West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-08-24
OLD ZACK, THE SNOWMAN.
Breakfast Table.

He sat down familiarly beside the
young man, az the train Stacked at sta
ton, and said:
Well, now, drat my eyes if we didn't
show on that patch o ground there,
"Ah,7 said the young man, With slight
interest, "did YOU indeed "a - ~ ~
We did for fact-right on that lot
there. where them children is playing"
How long ago was thatT' -
"Well, said the old Snowman, scratch
ing his head, 3" it must "a been nigh on
to fifteen year ago, / should think. You
see the weather had been deadset aein
us for nigh on to month. Rain Il
never in all my born days seed sech
weather as we had in that campaign. 1t
was miserable. We hadn't made ex-
penses for more n a week, when we
struck this blasted town, and here the
Sher fl scooped us slick and clean. He
didn't leave us a sdeshow; not even as
much as fat woman or n anaconda TO
commence bizness over agin with.
tell you he wiped us. That was a blue
day for me, pardner. | didn't know
which way TO turn. / hadn't a red.
You see we hadn't got a cent of pay for
over q month, and barder-up set -
tellers nor we never put up a tent.
Speakin' o which, we had Jest got the
old canvas fairly up, and in shape for
the afternoon performance the band
had struck up, and the people was Jest
fockin' in beautiful; the hosses was
about to so out for the grand entree.
and Old lack was Jest feelin' too GOOD to
live, at our improvin' prospects, when
along comes that blasted Sheriff and his
posse, with an execution from the last
town-takes possession of things in the
name of the law, and orders us TO turn
out the crowd and shut up the shebang
You jest orter heerd Old Iaek cuss. IL
would done you a power o. good. No
body could ever put the polish on 'ern
like the old man when he give his whole
mind up 70 it, even on common oc-
caslons. Why, sir, canvasman would
Jump four feet high at the bare sound
OF his voice, without the embellisb-
ments, and i have seen the hiennas lav
down and whine if he spoke q bit harsh
to 'em.
We'll, as / was saying. the wav tho
old man did tongue.lash that sheriff q as
caution-downrigh inspirin'. as
might say, but il was no 90 Floouenoe
wouldn't faze him, and we had IN az.
cept the sitiwation. 1t was owdations
mean there's no two ways about n II
the 'onery cuss had only let us po ON
with the show, with the crowd we was
gittin', we could have planked down the
cash, and wiped out the score. and had
something over for the people. but like
lots of other men ! know of he was a
domineerin' devil, and, as he had ne in
bis power, he couldn't let sech a good
opportunity Of showin' off his 1ure
cussedness go. But we got even win
him, in spite Of all At the verv last
mint, when we had about give mn ali
hope, along comes Old Mose-Zaok;s
brother-whO had Jest got home from
CalilOrny with plenty f sinners and
had b en- follerin' us round a week 10
overhaul the show, and see his brotbar
who he hadn't seed for several vear
Well, the way the two old buffers did
tumble into each others arms now. was
Jest slow music. You're right. old
mOse wasn't long in seein' that some
thlng was out O the saddle, and A soon
as he got the bearih ~ the bars he
lerked out the solid and put an end 10
mat Shetlh domineerin' IN short meter
He was full cage, was Old Nose and
from That time on till the end Of the sea-
son we jest had q regular happy family
time OF it. Our luck picked riobt n4
The weather got decent and in tbrac
weeks Old Jack he'd paid off his last
debt, besides buyin' a camel and a cpb.
tiger for the menagerie and n two.beadod
calf for the side how. Things went
right along ON the gallop. We had GOOD
houses every day, for you see that was
IN the honest days Of the show bu.iness
before they got 10 putin everything on
the bills, and nOthin' in the tent Zack
had good two-center pole show-whicb
was big thing in them days-and a.