The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-10-10
A Story of the West.
What Man Told the Street-Corner
Loungers in Kansas Town.
,Springfeld Republican.

corner in Kansas city. That was moth
ing remarkable, for the same thing might
have been said of every corner. But
this group had in it considerable to at
tract the eye of one given to noticing
human oddities. A negro with face
black and shining as newly polished
stove a Southerner, with his drawling
tone; an "old-timer," with long, flow
ing beard and long hair that fell over
his coat collar and brisk-looking mu-
latto; these were the strange parts of
the group.
"We've had a powerful cold SPELL"
said the Southerner, standing with the
hands in his pockets and back against
a lamp-post. I'm right glad it's let
up"
"Hain't seen nothin' like this since
befo' the wah," said the black man,
shivering at the recollection and draw
ing his coat around him tightly.
''I've been here sence the days of
Jim Lane and Montgomery and old
John Brown l fit with old John Brown"
said the old-timer proudly, aiming
mouthful Of tobacco juice at bulldog
that was shifting about in the gutter
"and l never seen no such cold weather
along the banks of the Kaw."
$50 you fit for the niggers, did YEP"
asked the Southerner, without any
change of manner, lazily aiming his
mouthful of tobacco juice at broken
stone in the pavement "there's enough
of 'em hyar hope you're satisfied"
The mulatto uttered low exclama-
tion and looked at him fiercely, but
the black man only grinned and showed
his white, cleaning teeth.
eyes, l fit fer 'em and I'd do it
again." said the old-timer, elf they
needed it."
AT this moment a man drove across
the muddy crossing, where three or four
negroes were at work shoveling the
melting snow and putty-like mud from
the uneven stones, and stopped in front
of the group of men.
"Hello, Davis" called the old-timer,
as the new arrival prepared to get down
from his pony, 81 s'pose tain't muddy
out your way?"
DRY do John Browns bones,n an
swered the other, at which the group
laughed and fired more tobacco juice at
various objects, a number of dogs roam
ing about getting the benefit of the
most of it.
"Stand out OBJ de way OBJ dat lady,
Charlie" said the black man, and the
mulatto stepped aside to allow huge
negress with great bundle of clothes
on her head to pass. Her eyes shone
from out her deep sun-bonnet, under
which she had tied handkerchief over
her ears, and she said "Good mawnin' "
pleasantly as she passed.
"That's a good beast ofyourn, Davis
said the old-timer. "Why don't you
git mate for him They'd make a
spankin' team if you got one like mine. "
"Wall, some way never wanted to
git one," answered Davis, joining the
group as he finished tying his pony to
the lamp-post 'it never seemed right,
someway, to put another with him since
his mate died that day."
''He is right peart," said the South
erner, slowly, turning his eyes, but not
stepping away from his rest against the
lamp-post, "and his mate died, you
say? A touch of 'stemper?"
"Tell 'em, Davis, said the old-timer.
"Twas two year ago." said the new
conner slowly, 81 was livin' out West
then in one of the new counties-Sher-
iff out there. We had two children ;
Susy, that's livin', and boy that
amt. They was both took sick with
dipthery and we was worried about 'em,
though they want so terrible sick neith-
er. But that's disease you can't tell
nothin' about, dipthery is. Ihed some
papers 1 was to serve away up in the
northwest corner of the county. The
time was purity nigh out, but kept
waitin' along till 1 see how the children
was goin' to pull through. And SO
waited and waited till there was jiSt one
day left and 1 had to go. My wife
hated it dretful and so did 1, but there
Want no help for.it. So got out the
ponies and hitched 'em to the buck
board and told her to send me a dis.
patch to little town at the end of the
railroad, SOS I'd know how the children
was when I got there. Ye see I he'd to
90 on a good distance beyond thai
town, and l told her to send dispatch
so s I'd git one when l went up and
one when 1 come back. | went in te
see 'em jist afore l started and the CIR
seemed clipper, but the boy was little
down in the mouth. told 'em good
bye and to git we'll agin ; 1 come back
and then 1 started. l got my dispatch
all right on my way out, the children
want no worse and went on and serv
ed my papers. I give the ponies some
water and let 'em eat a bit, but | couldn't
eat. Someway l begun to feel SO nerv.
Gus and wanted to be off, SO started
the first minute 1 could. The ponie:
didn't seem to mind it, ye see they hao
come forty-five miles already, but they
went trotting along across the prairie al
if they hedn't.
"When got to that station there wa
my dispatch wait'n', and someway
felt so sick when l see it l could hardly
read it. But I did, and there it wa
sayin' fer me to come home as quick a
possible, fer the boy was dyin'. l wa
plannin' if it was all right, to rest tn
ponies there a bit, but l never salt
nothin' when 1 read them words, onl,,
climbed into that blackboard and whip
ped them ponies into gallop.
"We went tearing off across the pral
rie, with no road, but I know the way
and after little I got cooled down
bit, and knew them ponies couldn't las
long at that rate, so l checked 'em
little. But I kept 'em at a purity goo
gait. Well, we went along through tn