The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-12-01

hot.
Augusta said no more till Bill had gone
on, then she spoke.
'Now, Mr.. Meeson, do you see how you
can make your will?" she said, quietly.
"See? No." he answered, II don't"
"Well, l do! You can tattoo it-or, rath-
er, get the sailor to tattoo it. 1t need not
be very long"
Tattoo itl What on-and what WITH"
he asked, astonished.
You can have it tattooed on the back
of the other sailor, Johnnie, If he will al
low you; and as for material, you have
some revolver cartridges; if the gunpowder
Is mixed with water, it would do, should
think"
~'Pon my word" said Mr.. Meeson, "you
are wonderful womanl Whoever would
have thought of such thing except
woman Go and ask the man Johnnie,
there's good girl, il he would mind my
will being tattooed upon his back"
"Weu," said Augusta, ''it's queer sort
of message, but I'll try" Accordingly,
taking little Dick by the hand, she went
across to where the two sailors were sit
ting outside their hut, and putting on her
sweetest smile, first of all asked Mr.. Bill
IL he would mind doing little tattooing
iOk hCl. IL liiS .hI. Dill, hliIIhs tiiiS
hang heavy upon his hands, and wishing
to he kept out of the temptation Of the
rum cask, graciously assented, saying that
he had seen some sharp fish bones lying
about which would be the very thing,
though he shook his head ut the idea of
using gunpowder as the medium. He said
it would not do at all well, and then, us
though suddenly seized by an inspiration,
started of down to the shore.
Then Augusta. as gently and nicely as
she could, approached the question with
Johnnie, who was sitting with his back
against the hut, his battered countenance
wearing peculiarly ill-favored express
sion, probably owing to the fact that he
was suffering from severe pain in his head,
as result of the debauch of the previous
night.
Slowly and with great difficulty, for his
understanding was none of the clearest.
she explained te him what was required:
and that it was suggested that he should
provide the necessary corpus Tite upon
which it was proposed that the experiment
should be made. When at last he under
stood what 1t was asked that he should do,
Johnnie's countenance was q sight to see,
and his language was more striking than
correct. The upshot of it was, however,
that he would see Mr.. Meeson collectively,
and Mr. Nelson's various members separ-
ately, especially his eyes, id first.
Augusta retreated till his wrath had
spent itself, and then once more returned
to the charge.
She was sure, she said, that Mr.. John
ME would not mind witnessing the docu-
mcnt, if anyb ody else could be found to
submit to the pain Of the tattooing. All
that wouldsbe necessary would be for him
to touch the hand of the operator while
his (Johnnie's) name was tattooed as wit
ness to the will. "Well," he said, II don't
know how as / mind doing that, since it's
you as asked me, Miss, and not that id
old hulks of q Meeson. l would not lift a
finger to save him from ell, Miss, and
that's q fact"
"Then that is a promise, Mr.. Johnnie?"
said Augusta, sweetly ignoring the garn-
ishing with which the promise was
adorned and on Mr.. Johnnie stating that
he looked at it in that light she returned
to Mr.. Meeson. On her way she met Bill,
carrying in his hands loathsome-looking
fish, with long feelers and head like q
parrot-in short, n cuttlefish.
"Now, here's luck, Miss" said Bill, ex-
ultingly; Il saw this gentleman lying
down on the beach there this morning
He's a cutie, that's what he is; and III
have his ink bag out of him in a brace OF
shakes; just the ticket for tattooing, Miss,
rs good us the best Indian ink-gunpowder
is fool TO it,"
BY this time they had reached Mr.. Nee
son, and here the whole matter, including
Johnnies obstinate refusal to be tattooed,
was explained TO Bill
We'll" said Augusta, at length, "it
seems that's the only thing to be done, but
the question is. how to do it? l can only
suggest, Mr.. Meeson, that the will should
be tattooed on you"
"Oh" said Mr.. Meeson, fcebly, ION met
Me tattooed like a sayage-tastooed with
my own willn'
"It wouldn't be much use, either gov
ernor, begging your pardon" said Bill,
"that is, if You is agoing to croak, as you
says; cause where would the will be thens
We might skin you with n sharp stone.
perhaps after you've done the trick, you
know" he added. retiectively. But then
we have no salt SO | doubt if you'd keep,
and il we set your hide in the sun, reckon
the writing would shrivel up SO that all
the courts OF law IN LOnuOn cOuld not
make head nor tail of it,"
Mr.. Meeson groaned loudly, as well he
might. These frank remarks would have
been trying TO any man; much more were
they so to this opulent merchant prince,
who had always set the highest value on
what Bill rudely called his hide"
"There's the infant" went on Bill. med
itatively. He's young, and white, and l
fancy his top crust would work wonderful
easy; but you'd have to hold him, for ex'
pect that he'd yell proper"
Yes" said Mr.. Meeson, "let the win be
tattooed upon the child. He'd be some use
that way"
yes" said Bill; ''and there'd allus be
something left to remind him of very
queer time, provided he lives to get out OF
it, which is doubtful Cutie ink won't
rub out, I'll warrant"
II won't have Dick touched" said Au
gusta, Indignantly. at would frighten
the child into fits; and, besides, nobody
has right TO mark him for life in that
way"
well, then, there's about an end of the
question" said Bill; 'and this gentleman's
.x-bn II Il, Ia