Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-04-10

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Written expressly for the Ottumwa Courier
Jim DAVIS DERM LUCK.
A lsgend Of Poker ouioh.
BY r. WI.
Yer stranger think,
| II am" So I'd guess.
From sn A. ~ IN. hang 3 o =, ysS5 S.s.g tongue
Look up strike or . 'mees."
You ask what II mesns
That grave over thar.
is.k Asis makes 'H me both @ 81 SiaSber lib r. an .xar,
1ud dern RI yssss' Snesr sssS;r. SSxs :. ''' . w
He was born BY missake
30 Jim Davis began
WITH all m allnfsdes. mishaps
| Billed down to tn most improved plan
And the meanest Of all contrary dern iuck'utuck
Indeed IL was queer
Thet he alters got stuck
No matter how sirnest he labored
| He rot beat BY his Guessed ssdern luck"
And stranger, war he sitstn . straddle yOn log
really b'lieve tn dern thing 'ud git up an buck.
But ii last his queer luck
Took o marvulus turn,
An he fell In love with Widder,,
| Quite spry little han'sum concern,
Gotmsrried after two weeks Of courtin' land also
took unto his bosom tn two little chill rem o. hern
| But I'm talkin' too fast,
| Al oughter have said
Thet the widders nrst man
As two years afore he went out TO th' plains. .
letter come back 'scalped BY the Ingins' It read,
With NO turnin' they ssy
30 thought poor Davis
He kept peggin' aginst his orful mean luck .but
alters got shunked'' in the most ridikelus way.
For some change Ia th' signs,
| Got discouraged at last
With the orf6l hard times
So one mOrnin' he kissed hi wife an tn kids.
took shovel an pick an struck west fer the mines.
He come right to these parts
And opened his claim
"Poesr " * SaSasf aHlss" Gsss !: sse insa name.
iucE he had In the states kept hot alter him here
just the same.
No, stranger don't laugh
Az that hurts me some,
And the worst g. this thing
lsyet fer to come.
his wife and she came ON with the young.
Next long spell
Ofdry weather sot in
And the water give out
Which stop'd work In III gin,
And n slnhn tbs shaft deeper for water
It seems kinder strange
With sich unfortunit luck,
Thet th' poor cuss kept up
Sich site o. unkonkerish pluck,
Fer he went sinkln' mother hole th' next mornin'
"water9" No. stranger,
An tn queer Of its this,
Thet twas jest like his luck
| To be certain to miss,
For twas water the poor cuss was after and his
dern luck" struck gold jest out of confrairiness.
Twas hAn'sum, that strike,
| Jest its worth can't tell,
Bus 1t made Davis rich,
30 he built fine house, bot sight G. nice fxin's
an sich an felt as stuck up an important rs
enybody.
Now tibet Davis was 'fnush"
Hs TOOK life kinder cool
An for book larnin' an music
Sent the kids on to school
And he and his wife lived quite happy, for II
rule.
i But thar prosperous fortune
Had skerce time to begin
l When Ctwas kinder Duddin)
| Thar "dern luck" turned up sgin
downright pestiveroas @ cussed mean sin. in
Twas one ev'nen a. they thought
| They'd be pestered no more
Bis wife give scream
An tell faint to the floor.
Twas orful but stranger, hide and hair and aliut
TIL scene thet ensued
i Was uncommOnly queer,
1 Sich site o. gabb,n' an cuasin'
/ rekon yer never did hear,
An twould a. shook up yer sympathy, stranger
to have seen that poor woman e'enmOst froze
with skeer.
Each claimed the wife
An had rights to sustain.
Each had an argument
Which each did explain;
But no how could poor Davis figure TO rub out tn
fact thet the chilren blonged to BIZ Lane.
They'd no law hereabonts
To fix up tn affair,
But the miners avowed
| The thing should BE- square,
An th' chance for tn wife an tn chi'ren to boti
should be equal an fair.
For tn wife an tn lids
Az each had some right,
At last twas agreed
They duel would fight
An would meet ON thet cIearia' yonder with pis
tolls for arguu ent jest rs the moon riz the mex
night.
!, On the day Of the duel
Twas whispered around
Thet Bill Lane had slid
Il An couldn't be found,
But Davis was true to agreement. for thet nigh
rs the moon looked into tn clearin the poor Gus
walked onto tn ground.
As Lane wasn't there
Davis swore he'd be blessed
Or he'd shoot th dern cuss
AfOre he would rest
But on hearin' noise In those bushes, Dayf
went (kinder nervous an suddn' } fer the derrin
ger hid In his breast.
III Twas man. He came out
BY that cedar just there
Az without any talk or palaver .
They in airnest began th' affair.
Davis pistol missed and % hung % fire an ah' othe e,
shot up in tn air.
Stranger-In all yer experience
Have ye seen or hern tell
OF luck thet was allus ahead
I'll To best q man certain A. well.
As Davis was hxin' his pistol, tn dern thing wen
of and tits no lie. sir) his man got It an fell.
8 As he'd done fer tn cuss
He was happy an rife
With sich foeltns Of gladns
He never fore had In his Life
;, | But imagine hts kumfert, stranger when he weI
40 he thot to look At Bill Lane aud bent over Il
q form Of his wife.
: "His wife?-dead?n Yes, sir,
Az dead ae ST. Paul.
1t seemed thet his 'dern luck"
Had made an Orful queer call,
An II kinder upset an confused him ttl he foun
!. an all
Twas q sad note, sir,
She writ to explain
As to how she'd been pestered
An threatened by Lane,
e Who said he didn't mean TO meet Davis but vi
| gOin' back to tn States fer tn law to enforce hi
= claim.
r And-excnse me, stranger,
faint often whimper or cry,
:, know ye don't think II manly
). But this time jest pass is by,
For 1t kind o. ries mp my feelin's Q thet tn poo
thing, rather than live with Bill Lane, resolve
and determined to die.
III Thet she knew Of the duel
u I allow you've guessed.
a An to represent Lane
She In like riggin' dressed.
in 6 sos Ss one sns
Thet's her grave oyer thar
I'll At the foot o. thet Lin.
I'll Twas = sorry crowd, stranger,
Thet saw the poor thing kvered In,
But they thot she war better on as Il was consit
erin that she'd allus blieved IN religion, "'al
+ gels" an "risin' agin.''
j. Such things are strange to Davis,
He never 6'lieved 'em nor can,
= As luck has went aginsg him
"a An LETT him jeat whAf no began
y For had his prayers been answered he nev
q wonld av met the ''dern luck thet leaves him
wifeess. childless man.
II Well. that's the story. stranger.
pa. loot 6.yrel yer no. Scin'