The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-04-07
PERKY'S CROSS.
-7he Spectator.

fElthN .
BY HENRY KING, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.
They did not institute judicial pro-
cecdings in scrutiny of the character
and antecedents of every man who came
to Kansas in those equivocal days. As
a general rule they cared only to know
how the newcomer stood on the slave
ny question. Nevertheless, it fretted
them to feel that they had a man among
them whose oddly of conduct piqued
curiosity, while forbidding ever reason
able coniectures concerning that other
existence of his, I" back in the States"
And Perky gave the people of Seward
Center just that feeling. Perky was a
p~erpleXity. He vas 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
Procustean rhymes in the last number
of that excellent family journal; bear
ing the captisn, "Sadly We ROAM"
and having a 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 a jaded soul for the
rest and joy of the New Jerusalem''-
which was a pretty thing to say, Perky
remarked, when the editor told him OF
it. Public opinion was somewhat calm
or, 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 o mystic.
ny as ever. Various were the surmises
and suggestions-some kindly, and
some Notwithstanding the matter,a
poverty, grief, disease, disgrace; but
perhaps the average sentiment of tho
community was best expressed, after
all, by Aunt Naomi Seybold, when, il
answer to some new hint upon the sub
iect, she said with a solemn earnestness
that was intended to be conclusive ant
convincing: Giles just a-totin' of
NAoSot VI tioSS.
OF course these things came to Per
ky's ears now and then; but if the,
disturbed him in the least there was n,
betrayal of it in his looks, his speech
or his actions. Indeed, he might hav'
passed for q thoroughly contented if no
a really happy man, as he sat upon tn,
little bench under the cottonwood il
front of the Clarion Office that rare Jun,
morning, watching the white and blu
clouds fold and unfold, and fold again
like the flags of some splendid parade
Behind him rose the hill of rocks AM
cedars, and dense involvement of vine
and shadows, which hid the drear
waste of raw prairie that lay beyond
in front of him, those two foremos
symbols of advancing civilization, tn
little tin signs of the american Bib
Society,"" and "Wells, Fargo & Co.
Express flashed back the SUMS bright
ness from the duh gray of the stor
door at the upper end of the "avenue,
as they called the generous exaggera
ton of II wagon-road which lea
through the village and on to the rive
out there in the low beltof elms and syc;
mores, a mile away. And the sky abov
it all was very beautiful, he thought, 8
he turned reluctantly at last, and glance
'~curiously about him, like one in doul
rs to the identity of his surrounding
Then he said to himself: "Perky, oil
fellow, we won't finger any long prim,
to-day; we'll rest, and have a ramble.
moment later he was gone.
Perky was resting and rambling col
siderably now. The weekly publicatio
of the Clarion was several times delaye
by his neglect of his type-setting; an
the editor had to humiliate himse
and expose his gaunt subscription Ii
to great peril by sending out a ha
sheet, sowing" he said, 'to circur
stances over which we have no control,
This mishap had the effect of keepir
Perky steadily at work for three consc