The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-07-30
A GENTLEMAN OF LA PORTE.
The First Appearance of One Who
Became "a Justice al the Peace.


of 81 and came upon the triangular lit
tie valley afterward known rs La Porte
found him the sole inhabitant. He had
subsisted for three months on two bis
cults day and few inches of bacon,
IN hut made of brushwood. Yet,
when the explorers found him, he was
quite alert, hopeful, and gentlemanly.
But l cheerfully make way here
for the terser narrative of Capt
Henry Symes, commanding the
prospecting party eve KEN upon
him, gentlemen, suddent-like, Jest
abreast of rock like this "-demon-
strating the distance" Ell near ca you
be. He sees us and he dives into his
cabin and comes ont again with n tail
hat-a stovepipe, gentlemen-and, blank
me, gloves He was tall, thin teller,
holler in the cheek-ez might be-and
off color in his face, Ell was natral, takin'
III account his starvation grub But he
lifts his hat TO us SO, and SEE he:
Happy To make your acquaintance,
gentlemen I'm afraid you experienced
some difficulty in getting here. Take
cigyar And he pulls out fancy cigar
case with two real Havanas i'll it. Il
Ninl IiltIt WIS lllOIc, SCI nt.
. Ye don't smoke yourself seq 1.
:" Seldom, seq he, which war II lie,
for that very afternoon l seed him hang
IN onto n short pipe like suckin' baby
onto bottle. / kept these cigyars for
any gentlemen that might drop H..
"' L reckon We see great deal q the
best society yer, SEE Bill Parker, starin
mt the hat and gloves and winkin' at the
boys.
"a few Indians occasionally SEE
he.
"'Injms, seq we.
:" Yes. Very quiet, good fellows in
their way They have once or twice
brought me game, which l refused, as
the poor fellows have had Il pretty hard
time of it themselves
Nov, gentlemen, we was, eZ You
know, rather quiet men rather peace
able men but, hevin' been SHOT at three
times 10y these var good Injins, and
Parker hisself hevin' matter o three
inches of his own skelp lyin loose IN
their hands and he walllin round wearin
green leaves on his head like a Roman
statoo-it did kinder seem ez if this yer
stranger was playin' rather low down on
the boys. Bill Parker gets up and
takes survey O him and, SEE he,
peaceful-like
60 Ye say these yer mjins-these yer
quiet Injins-off'ered yer game 2
So They did = seq he.
4" And you refoosed?
:" did, SEE he.
Z" Must hev made 'em feel kinder
bad--sorter tortered their sensitiv' ma
tiers p sen Bill.
9 They really seemed quite disap-
pointed.
In course seq Bill. And now
mout L ask who be you?'
g Excuse me, says the stranger.
and, darn my skin ii he didn't hist
ont a keerd-case, and handin' it over to
Billy, seq, Here's my kyard.
bill took it and read out aloud, 'J.
Trott, Kentucky
4" It's pooty keerd, seq Bill.
d" I'm glad you like it. says the
stranger.
50 reckon the other fifty-one of the
deck ca as pooty-all OF 'em Jacks and
left bowers, SEE Bill.
The stranger seq nothin', but kinder
draws back from Bill, but Bill ups and
seq:
"'Wot's your little game, Mister J.
Trott, of Kentucky? 2
- don't think | quite understand
You, SEE the stranger, holler fire comm
into his cheeks like ez if they was the
bowl of a pipe.
"'Wot's this yer kid-glove business?
this yer tall-hat paradin ?-this yer
circus foolin'? Wot's it al about? Who
are ye, anyway?
The stranger stands up and seq he
Ez l don't quarrel with guests on my
own land, SCI he, | think you'll allow
Im-a gentleman, SEE he.
With tnat he takes of his tall hat
and makes low bow, SO, and turns
away-liz, this but Bill lites out of
student with his right foot and drives
his No. 10 boot clean through the crown
of that tail hat like one o them circus
hoops.
THAT'S about ez fur ez / remember.
Gentlemen, thar warn't but one man q
that hull crowd ez could actooally swear
what happened next, and that man never
told, for kind O whirlwind jest then
took place in that valley. / disremem-
Der anythin' but dust and bustlin'. Thar
wasn't no yellin', thar wasn't no shoot
in. 1t was one O them student things
that left even six-shooter out i'll the
cold. When L KEN TO in the chapparel
being uncomfortable like from hevin'
only half n shirt on found nigh on
three pounds O gravel and stones in
my pockets and stiffness in my hair l
looks up and sees Bill hangin in the
forks of hickory saplin twenty feet
above me.
"'Cap, seq he, in an inquirin way,
'hez the tornado passed?
60 Which 2 seq |.
'''This yer elemental disturbance-is
it over 2
go reckon, seq /.
&" Because, seq he, 'afore this yer
electrical phenomenon took place | he'd
a slight misunderstanding with Il stran-
ger, and I'd like to apologize
And with that he climbs down,
peaceful like, and goes into the shanty,
and comes out, hand-in-hand with the
stranger, smilin' like an infant. And
that's the first time, L reckon, we know'd
Al, IS