The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-15
A COLORADO BOY.
Tho True Story of James Madison
johnson.

The True Story OF James Madison
johnson.
We had laid up that night on the
Platte river. Mr.. CODY, the sheriff of
Arapahoe County, had come down to
Chuti's ranch in search oi jurors and.
seaing party of Eastern tourists
campcd near by, had walked over to
make our acquaintance. He was SO
fresh and breezy and. withal. so &C.
NAL and gentlcman'y, he had such an
air of being master of the situation and
himself that We were all of us glad when
he accepted our commissary's invita-
ton t, remain and sup with us.
After tea we gaily assembled around
the roaring camp fire and for awhile
witand laughter winged the happy time.
But, as the twilight deepened. the gusty
talk blew over, silence fell upon us
with the night Our shepherd, for
once unm ndful of the tender lambs he
had led forth into the wilderness, was
seated astride wagon tongue, pcnsiye-
ly greasing his boots. The commisSary
had folded the map Of Colorado, and.
dumb as n door nail. had slid
h msclf down from the dumpy
log. on which he had been Tor
some time restless sufferer.
Even Philomel, the soul and genius of
our party, had. for a season. turned
the key upon wit and song. Graceful
" thronged on her hana-trunk, she
watched, in silence, the bright and
happy sparks that danced a carmag-
mole as they rose, light-footed, from
the orange flames. All was quiet upon
tho Platte; the tongues of the wagons
were not more silent than ours.
The sheriff of Arapahoe was the first
TO break the spell. ~ started in to
tell yOu." he said, "the true story of
Jim while we were at supper, but l
struck snag in the shape OF fapjack
and didn't get.on with it,"
Its not too late for it yet" said the
commissary.
WELL" continued Mr.. Colby,
''twenty years ago l was stopping ut
Hard-up, CAL. trying to dig my fort
une out of a mine there. In the town
was one-horse lawyer named Smith
johnson. who was about the biggest
sot in all the diggin's round. And
Smith had a son named Jim-a red
haired, freck'ed-face little ten-ycar-old
scamp who was the terror of all the
hcn-roosts and gardens in the town.
The way won Jim's heart was this. l
had watermelon patch that was. II
youth forgive the figure. tho apple OF
my eye. One evening l walked forth
my garden for to view and what should
l see in the middle of it but that
skeesicks, Jim. getting into one Of my
watermelons rs lively as mole. Up
came in the yard and gathered up
Jim by the waistband, whereat, finding
his little game was blocked, he com.
menccd to wriggle and howl.
let me CO. said he. 4 won't
come here no more. Please let me 90,
Mr.. Colby
oh, you young scamp said l.
I've got you now and l think I'll keep
you. l find it's very safe to punish
these bad boys that are SO ready to be
good when they're caught. DO you
know what I'm going to do with your
said |. giving him final shake and
setting him up on his pins. I'm 60
ing to send you to Jail
oh. pleas MIR. Colby, give me 9
whippin' an let me 60
"'NO, haven't any right to whip
you, but I'm obliged by the law t.
send you to Jail. and | can tell you 8
Jail is an awful place. There's rat.
thcrcr
"Oh-o. groaned Jim.
"'And sometimes in the night they
gnaw off your toes.
Please, MIR. Colby whined Jim.
"'And your nose, said /. 'and yor
have to go to bed without any candle
and you can't play poker. and they Dc
say that the ghosts Of the people tina
were there before and got hung fov
stealing waterme.ons, come back n
midnight and make dreadful noise
On. can tell YOU it's no fun to go /,
fail
well, after l had chaffed the littl,
scamp long enough. l gave him a ser
mon on the moral law and let him &C
with nothing worse than fright. bu
alter that strange to say, Jim aud
were cheek by jowl.
"Some time after the watermelon
Macas," continued Mr.. Colby, Il wa
going up the gulch to Scooptown whc,
l saw. on the side OF the hill. the track
Of the Vigilance Committee. They
were three road agents that had beef
tried and hung the day before and lef
suspended from tho branch of tree {,
strike terror into the heart of evi
doors. Well. there was mob of boy
round this monument of Justice ant
they we're diverting themselves witt
running down the hill and swingin.
tho luckless road agents to the breeze
Jim was just rece wing the cheers o
the crowd for sending his man up t,
the branches. where he had lodged
minute before he came down, when h
spied me in the road aud came to NEE
ME.
Eyer see. Mr. Colby. he began. il
rather deprecatory voice, 4 didn'
sec no Use them three thieves lOatih
on that branch without helm any us
to themselves nor nobody else, so
nus. sot them up in business. Andn