Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-07-19
Sweeper Toms Dollar.

No train was in sight when reporter
had climbed the stairs of downtown
station on the Sixth Avenue Elevated
Road the other night, and dropped his
ticket into the box, and none was due
for several minutes. so he passed sinto
the little two-by-six waiting-room, in.
side which a conclave of three was in
progress, the gateman, the ticket-seller,
who had opened the door of his cell and
was thus able to attend to his duty and
enjoy the pleasure Of conversation sim.
ultaneously, and the ebon-hued "sweep.
en-" who was leaning on the top of his
broom and philosophizing as the report
er entered: "Wimmen is cute, you kin
jes' bet yo'r life,' said he, can a cul.
lud pusson has to git up bright an yer
ly to get roun' 'em for wunst, hit erlone
to keep on fOolin' oh EN-. Now dar's
my old oman. Pears to me that thar
amt muffin sh' dom know. an it takes
q pow'ful lot o. cle'rness to git roun'
her, jes' llyou boss. / hev to tote
her hum eb'ry dorian oh my wages, or
l done ketch it, an hits the wuss
boahd TO- me dat week dat cher yo' see.
1 fooled her fur a long time by tellin'
her I wuz dro'in only dorian day
var, but my bre'r Dick. the foolshest
darkey you eber seen, he done Civ the
'Ole ting away. He wuks on the Ninet'
Avenue Elevator. an he done gone an
tOle the ole oman as he made dorian
twenty cents day, an that l mus
make the same roun' hyar. l materially
tried to argy the matter, an tole her as
how Dick WIZ a poahtah, an l WIZ a
sweeper, but, LOr' Dress you, sonny,
she's yanked that 'ar twenty cents out
on me cher since. But l fool the ole
oman good las week, an don't you 90
ter furgit HIT" and the dusky one
shifted from one leg to the other in the
exuberance of his joy.
Chow did you do that, Tom?" asked
the ticket dispenser.
"Well, Marse Henery, this is how it
war. Las Sat day night 1 went home
yerly an sot myse'f down in the cheer
by the heatah an started hup sech a
grOanin' an sighin' as you nevah
seen. The ole oman bimeby got kim
O. skeered like, an arsk me wut the
matter wuz. l tole her l had case O.
misery in my CHS, an didn't know how
l could STAN the aggerny. GO an
see the dorktah,' seq she. 'Dorktah
won't look at me unner a dollah, seq
/, AN ] amt got no dollah for dork-
tab 'Sho now, honey seq she, you
take this yer dollah an 60 right away
an see the dorktah.' Well, I groans
an mopes bit longer, an then l TUX
right hol' on that dollah an went out
Bimeby 1 comes back, an sez I've seed
that dorktah an he holled me right
ovah and thar warn't muffin RELY
wrong, but mus jes' lay off fur a day.
An thet's how 1 fool dat ole oman O.
mine, Marsc Henery.''
g l don't quite tumble to yer racket, "
said the gate-man.
"Lor, look at that now! How stoop-
id white folks is to be sho'. Dom yO'
unnerstan' l nebber went neah no dork-
tab, an l had ole dollah fur my own
pertiklar spen'in' money an ole day
orr to spen' it in. To think O. We not
to seed that now. Wall, I'll tell you
jes' what done with that ar dollah. l
went -
Here the gate-man rushed out with a
hoarse yell: "Aa'rm train! All aboardr'
and the reporter stepped out of the
warm nook into the draughty cars,
where few yawning passengers were
shivering, and did not hear what the gay
Lothario did with his hardly won dollar.
N. Y. Tribune