The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-07-14
A n,oHr ENCOUNTER.


now An nInnOO0nt-LOOk1nxT Te0oertOOt 00Ds
dusd . Dakota Terror.
The hotel proprietor in one Of the
small Dakota towns glanced at the
register to get the name Of the guest
who stood the other side Of the coun-
ter, and then addressed him as follows:
II reckon, Mr.. Grip, thet I'll hev
hard time findin' place fer you to
sleep tonight. You see, there's been
smashup about three miles down the
road. an all the passengers has to stay
here tonight"
''But I must have a place to Sleep"
returned the guest.
"Well, s'pose I'll hcv to put you In
with Bill Jenkins. Ever slept with
Bill?" .s
Mr.. Grip acknowledged that he had
never had that pleasure.
"Well," continued the proprietor,
she's the only one can put You in
with. I'll give you fair warnin' bout
his tricks, an then If you want to risk
it you kin. Bills the dernedest kicker
in these parts. When he gifts to sleep
he kin out kick any mule in thirteen
counties. Why. stranger, one night
we was crowded an / put an Eastern
feller in with Bill. Well, sir, long
about three o'clock Bill got dreamin'
an got excited, an he jest braced his
back up agin' the wall an let fly. That
was the last we see of that stranger
until long in the afternoon, when he
come limpin' into the office here pretty
badly bunged up. He said he lit some-
where over in the next township"
| "Kicks, does hep" remarked the
stranger placidly.
"Wcll, don't he Jest? Howsomexer,
ef you want to try him mebbe he'll be
quiet-like tonight"
The tale seemed to in no wise disturb
Mr.. Grip. He said very calmly that he
guessed he would risk It, and asked to
see his valise a moment. He rum
mayed in that an instant, pulled out an
enormous pair of spurs and sauntered
off to bed. It
The following morning the famous
Bill Jenkins was found sleeping under
the Office desk. When awakened, he
limped painfully across the room. took
his stand by the stove and remarked:
II guess you needn't put any more
tenderfoots in to sleep with me-"
"What's the matter, Bill!' asked the
proprietor, in surprise.
"Dern me, ef know" was the re-
sponse. That there feller seemed to
hev spikes CROWN out of his feet"
"Why? What happened?" asked a
dozen in chorus. .f.Hfs
"Well, fellers, I'll tell ye. on the
quiet. You see, went to sleep all
right, and got to dreamin' 1 was a
mule or jackass or suthin' O. that
sort, an let fly with my feet. He lit
out in the middle of the floor somc-
where. but didn't say anything-only
crawled back into bed. / woke up
when kicked, an it sort O. riled me
to see him crawl back SO calm like. l
tho't hadn't put enough muscle into
it, an Twas jest gettin' ready for another
when he muttered kind o. savage like
and blazed away hisself. Say, fellers,
did any of you ever sit down on a cir
cular sawP No? Then you don't
know nothin' about that kick. 1t pretty
near made me howl. 1t thurt my fcclin's
toe, fer tho't my reputation was at
stake, so the next time I turned loose,
I made it snorter. He struck up agin
the wall and smashed n lookin' glass;
but he crawlcd back into bed agin Jest
as though nothin' had happened, and
aforc 1 knowel it he was dreamin'
again. never got another whack ut
him. 1t jest kept me humpin' to keep
clear of his feet. felt jest as though
buzz-saw was goin' up and down my
spinal column all the time. Once or
| twice l tho't was hit with pile driver
loaded with sharpened spikes. Hey?
What's that? No; | guess YOU needn' I
saddle my hoss to-day. / don't believe
rs want to ride any more this week.
kin walk. You don't know what q
comfort feller's feet is sometimes. "
A look of panied surprise came into
Bills face ut this moment, rs he saw
the strange tenderfoot come into the
room and deposit n pair of bright spurs
in his valise. e.-Ramblcr.