The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-08-08
THE PROPHETIC PISTOL.

"And that, said !, sis pretty nearly
all that / have to tell yoll.
The above words formed the perora-
ton of q synopsis Of several years
travelling, communicated to me by 4
fellow passenger from Helsingfors to
Stockholm, as we leaned over the side
of the good ship Viborg, and watched
the countless groups of rocky islets,
crested with green foliage, which arose
on every side from the smooth, trans
parent sea. Ny auditor was a long,
lean, wiry American, with cold, clear
eye, and look indomitable OF firmness
in every line Of his pinched, sallow face,
which gave him the aspect Ito quote
from a pugnacious friend of mine), "of
n man you would like to be back to
back with in n row.
g Wal, stranger" remarked he, at
the close Of my narrative, ''you have
been about bit, / reckon; but you
hain't seen much, and what more, you
hain't done much, neither
My dignity was somewhat ruf1ied by
this plain-spoken criticism, for [ pr
vately regarded myself as second SIN
bad, on the strength Of moderate ac-
quaintance with the majority of the
countries which figure on the tourists
visiting list. Moreover, my listener
had himself provoked my cOmmunica-
tiveness by a series Of searching ques-
tions upon every point Of my personal
history, from the color of my grand
fathers hair to the amount Of pocket
money allowed me at Rugby. Conse-
quently, there was perhaps o shade of
acrimony in my tone as / replied
Give done what | could: but, Of
course, everybody can't have as many
adventures as You.
oval, yu air about right thar" re-
turned he, taking my words literally,
I've seen 4 few things in my time, /
reckon but mark ye, it's cause I've
looked about me, and fixed for dom
sOmethin' wherever / went, sted of
trailin' about with my eyes shet and my
hands in the pockets Of my panteys,
like some folk. Now, Ell tell yu how
yu Britishers travel yu Jest follow the
railway track right square from one big
town to another, and see the opera
house, and the theayters, and the prom
enades, and SIGH like; and o course
vi meet a heap o riff-raff, and mayhap
get your eye teeth drawn leetle too
slick; and alter devOtin' three weeks or
Il month to seem country with some
millions o people in it, yu come back
and write tarnation big book to say,
that Il ter all, the critters thar air all
lazy and ohiftless, and good for nothin'
but to cheat, and tell lies-and no won
der, seem they're only cussed furri-
ners, and haint got the inestimable
blessin' of a free British constitution.
That now, stranger" he concluded, with
the paternal superiority Of a missionary
instructing a Hottentot, ''that's the
way yu go TO work; but, WI observe.
faint the right way, nowhow yu can
fix it. :"
And how did you go t. work, then ?"
asked |, wishing to divert the current
of this flood of extempore criticism.
"Wall, [ fixed to do somethin', and |
done it; leastways, man that had been
a teamster in the Rocky Mountains,
gold-digger in Australey, a sailor in the
Imiine Ocean, a stOre-keeper at Shang-
ll'ii, ID tIlItOl hOstll
key, and an agent for one notion or
another in every country of Europe,
mout say he'd done somethin', [ guess,
if he had a mind to-"
'And have you really done all that ?"
asked |, somewhat startled at the cata-
logne.
"Heckon I hey; I've been kinder
movin' round ever sin / was as big as a
molasses jar, and | amt done yet.
Guess m like John Browns soul in
the old song-I go a-marchin' on
pretty consid 'rable, and it'll take a
while to tire me of it tew.''
And do you always travel alone,
then?"
Reckon [ do leastways, what you'd
cali alone. I've got bosom friend
here, though" added he, with strange
putting his hand into his
pocket; land he's done me more'n one
good turn in his time, so [ tell We. |
Yes, sir, he has that /; and what's |
more, he speaks or holds bis tongue,
Jest as [ please, which faint every
man as I'D do?"
And with this enigmatical preface, |
ne produced very handsome revolver,
with spring bayonet, and ornamented |
round the stock with eleven studs of !