eald old Abe, thump- ing on the counter. ‘And Hank had found out about it and that was why he sent me West to meet you. Lord, if I'd ha’ known! Rooming with that miserable, sneaking, flat-footed thief that stole my girl away from me! If You e ———————— S . s—— GLOSIENESSHH IS SOIGTIIISIDSOIIS04 000 skvLEr| PLOWS [ BRINGEY | me about that romance when he was % % ‘Like as not AZ ! she's dead or married again. 55 OO $ % Phone No. 340 I'd ha’ known I'd—I'd—T'd have bought my own shoes—yes, sir, and thrown the odd one away!"” (Copyright, 1914, by W. G. Chapman.) FLOWER ON THE LEFT HIP Fashion’s Sudden Change From Style Which Only Recently Had Been Adopted. A few weeks ago fashionable women thought they had struck the newest note when they began to wear their artificlal. flower somewhere under the left ear, but fashion forever eludes the grasp of its devotees. And now just as we have readjusted the artificial flowers on all our gowns fashion changes her mind. The left hip is now the correct point for the rose or poppy that lends distinction to the gown. A new green satin evening frock shows a large pink rose on the left hip and one of the new Premet models is a cream- color taffeta with a large black velvet poppy caught nonchalantly on the skirt at the same point. Whether or not we shall wear the boutonniere chosen for our autumn suit on the left hip of the skirt is a matter for specu- lation. Stranger whims than that has ! fashion taken. i _h— CLEAN S To Make Room for Fall Goods Just received, a con}plete line of 10 and 12 inch 10 to 14 inch Regular Turning Plow, The Brinley Plow is built especially for Florida soils, Ea 2 on: is sold with a guarantee of satisfaction or your money QEOP0 D FOICOSUETPOFOPO. — Orange Plows HARDWARE, (o C. E. TODD, My GO TO THE WOODS DRUG STOR When you want the best in Pure Drugs and Toilet Articles £ 2 The Thought of Quality remains long afrer the price is forgotten Phone 408 Phone 40§ City Hall just across the street from US EP SALE = . 4 m Lq Mattress, and Spring We have not the space to mention prices on our entire MONEY it will pay you to trade with us. FENCING, HARDWARE and BUI LDING Largest Kitchen Safe Made Linoleum, per yard ......___...... Crex Rugs, 9x12 Ostermoor Mattress $10.00 line, but if you want to SAVE @ We also carry 4 large line of MATERIAL __ Lakeland Furniture & Hardware Co. ‘ ‘