The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-07-27
THE JIMTOWN ROMANCE.
A HoOsier IiOundelay.
by JAMES MAURICE ruoNpsoy

The corner brick storehouse-in fac
the only brick building in Jimtown-
was to be sold at auction and conse
quently, by ten o'clock in the mornin.
considerable body of men had collect
ed near the somewhat dilapidated house
directly in front of which the auction
eer, fat man from Indianapolis, mount
ed on an old box, began crying, partl,
through his tobacco-filled mouth, anc
partly through his unmusical nose, a
follows:
"Come up, gentlemen, and examine
the new and splendid property 1 now
otfer for sale! Walk round the house
men, and view it from every side. Gc
into 1T, up stairs and down, and the1
give me bid to start with. 1t is a very
desirable house, indeed, gentlemen !"
With such a preliminary puff, the
speaker paused and glanced slowly owe,
his audience with the air of d practiced
physiognomist. The crowd before him
was, in many particulars, an interesting
one. Its most prominent individual was
Dave Cook, sometimes called DR.. Cook
but more generally answering to the
somewhat savage-sounding sobriquet OF
Big Medicine, man some 35 years Of
age, standing six foot six in his ponder
GUS boots; broad, bony, muscular, with
a strongly-marked Roman face, and
brown, shaggy hair. He was dressed in
soiled suit of blue jeans, and topped off
with plug hat that it would have made
an antiquarian frantic to see. He stood
quite still, near the auctioneer, smoking
clay pipe, his stalwart arms folded on
his breast. As for the others of the
crowd, they were, taken individually
and collectively, about such as one will
always see in clark corner" such as
parts of Boone county were few years
ago, before the ditching law and the L.
b. 81 w. Railway had lifted the fog, and
enlightened the swamps and miasmatic
ponds of that region of elms and burr
oaks, frogs and herons.
Big Medicine seemed to be the only
utterly complacent man in the assem-
bly,. All the Others discovered evidence
OF much inward disturbance, muttering
to each other mysteriously, and casting
eager inquiring glances at an individual,
u stranger in the place, who, with pair
of green spectacles on and his arms
crossed behind him, was slowly saun-
tering about the building offered for
sale, apparently examining it with some
care.
awful good clothes he's got on
Must a come from Missouri, or some
other big city," one remarked.
"Chaws mighty fine tobacker, tell
you," said another.
"Them there boots!" observed anoth-
er.
"On it generally, bet," suggested a
fourth man.
Meantime the subject of these very
characteristic if not over-lucid express
sions continued his examination of the
old house, the while some happy frogs
IN neighboring pond rolled out rat
ting Jubilant chorus, and the summer
wind poured through the leafy tops of
the tall elms and athletic burr oaks
with swash and roar like turbulent
river.
"What dye offer me for this magnifi-
cent property? Come give me bid
Speak up lively! What do hear 2"
The auctioneer let his eyes wander up
the walls of the old brick building, to |
where the blue-birds and pee-wees had
built in the cracks, and along the warp
ed window-frames, and Just then it |
ihanced that woman's face appeared |
ut one of those staring holes, which,
with broken lattice and shattered glass,
still might be called q window. The
lace was plump, cheerful one, rather
pretty, and certainly winning and intel
iectual, after the manner OF good, true
womanly intellect.
Forty dollars for the house, oman
ana all !! cried Big Medicine, gaA,rg up
at the window in which the smiling face
was Tor the moment framed.
The man with the green spectacles
'arted quick glance at the speaker.
Z" am bid forty dollars. gentlemen.
orty dollars, dye hearp Agoine for
orty dollars! Do I hear fftyY" cried
he auctioneer.
The crowd now swayed earnestly for
ward, closing in solid order round the
tore-bex. Many whiskered, uncouth.
nut not unkindly faces were upturned
O the window only in time to see the
ace disappear quite hastily.
"Hooray for the galT cried lusty
ad, whose pale blue eyes made no show
t contrast with his faded hair and
nguish complexion. "Dad, can't ye
erY"
Fifty dollsrsl" shouted the sunburnt
IAN addressed as Dad.
This made the crowd lively. Every