Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-23

I've come down to ask whether you've
saw An old whisky barrel on legs about
here
ga whisky barrel?' said L why,
no, Jim, what do You mean"
"'Oh, l mean the old 'un. Of
course. He's gettin' most uncommon
bad. lately
:. JIM said !. did you never hea,
about honoring your father?'
Honor that Old sardine! He! he!
Really an actually now, that's q good
TN. You'd have sommcrsetted out O.
ger skin to have seen that old coon
last night come home. goin' on &C
eleven, when he heered somethin' rat
lin round, an he riz up. and when he
seed me. one leg out and one leg in, he
SAYS. says he: Jim, whar've you been?'
an says. says /, I've been down to
the Silver Tooth.
+" Then says he, IAN what was you
doin' thar?"
L was playin' little game of po-
kerr SAYS l.
:. Did you make any thin. Jim,
SAYS he.
".Yes, sir says l, i won thirteen
dollars
Then there come big thaw in his
voice, an he says, says he (meltin'
like): James Madison. my son. take
that thar jug that's at the head of this
bed and step right round to old Shorty :
and git me gallon of fust-class ben.
zine says he.
lot oil fo+bars cor
"Well, sir. he rared up in bed, an
says he: You little scamp eff catch
you round 10 the Silver Tooth agin IL
take the hide an hair of yer. Hahn /
/ YOU got nothin better TO do than tc
spend your poor old fathers last RED
a-gamblin' an disgracin' of yer family?'
says he. Dustin out cryin' ike as though
he'd jest buried his demijohn.
At this point in his narrative Mr..
Colby paused. THE sequelr' cried
Pnilomel. Lets hear how Jim
wound up
Il left Hard-up,' resumed Mr..
Colby, ''about two years after l first
met Jim. Three years later l hap
pened to be in Virginia City, and one
day while there, as l was coming out
of the barber shop. who should walk
up but Jim himself Why, Jim.' said
/, 'where'd you come from? and
where'd you get all those good clothes?'
Them Clothes said Jim. why, ]
| did merchant tailor out o. them
clothes. charged 'em to the old man.
| That's good un, amt it9 l wouldn't
have done it. though, if hadn't come
out as a reformed individual. and il
was positively necessary to get some
reformed toggery.
How did you get reformed. Jim?'
said l.
well. you see, Mr. Colby, father and
l come over here about two years ago.
| and as soon as come / took hold of a
lot of boys here who didn't have no
| body to teach 'em to be as bad as they
wanted to be. an l thought it was a
pity to see so much talent going to
waste, so organized EN- into a gang
of thieves. Well. sir. can tell YOU we
did pretty lively business, but one
Sunday Bishop Tuttle was runnin' the
Piscopal outfit in that meetin house
over there, IN l jist thought I'd go in.
Now l couldn't tell Yer, to save my
skin. what he said to the crowd. (Be-
loved brethren he called 'em), but. by
jung. when come out just set down
on dry-goods box and l begun to turn
things over in my mind an | says to
myself: The way You are goin' on,
Jim. you'll be in the penitentiary be.
fore you re a man; you'll just have to
turn in an reform. So | went an got
these here clothes an now I'm print
ing for my livin' in the Enterprise
office. Do You think. Mr.. Colby. if a
boy ike me turned square round he
could do any good?'
Jim. l said, "a boy ike you can
do what he pleases.' Well, talked tc
him a long while. and when we parted
the mist that had been gathering in
his eyes fell down in rain. l have new.
er seen Jim since, but last winter
read in 4 Nevada paper that Hon.
James Madison johnson had been
elected Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives.-Swe Harry Clayett, az
Detroit Free Press.