The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-06-26
Too Mean for Hanging.

The meanest man in all this land of
United America went down from Lin
coin, Nebraska, into Kansas. the other
day. Mind you, he wasn'ta Nebraskan;
he was an Interstate immigrant com
ing from somewhere east of the Mis-
sissippi. Al Wymore there is a mer-
chant who carries his stock in a bas-
ket, and he is famous all that land
over for his popcorn. He came on the
car with his wares, n this mean
man, who was travelling with his wife,
little child OF perhaps three years, and
his father-in-law, asked the price of
popcorn. Give cents a package"
That was too much. He didn't want
any. After the merchant left the a
the mean man said: II want some o.
that ere popcorn, but kin GIT it
%cheaper'n that Presently he went
out on the platform and said to the
dealer in the fruit that cheers but not
ine%hic-briates: Say, mister, l want
some of that popcorn, but I hain't
got only three cents. Now. if YOU
kin femme have a paper Of it fur three
cents, all right; but KANT give no
more fur 1t, because hahn I got on
that much money Well after some
~dickering, the merchant finally let
him have a paper OF popcorn for three
cents, and the mean man came in the
car, sat down beside his wife and lit.
tie child, and began munching his
popcorn. Never a crumb did he offer
to anybody. He was just enjoying it.
He said II had enough money to buy
his whole busketful, but l knowcd /
could get some for less'n five cents"
AS he munched, his father-in-law and
wife seemed to understand they were
not in on that treat, but the child be
gan to reach up its little dimpled
hands, and in the sweetest childish ac-
cents beg for some popcorn. Save to
hold the package up out of reach of
the pleading little hands, the meanm man
paid not the slightest attention to the
baby. but kept on eating. Presently
the mother spoke to him, and said the
child wanted some of the corn.
WELL" replied her husband. .if the
child is any hungrier'n | am an wants
this popcorn more'n do, he'd ought
to have it." But he kept on eating it
himself, and never a gram did the
child get. Pretty soon the little fell
loW DeSau W cry tOf uuc corn. lHlS
must have annoyed the father, because
he soon arose, put the popcorn up in
the rack out of the child's reach, and
went into another car. While he was
gone the child continued tt cry and
reach after the banquet, and the moth
err took the popcorn down and gave
some to the little one. While this was
going on the mean man came back.
Furious? You never saw anything like
it. He snatched the popcorn away
flom the child Il poured a torrent OF
abuse upon his wife for daring to touch
his popcorn. Then he put it back into
the rack, and at intervals got up and
ate some of it until it was all gone.
Now, in a case of this kind-and the
above is a truthful narrative of all
actual occurrences not lynch law
justitiable? Is not that kind of Il man
more valuable and useful as Il %fertlli-
ger than anything else? Isn't he a curse
to society as long as he lives? And
might he o prove a blessing to The
medical student and barren land
where he dies. Then why not kill him
and make a blessing OF him? The
world has no use for a mean man. \
drunkard, liar, Il swearer, Il thief,
a tramp, a swindler, a murderer. may
have some sphere OF usefulness in this
world, but a mean man, pure and
simple-God wasted mud when He
made him. -BurRstt. IN BrOokkYn Eugic.