Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-10-10
TALBOT,S KIDS.

Old Smally was a ''no good. No
slapp ever suited his case until Zinc
Barnes applied mo good" which Inc
had picked up during a visit to the Bay.
That's Just what Smally is. boys, I'm
telling YOU: no good, and nothing else
goes: but that goes, even if he hears 1t.
but what started yer ON old Smally,
Zincp' Mr., Rcddy asked, chcerfully
enough.
When Reddy put this leading question
ia Zine the men around tire bar drew
closer together, and the players at the
faro table half turned towards Zinc,
climbing i'm four-bit pieces listlessly on
the layout, the dealer making his turns
slowly and picking up his winnings or
paving his losses with an added profess
sional Indifference, that allowed him
equal chances with his patrons to listen
to Iin:'s reply.
well. I'll just tell you, Reddy," be-
can Zinc. meditatively kneading some
plug smoking tobacco in the palm OF
his left hand with the right, "when /
was down TO the Bay who'd yer think
scenP'
Mr.. Rcddy and the crowd looked their
inability to guess who, of all the people
in san Francisco, il had been Mr..
Barnes peculiar happiness to see,
and waited in perfect silence
willie he cmpticd the tobacco from his
hand into his pipe. Carefully lighting
the latter, Zinc sent forth big ring OF
smoke, took speculative squint through
il, and then said, with the satisfaction of
"A man who knows he has n sensation on
hand, "Parson Talbot
1t was some time before any one spoke.
Finally Reddy got his amazement-sprcad
mouth sufficiently closed to exclaim:
"Th-c-c deucen'
"Heerd he'd gone back to the States. :"
where's he prospectin' nowP"
"Old Parson Talbot; well, yer did
strike it rich, Zinc"
Flows his folks? Don't yer remem-
Der them kids of his'n. and that smart
little woman"
While this shower of remarks was
pattering down on Zinc, two young men
who had been talking quietly in one
corner of the room, went over and
Joined the party at the bar.
One was dressed in the rough miners
other little better, but not out of keep
ing with his surroundings. The latter.
addressing Barnes, said: ''You don't
mind my listening, hope; l know Par
son Talbot"
"Any mans welcome to hear what
Zinc Barnes SAYS about Parson Talbot,
stranger, for ] amt got nothing but
good TO say of him."
I'm glad to hear il" the young man
said, smiling pleasantly. But before
you go on, take something with me. :"
He nodded to the entire crowd in a
manner perfectly understood, for every
one faced the bar, and Mr.. Rcddy pro-
duced n line of glasses which exhausted
his stock, the faro-dealer and case-kecper
being obliged to use one glass between
them.
This important and imposing cere-
mony finished, Mr.. Barnes continues:
Yes, Parson Talbot; and he looked
a sight older than he did when he left
Hangtown in the winter of '56, busted.
But We asked me, Reddy, what started
me on old Smally, and that's what I'll
tell you. l ran right agin the parson
ono morning at the Bay, but wouldn' I
know him, only he braced up to me and
saws, holdn' out his hand in that easy
way of his: Amt / speaking to Zinc
BarnesP 'Yc are, stranger | said,
and then he smiled in that way We re-
member, whoever knew him, and
yelled out, 'Parson Talbot, by !
think was going to say gosh, but the
parson didn't run no chances, scein as
how he knew my way, and Clipped in
before / finished. Well, he asked me
out to his house. sayin' ! would meet
the old lady, and have dinner with him
that evening. found out the parson
was preachin' as a stiddy lay out.
"Well, went out TO his house. and ID
pears they don't pay much for preach
in, even from regular parson, in some
of these districts at the Bay Heseemed
to be located pretty near the edge of the
camp, for we were an hour getting there
in boss car, and his little house didn't
show no signs that he had struck il over
rich. But the old lady didn't seem to
mind it, for she was as clipper as ever,
and how she did enjoy talking about the
old times! Well, after dinner the parson
had TO go to the mectin' house.
'When the parson was gone, the old
lady told the whole of the story about
that deal old Smally gave the parson in
Hangtown in '55. / never heard the
whole story before and never knew how
bad old Smally had played the parson.
/ tell you, gentlemen, old Smally is no
good. IL seems that the parson had
saved nearly $40, 900 out of all the rich
strikes he had made, and was goin' back
TO the States with Il and settle down, for
he was awfully dead set on bringin' up
those two boys of his back East, and
educating them where he went 10 school
himself Well. IL was just then that