American citizen., 1876-04-08

BY HENRY KING, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.
They did not institute judicial pro-
ceedings in scrutiny of the character
and antecedents of every man who came
to Kansas in those equivocal days. As
general rule they cared only to know
how the newcomer stood on the slave
ry question. Nevertheless, it fretted
them to feel that they had man among
them whose oddity of conduct piqued
curiosity, while forbidding even reason
able conjectures concerning that other
existence of his, 6 back in the States"
And Perky gave the people of Seward
Center just that feeling. Perky was a
perplexity. He was also a printer; and
his employer, the editor of the Clarion
Of Freedom, had carelessly disclosed the
secret that he was the author of certain
Procastean rhymes in the last number
of that excellent family journal; bear
ing the caption, "Sadly We ROAM"
and having cut of a hearse at the top
of them. These verses had pleased the
minister very much, and he thought he
detected in their somber monotone
the yearning of q jaded soul for the
rest and joy of the New Jerusalem''-
which was pretty thing to say, Perky
remarked, when the editor told him of
it. Public opinion was somewhat calm
er, but not harmonized or satisfied by
the minister's pathognomy. There
could be no doubt, they were all agreed,
that Perky was not easy in his mind;
but the cause was still as deep a mystic
~ as ever. Various were the surmises
and suggestions-some kindly, and
some otherwise touching the matter,as
poverty, grief, disease, disgrace; but
perhaps the average sentiment of the
community was best expressed, after
all, by Aunt Naomi Seybold, when, in
answer to some now hint upon the SUBJ
ject, she said with solemn earnestness
that was intended to be conclusive and
convincing: "He's just a-totin' of
cross, a-totin' of cross.''
OF course these things came to Per-
ky's ears now and then; but if they
disturbed him in the least there was no
betrayal of it in his looks, his speech,
or his actions. Indeed, he might have
passed for q thoroughly contented if not
. really happy man, as he sat upon the
little bench under the cottonwood in
front of the Clarion Office that rare June
morning, watching the white and blue
clouds fold and unfold, and fold again,
like the hags of some splendid parade.
Behind him rose the hill of rocks and
cedars, and dense involvement of vines
and shadows, which hid the dreary
waste of raw prairie that lay beyond; !;
in front of him, those two foremost
symbols of advancing civilization, the
little tin signs of the American Bible
Society,"" and "Wells, Fargo & Co. s
Express, !" flashed back the SUMS bright
ness from the dull gray of the store
door at the upper end of the 50 avenue, -
as they called the generous exaggera-
ton of . wagon-road which lead
Through the village and on to the river
out there in the low beltof elms and syca-
morcs, . mile away. And the sky above
Il AL was very beautiful, he thought, as
Returned reluctantly at last, and glanced
cufiously about him, like one in doubt
as TO the identity of his surroundings.
Then he said to himself: "Perky, old
fellow, We won't finger any long primer
to-day; wen rest, and have a ramble. +"
Amoment later he was gone.
Perky was resting and rambling con-
siderably now. The weekly publication
1.-THE Clarion was several times delayed
by his neglect of his type-setting; and
once the editor had to humiliate himself
: and expose his gaunt subscription list
. to great peril by sending out half
sheet, "owing," he said, 'sto circum-
stances over which we have no control. !"
This mishap had the effect of keeping
Perky steadily at work for three consec-
utive days. It also afforded him occa-
sion to speak to the editor, in delicate
and confidential way, of certain grave
facts connected with the newspaper bus
mess. ssFor instance" he remarked,
ga paper should be prompt in its ap-
pearance as the sunrise, for if it lags,
people soon lose faith in its stability
and cease to pay for it in advance; and
the half-sheet contrivance should never
be resorted to" he continued, ssfor the
size Of . newspaper is good deal like
plenary inspiration, and won't bear
trihing with This bit of philosophy
being kindly received, he dropped his
confidential tone and manner, and went
on, after the habit of your true printer
the country over, to give the results OF
his varied observations in other affairs,
including politics, education, religion,
and, finally. matrimony. ''It is every
mans duty" he declared with some
warmth, ''to get married-and every
woman's too" he quickly added. Then
he stopped, blushed little, and lifting
the slug that concealed the next word OF
the manuscript on the case before him,
resumed his work. They smiled one to
another in knowing way, the editor
and the ofice-boy, and urged him to
proceed with his discourse; but he only
shook his head, and answered, trihe
sadly: ''Not now, not now" The
next day, and the next, he was unusual
ly reticent, and they noticed that he
usually threw back as much as half a
lineof types from his composing-stick
into the boxes, as If he had unconscious
ly set up the wrong words. When be
did not appear the following morning,
they knew he must have returned to his