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T. Frank Covert tells of A. Gasman, who
was a shoemaker in Beaver Falls back in the day. He was the owner
of a couple of cobbler's shops in Beaver Falls, including one
he was most proud of at Tenth St. and Eleventh Avenue, where he
lived.
This was where he constructed a window about
four feet square facing the sidewalk. It was quite a fancy window
for the times and he was more than a little proud of his accomplishment.
He nervously guarded it with his life and constantly worried that
careless kids would break it. He not only didn't allow playing
in front of his store, but if a youngster even dared to look into
the window, it was his custom to lay his tools down and chase
them away.
It wasn't long until the neighborhood kids
held a grudge against this not so modest businessman and plotted
revenge on the old' cobbler.
A few nights prior to Halloween, one of
them discovered two barrels of broken glass in the rear of a hardware
store. He relayed the information to others and said he had an
idea. Later, on Halloween Eve, they quietly carried the glass
to the Gasman place.
When all was quiet, they dumped the contents
with a loud crash, amidst shouting, in front of the cherished
window.
Gasman came screaming out of his house much to the glee of the youngsters.