The Portland daily press., 1881-08-22

finger with his right, and uttering several
cultural sounds frem his throat, looked at
Jack as if he were not yet entirely through
with giving expression to his ideas.
Oglethorpe watched Billy's actions with
earnest and compassionate interest. Said
he: "What do it want? Amt it satisfied?
Eff it amt let it take all the money. Sooner
than worry the poor thing I'd let it have all
I've got. Pd-"
''Jes' SO, jes' so, / know" said Jack.
"But that ain t what Billy's arfter."
'sWell, what is it arfter? I can't see from
them doins what it is arfter."
"Jes' so; but me and him's neighbors, and
always has been, and we understands one
another same as eff Billy could talk Billy's
arfter wrastle with you, stranger"
ga wrastle with mev'
"Jes so; and he say eff you'll give him
wrastle, jes' friendly wrastle, you mind,
you may have dollar more O. your money,
no matter which gets flung; and eff you don't
he'll have some more words to say to you.'
"Words" calculated Oglethorpe. "You
call them things words! Words! more words!
Them things was its langwidges, was they?"
Then Mr.. Oglethorpe Josh Green grinned
somewhat, and the iron in his frame seemed
to begin to soften.
"Jes' so," answered Jack, "and Billy's
got more langwidges than you ever heerd
Of"
"More words, and in various lang
widges," said o. J. G.. thoughtfully. "And
they means it want a wrastle, and eff it can't
cit it it'll have more words in more various
langwidges."
Then Mr.. o. J. G. regarded Billy with the
most intent scrutiny. 1t was evident that
he was again doubtful, but seemingly to
avoid the necessity of further remarks in
other unknown tongues, he concluded to
acquiesce in Billy's wishes.
every well, then," he said. "But, gentle
men, I'm agin this thing, and wants it on
derstood that if it git hurt, I amt responch-
ible."
Everybody said that was right.
Then they stripped themselves.
CHAPTER III.
s'What hold do it want?" asked Mr.. Ogle-
thorpe Josh Green.
Billy, when the question was made known
to him by Jack, raised and let fall first his
right arm, len his left, shook his head con-
temptuously, then unwrapped from his fin
ger an invisible rag, and threw it upon the
ground.
''What kind O words was them?' asked
o. j. G.
''Them words" answered Jack, "them's
that Billy says he don't keer, not even to
the wrappin' of his fingers, which hold you
give him, right or left"
eyes. 1 see it were somethin' about
about fingers"
Mr.. o. slowly scraped his upper lip wi it'll
his lower teeth.
"And if don't wrastle with it, you say
it'll-have yit more various langwidges?"
''Jes' SOD
'sWell, gentlemen" he said, resignedly;
member, gentlemen, Pm agin it, and both
tharfore and wharfore l amt to be responch-
ible."
Certainly not, unanimously.
They were hitched. Jack Hall was to
give the word, with simultaneous nod to
Billy. Billy's eye was on Jack, bright as a
rattlesnake's when on the point of striking.
&c., said Jack.
| Billy, instantaneously detecting, from the
| feel of his adversary, which was his strong
er side, quick as lightning swayed his back
| yet more, slid himself an inch or two aside,
brought his right knee-joint against Ogle-
thorpe's left, and, simultaneously with pres
sure there, and resistless impulsion with
his left arm, adroitly tripped, with his left,
Oglethorpe's right foot. The part of Ogle-
thorpe that was likely to strike the ground
first was his head. But Billy, as he was de-
scending, softened the fall by hopping, with
the agility of a greyhound, astraddle of his
body, which barely touched the earth.
There, holding Oglethorpe for moment in
| his arms, finging back from his eyes his
long locks, he smiled in his face as a person
does sometimes upon child whom he has
thrown up into the air playfully, and caught
risen, he brushed him carefully with hand
and his handkerchief.
Omitting the numberless sayings, some of
| them interesting, in that crowd, now num-
bering couple of hundreds or more, con-
| fine myself to the main actors.
''Well, didn't fight tp' said Oglethorpe,
contemplating Billy with yet enhanced in
terest. "Ef it could understand me-" he
continued, hesitatingly, 'my desires would
be to congratulate it, as it's the first thing
I that ever laid my back on the ground"
Then he extended his hand partially,
which Billy, when made aware of his inten-
ton, seized and cordially shook. Oglethorpe
the while grinned, felt the water come into
| his eyes, smote his knees together, and when
| Billy had let bis hand 60, held it up, letting
| it hang loosely, regarded it for moment as
something entirely foreign to himself, grad
| ually pulled its fingers apart with his other
hand, and seemed gratified and somewhat
surprised that such thing could be done.
Turning his eyes to him again, he asked,
heavily: "Can it drink? Do it ever take a
| drink"
"Certainly. Not as habit, but in social
way"
TT would be my desires, then, to give it a
treat. Tell it that desires to treat it.''
| In the answer that Billy made to Jacks
announcement of Oglethorpe's intentions,
among other signs which he made, was a
pointing CONTEMPORARY toward the crowd,
and then violently poking himself on the
breast, as if he would commit suicide, for
want of bodkin, with bare forefnger,
| gibbering the while in his throat, not loudly,
but passionately.
s'My gawnamightyr' exclaimed Ogle-
thorpe, his tongue becoming now so heavy
| that he could not utter quite articulately
himself. "What kind O. wordth wath
| them?'
sThem words" answered Jack, with the
| seriousness of person who had spent his
years mainly in the Interpretation of foreign,
especially dead and occult, languages
'sthem words was this: Billy says that
whisky is a thing he sildom teches."
"Thildom tetheth," repeated Oglethorpe,
thoughtfully, as if he would fain learn some
| thing of these strange tongues.
"But that yit he amt got no pertickler
predijice agin whisky, nor talin' of drink
hisself sometimes with friend, or people he
likes, providin' that they won't want him to
carry it too fur, and"
'tNo pertickler predideth agin whithky,"
said Oglethorpe, recollectingly, his mind ev-
Identity delaying upon LneSe words, ana not
following Jack-at least not keeping up with
him.
''But-" began Jack.
'sOh, but' Oglethorpe's lower jaw be-
gan To hang somewhat heavily and all his
iron was turning to lead.
"Jes' so," resumed Jack. Chilly say that
he feel like it would be disgrace on hisself
and on the neighborhood in gener'l, eff
stranger were to come here among us and
we was to let him do the treatin'. He say
as for SIGH onpoliteness as that he warn't
raised to it hsself, and as he's now man
growed up, he amt goin' to begin on it at
this time O. day; and furthersomore-"
"On-per-lite meth! fur ther-tho-morep re-
peated Oglethorpe, in low voice.
''Jes' SO; and furthersomore, Billy say, eff
you'll jine with him, and at his expense,
he'll spend the rest of the money in gen
er'l treat"
Oglethorpe waited a moment, not sure
that Jack was quite through with his trans
lations.
''Thepl-ah, them wath it'll langwitheth,
wath they?"
''They was; his very words.''
"And eff l don't agree to EN-, l th'pothe
he'll be arfter uthin' yit more wariouth