The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-15

saw AN old whisky barrel on legs,about
here.
"a whisky barrclr said l. Why.
no, Jim. what do you meanp'
"'Oh, l mean the old 'un. Of
course. He's get,i most uncommon
bsd. lately
Jim. said l. did you never hear
about honoring your father?
Honor that old sardine! He! be!
Really an actually now. that's a good
'un. You'd have sommcrsetted out o
yer skin to have seen that old conn
last night. leone home. goin' on to
eleven, when he hcered somcthin' rat
lin round. an he riz up, and when he
seed me, one leg out aud one leg in, he
says. says he: Jim, wharve you been"
an l says. says |. I've been down to
tho Silver Tooth.
Then. says he, IAN what was you
doin' thar?'
~ was playin' little game of po-
kerr says l.
ibid you make any thin. Jim.'
says he.
Eyes, SIR says l. j won thirteen
dollars
Then there come big thaw in his
voice, an he says. says he (p,eltin'
like): james Madison, my son. take
that thar jug that's at the head of this
bed and stepright round to old Shorty's
and git me a gallon of fust-class ben
zinc,' says he.
"'But l lost it all agin. father say
"Well, sir, he rared up In bed, an
says hc: You little scamp. eff catch
you round to the Silver Tooth ayin I'll
take the hide an hair off yer Hahn
you got nothin' better to do than to
spend your poor old fathers last red
a-gamblin' an disgracin' of yer familyP'
says he. Dustin out cryin' like as though
he'd jest buried his demijohn.
At this point in his narrative MIR.
Colby paused. 1.-The sequel" cried
Philomel. Lets hear how Jim
wound up"
~ LETT Hard-up," resumed Mr..
Colby, "about two years after l first
met Jim. Three years later hap
pened to be in Virs inia City. and one
day while there, as | was coming out
of the BARRIERS shop, who should walk
up but jim himself. Why. JIM said
l, 'where'd you come frOmp and
where'd you get all those good clothesp'
"'Them Clothes said Jim. why,
did merchant tailor out O. them
clothes. charged 'em to the old man.
That's good'uM, amt itp wouldn't
have done it, though. if hadn't come
out as reformed individual, AMI il
was positively necessary to get some
reformed tOggery.' :t E..
"'How did you get reformed, JIM?
said l.
"'Well. you see, MI. Colby. father and
come over here about two years ago,
and as soon as l come ! took hold of 8
lot of boys here who didn't have no
body to teach EN- to be as bad as they
wanted to be. an l thought it was 8
pity to see so much talent going Il
waste, SO l organized 'em into q gang
of thieves. Well. sir, l can tell you W.
did pretty lively business. but one
Sunday Bishop futile was runnin' the
Episcopal outfit in that meetin' -houst
over there, un' jist thought I'd 90 in
Now I couldn't tell yer, to save my
skin, what he said to the crowd. (Be
loved brethren he called 'em), but, by
jing. when l come out just set dowI
on dry.goods box and begun to turn
things over in my mind an l says t.
myself: The way you are goin' on
Jim. you'll be in the penitentiary be
fore you're man; you'll just have t.
turn in an reform So l went an 60
these here clothes an now I'm print
ing for my Twin in the Enterprise
Office. DO you think. Mr.. Colby, If ,
boy like me turned square round h,
could do any goodP"
| "',Jim.' l said, "a boy like you Cal
do what he pleases' Well, l talked Il
him long while. and when we parte,
the mist that had been gathering il
his eyes fell down in rain. | have nev
er seen Jim since. but last winter
read in Nevada paper that Hon
James Madison johnson had beel
elected Speaker Of the House of Rep
resentatives.-Sue Harry Clageu, &
Detroit Free Press.