The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-03-26

| an his brother. PrOQ give the OIu Indn
little game O. talk one day, and in
iuced him 10 whack up in advance O.
the death racket. He'd no sooner got
his dizzy in his fist than he shook the old
man an struck out to take in some O.
the other camps. He he'd way-up
time for while, an slung his cash to
the front like he owned the best payin'
lead on earth but hard luck hit him a
lick at last an left him flat. The book
don't state what he went broke on, but
I reckon he got steered up agin some
brace game. But anyhow, he got left
without chip or four-bit piece to go
an eat on: An old granger then TUX
him homean' set him to herdin' hogs,
an here he got SO hard up an hungry
that he piped off the swine while they
were feedin', an he stood in with 'em
on husk lunch. He soon weakened
on such plain provender, an he says to
himself, says he: Even the old mans
hired hands are Twin on square grub,
while I'm worryin' along on corn-husEs
straight I'll just take grand tumble
to myself, an chop on this racket at
once. I'll skip back to the governor
and try to fix things up, and call for a
new deal : so off he started.
''The old man seed the kid coming,
and what do We reckon he did? Did he
pull his gun and lay for him, intending
to wipe him as soon as he got into
range? Did he call the dogs to chase
him off the rancho? Did he hustle
around for club and give him stand
off at the front gate? Eth? Not to
any alarming extent he didn't. No,
sir The Scripture book says he waltz
ed out to meet him, and froze to him
on the spot, and kissed him, and then
marched him off to a clothing store and
fitted him out in the nobbiest rig to be
had for COIN Then the old gent invi-
ted all the neighbors and killed fat
calf, and gave the biggest blowout the
camp ever seed.
At the conclusion of the narrative the
speaker paused, evidently framing in
his mind proper application of the
story. Before he could resume a tall,
blear-eyed gambler, with a fierce mus
tache, arose and said
"Taint me as would try ter break up
a meeting, or do anything disreligious.
No, sir; l am not that sort of a citizen.
But in all public hoo-doos it is parlia-
mentary rule for anybody as wants to ak
questions to rise up an fire them off,
| do not want ter fool away time ques-
tioning the workings of religion oh,
no. AS long as it is kept in proper
bounds, and does not interfere with the
boys in their games, do not see as it
can do harm. l just want to ak the
honorable speaker if he has not given
himself dead away. Does it stand ter
reason that a bloke would feed upon
corn husks when there was hash facto-
ries in the camp? Would anybody
have refused him the price of square
meal if he had struck them for it p
Would any of the dealers that beat him
out of his coin see him starve AS |
remarked afore, l do not want to make
any disrespectable breaks, but l must
say that have got it put up that the
speaker has been trying ter feed us on
cussed thin taffy, and no one but silly
would take it in"
Bill glared upon the speaker, and fair
ly Kissed:
"Do you mean to say that l am a
liar? ?"
''Wal, you can take it just as you
choose. Some folks would swallow it
in that shape"
Bill pulled his revolver, and in an in
slant the bright barrels of numerous
weapons flashed in the air as the friends
of each party prepared for active duty.
The brevet preacher was the first to fire,
and the rash doubter of spiritual truths
fell dead on the ground. Shot follow
ed shot in quick succession, and when
quiet was again restored score or more
of dead and wounded men were carried
from the tent. Having secured atten-
ton, Bill said:
"Further proceeding is adjourned for
the day. You will receive the doxolo-
gy."
The audience arose.
"May grace, mercy and peace be with
you, now and forever, amen; and
want it distinctly understood that am
going to maintain proper respect for
the Gospel if l have to croak every SON.
of-a-gun of a sinner in the mines
Meetin' is out.
The crowd filed from the tent as cool
ly as if nothing extraordinary had oc-
Cured, and as l gained the sidewalk |
heard a man remark:
"Bill has got the sand to make bang
up preacher, and l would not wonder if
he made big mark in the world yet. "
BGyHe sat on a window-sill in the
postoffice and jingled forty cents in
change, and when another boy asked
him if he was going out to look for
Christmas presents, he replied:
"No, l hain't Pm in luck this