Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-09-21
vKE.
Explained.
poopendyke
It critically,
like ''my
IKE.

It critically,
like, ''my
VI the strikers,
:, mas been hurt; do you
..uow the facts about it,"
elbow hurt? what did it say?"
asked Nj. Spoopendyke, turning from
the glass and strapping his razor.
81 don't remember exactly, but he
went down to a slaughter-house to
get something for his family and
somebody shot him in the legs"
"That's the way it happened, was
it," demanded Mr.. Spoopendyke,
grinning through his lather. He
didn't 60 to his family for a pair of
legs and somebody shotl him in the
slaughter-house, did he? Nor he
didn't 60 down to his legs for a
slaughter-house, and somebody shot
him in the family? That wasn't the
way it read, was it,"
"No-o-o, 1 think not,' replied Mrs.
Spoopendyke, obviously. "I'm sure
it was something. about a slaughter
house and legs. Do you know how it
happened!"
"Yes, 1 know how it happened"
Knocked Mr.. Spoopendyke, pegging
away at his visage with the razor.
eff l hadn't found out a way from
home I'd always been puzzled about
it, though. Two gentlemen fought a
duel, and one got shot. That's all
there is in it,
II knew there'd be some trouble
as soon as I read about those Strikes"
confidently continued Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke.
"What's the strike to do with it?"
vociferated Mr. Spoopendyke. "Think
he struck for another shot? Got a no.
ton he struck for more legs, haven't
We? 1t would have been a bad idea,
that" soliloQuized Mr.. S~poopendyke,
rather impressed with the combined
originality and utility Of that class of
strike.
ibid he get shot in both legs?'
queried Mrs. Spoopendyke. "It
must have been a cannon ball, or
else he held his legs in front of each
other"
"That's the way he did it,''moaned
Mr.. Spoopendyke. "They always
do that. When they are fighting a
duel they sit down like a tailor or a
Turk. What dye they fight with,
forts? Got some kind Of a vague
idea that they fight with a line of bat
tie ships? Who said anything about
cannon balls? Pistols, 1 tell ye! They
fought with pistols, and one of them
hit the other! Roll that information
around in your ten-acre intelligence"
Certainly" faltered Mrs. Spoop-
endyke. "But tell me, dear, why
should one nan shoot another for 60
ing to the slaughter-house?"
"Holy herring!" calculated MI.
Spoopendyke. "He went there to
get shot. 1t vas agreed upon. The
man who shot him had reflected on
his honor, and he went there to sat-
isfy it."
Sand did it satisfy his honor to
shoot him in the legs?" asked Mrs.
Spoopendyke.
"That was as near as he could get
to it. l tell you that when a man
fights a duel he wipes out an insult,
whether he gets shot in the legs or
ear. 1t makes no difference"
II should think it would,' MUIR
INJURED Mrs. Spoopendyke. TT would
to me. So his honor is all right now,
is it,"
"Of course it u.s." replied Spoopen-
dyke, wiping his face. "Suppose you
can reason on the subject without
any further information from me?"
II guess so," Illuminated Mrs.
Spoopendyke. GAS 1 understand it,
if a mans honor is hurt all he's got
to do is to get shot in the legs, though
l don't e why he didn't shoot HIM
self, unless it was that he couldn't
reach round."
"That's just the reason!" reared
Mr.. Spoopendyke. "He shot him
self in the looking-glass all the norm
ing, and couldn't make it work, so
he hired a man to do it for him! 1t
took your shot-tower intellect to see
into it! What you want now is a
squint in one eye and some dod CAST
ed friends to interfere to be a re-
vised edition of the measly code! If
you only had somebody to chalk off
six PAGES on you and a squad of po-
lice with a bench warrant you'd be a
regular Bladensburg! I'm going out
to fight a duel and get shot! Think
you'd understand it them? If I had
a bullet through both legs, would you
want any more information!"
"No, DEAR" sighed Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke, and as her husband tossed his
shaving brush into the baby's crib
and slammed the door, she began to
think that a man shouldn't keep his
legs if they couldn't take better care
of it.
We regret to learn that w. ID.
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