The Portland daily press., 1883-01-09
The Wanderers Return.
burlington Hawkeye,l

lDuTlulRtOn daWkeye,J
The mining town of Bunko had shanties, 100
tents, 600 population, and SO men who drank
whisky, played old sledge, and carried knives
and revolvers and stabbed and peppered each
other on the slightest provocation The one
man who didn't drink was a slim, hungry
looking man, whom the hoys had elected for
justice of the peace, police justice, chief of po-
lice, chief fugleman at funerals, superinten-
dent of hospitals, and principal of public
schools
He had all he could do to carry around this
whisky to his burden he would. have been
crushed to earth.
One afternoon it became the painful duty OF
the man of many honors to proceed TO the
shanty occupied by Wicked Jim of Arkansas,
and TO remark to that individual
flames, it is the sentiment OF this ere en-
terprising town that you git up and git
"Kin you back them remarks?" calmly in
CURED the Wicked, as he turned over in bed
II reckon" whispered tho Judge, as he
brought two "Colt's" to bear on the lemon
shaped head Lot ten feet away.
Wicked Jim surveyed the situation without
a wink, and after the lapse Of seventy seconds
he placidly remarked
aWhen9n
sSoon as / can pack
"Thatll dew James," observed the Judge,
and he eased down the hammers of his revolv-
ers and went away to select a site for college.
Wicked Jim betrayed no particular emotion
as he went about his work packing up, and at
the end of an hour, when he rode his mule out
upon the Campus Martins. with all his traps
made fast to his saddle, no one could have sus-
pected the Vesuvius raging in his heart. A
crowd had gathered to see him off
Gentlemen" said the Wicked, as he bowed
to the right and left. 81 spit upon your town of
Bunko. / can build better one of sand and
grease! It amt fit town for an aristocrat like
me, and allus knowed itl''
At this point three or four individuals on the
outskirts of the crowd began shooting, but the
Wicked took no notice OF the fact as he contin-
ued:
"The lion can't partner with the iackal The
eagle can't mate with the buzzardi Sinks,
sluggers, ours and reptiles, go!'
Here the shooting increased one-half, and
one of the bullets passed through the Wicked's
hat as he raised it and continued:
But will return, and when do, look out
for oceans of gore! In less than year I'll
dump your town into the river and hold the
site fur private buryin' ground Whoop!
Yipl-yi!-whoopo
The Wicked held two shooters on the crowd
as he galloped off, and the result was two men
killed and three wounded. A hundred bullets
whizzed around the fugitive but he turned the
bend without having received scratch.
Twelve months had passed away. 1t was
evening when five horsemen rode slowly into
Bunko. Wicked James rode at the head of
the procession. He had come to fulfill his
promise, and there was blood in his eye.
"How's this 'ere?" queried the Wicked as
the band reached the brow of the hill and
looked down upon the town.
Gas lamps were now burning in every direc-
toni
The procession moved down to the spot where
the Red Eye saloon had stood a year before,
and again the Wicked uttered growl of sur
prise.
The saloon had disappeared, and in its place
stood solid brick building bearing the sign:
Manufacturers Bank
The procession moved down to the next cor
ner over freshly laid pavement. In place of
The Can Can Dive was fine opera house,
and across the street was great hotel
Like men who walk on the steep roof OF a
house the procession moved down to the pub
lie square. This was the spot from which the
Wicked had taken his departure year ago
No, 1t can't be! Here are blocks of stores, q
street car line, market house, another hotel,
railroad ticket office, police station, and
pablo museumi
The Wicked rubbed his eyes like man who
has slept too long, and he looked this way and
that in dumb amazement. By and by he said:
Boys, let's gin one old-fashioned yell and
break this mirage"
They yelled In chorus.
The echo had not yet died away when men
wearing uniforms and silver stars suddenly ap-
peared, as If rising from the earth. The Wick
ed and his companions were pulled from their
saddles and hustled across the square into pris-
on cells and while they seemed to be struggling
in the embrace of some terrible dream they
were brought into court, and heard the obser-
walton from dignified Judge:
1--WE cannot tolerate such conduct in peace
full, law-abiding city like Bunko. The seh-
tence of the court is ninety days in the work.
house for each one of you"