The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-02-26
TELLING Il STORY.


Hoe Dan HoHoray Secured an AHentir
| Listener.
Dan Holloway was a railroad coDduc
tor, who used to make his headquarters il
Richmond, Indiana. He was introduced
to a lot of mad wags who rendezvous,
at Bill Bennet's livery-stable one day
where they played practical jokes Oh
each other when there was no stranger
handy. One of their standing JOKES
consisted in beguiling an unsuspecting
man into telling story, and then get
ting up and walking off, one after an
other, leaving the poor fellow to conclude
his tale to Benefits dog, blinking and
doing under the stove.
| Holloway was received by the crowd
with great cordiality, drink was pro
posed in Il neighboring saloon, and after
that was disposed of they returned to
Benefits office, and some one told q
| short story just to draw the conductor
on to his fate. The trick succeeded,
and Holloway started off with a story
about an adventure he once had with a
wolf. Before he had got on the track of
the wolf, or had even suspected there
was wolf in the neighborhood, one of
his listeners rose slowly up out of his
chair, stretched himself, gaped, and
walked out with great deliberation.
Dan didn't mind that much, but kept
right on with his story, just as though
there wasn't wolf within thousand
miles of him. When he finally came
suddenly on the welfs trail another one
Of his listeners got up and sauntered
laZiiy out, with his hands in his pockets,
whistling few low, soft notes. Dams
eye kindled little at this, but lie said
nothing. Indeed he was so busy press
ing after the wolf there was not time to
indulge in any parenthetical remarks.
He had to attend strictly to business or
the wolf would escape him.
Then, by taking shorter cut than the
wolf was pursuing, Dan managed to
head off his wolfship in very narrow
passage between overhanging rocks, and
crisis in the story of the most inter-
esting and exciting character. 1t is not
often that a story-teller is able to corner
up wolf so effectually as Dan had done
then and there, and one would have
thought every listener would have been
riveted to the spot until the denoue-
ment was reached. One broke the riv-
cts, however, and walked away in the
deepest meditation. Only one other
listener was left now besides Bennett,
and just as Holloway was clinching the
wolf, and both were rolling on the ground
in life-and-death struggle, that man
appeared suddenly to recollect some
thing he must go right off and attend to,
and he went, leaving Bennett alone
with the story-teller. Mr.. Holloway
paused, then keeping one hand on the
wolf, so he wouldn't get away, he
reached around back with his other |
hand and drew out revolver, which he |
pointed at Benefits head, remarking |
quietly, There now, my frisky friend,
L ia u IL you UOu u near tue |
rest of this wolfstory,"
And William staid. Yes, he staid
and suddenly became interested. Hal
loway could easily have killed that wolf
in two minutes, the way lie had the adj
vantage of him, but he delayed the
finale so as to instruct Bennett with re-
gard to the habits and peculiarities rof
The animal, dwelling at length upon his
and the various means employed
by hunters in capturing or killing him.
He did this because Bennett appeared
o be so thoroughly absorbed in the story,
lon't you see? Seemed as though he
couldn't get enough of it. Benefits
friends in neighboring saloon, whittier
hey had repaired, expecting the railroad
nan would come in and treat the crowd
when he found he was sold, became i'm
patient at length, and they went back to
zee what had become of him. Looking
through the Office-window, they saw Hal
oway still telling that wolfstory, and
low and then digging cooked revolver
ntO Benefits ribs to emphasize the
rood points in the narrative. They saw
he eager attitude of the listening Will
lam and the intense, almost painful, in
crest depicted on his countenance can
lever he effaced from their memory. 1t
vas dark long before William went home
o his supper that night, and he acted
volfish for several days to all who came
lear him. He has got so now, though,
lie can tell the wo,fstory with immense
God humOr-better than we have told
t, if anything.