The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-07-19

old man Baxter was pointed out to
me for the first time. Everybody had
good word for the father, but it was
the unanimous yer 1ict that the sons
were fit only for the penitentiary and
the gallows.
OF course ! jumped to the conclu'
sion that old man Baxter's hair was
prematurely gray. and that the nu-
nerous lines craven deep in his face
were STAMPED there by sorrow ard
cure. AS began to know him better,
his tender heart. his unfailing patience,
and his sunny temper drew eto him,
and l often found myself thinking Bit
terly and resentfully of his wicked
boys.
Out of consideration for the old
man l carefully avoided family topics,
but one Sunday when 1 stopped to
chat with him in front of his cottage,
he suddenly remarked:
II got letter from Tom this morn
ing
''Tom?" repeated inquiringly.
"Yes; one OF my boys" was the re-
ply; but you are newcomer here,
80 of course you never met Tom
"No," ] answered, in some embar-
rassment; IL hope he is we'll"
"Weil enough, but in trouble" said
Baxter, with a sigh. 81 tell you the
way that boy has been imposed on is
a shame. He has had run of bad
luck all his life. You know they
charged him with forging check, and
run him off from here?'
| told him that / had understood
that there was some trouble.
"ies, sir; it is a fact, ;" continued my
companion, Indignantly. "And al
though raised the money and set
tied the check matter. they actually
indicted the lad, and he had to leave.
He first went to Texas. but there were
some bad fellows out there who wanted
to get rid of him, and so they charged
him with stealing horse. don't re-
member all the facts, but Of course
know that he didn't intend to steal
the animal. However, they had it
their own way, and he had to get.
Well. when he left there he went to
Indian Territory, and now he writes
me that he's hiding out from the
United States marshals. Somebody's
been imposing upon him again, l
reckon"
Wishing to change the conversation
| said something about taking walk
for my health.
'"That was Jim's idea," said Mr..
Baxter. with pleased smile. "Jim's
another son of mine," he explained.
you've heard of Jim?"
admitted that had heard of him,
but l did not think it necessary to add
that l had been told that he was
cold blooded, murderous cut-throat.
''You ought to have Jim here to
walk with you. But, Lord bless you,
Jim wouldn't get along with these peo.
pie. They were always after him.
"1mposing upon him?" | suggested.
'Ies, just so. Now Jim was little
how-come-you-so one day, and bar
keeper refused to sell him drink. 1t
was the meanest thing that man
could do under the circumstances, be-
cause the man might have known that
Jim WAS bound to have his way. Well,
jim. he just pulled out his pistol and
shot that Darkeeprr drc,i in i,i- r.oi-4s.-
and helped himself to drink. l ad-
vised the people not to make any fuss
over it. as they all knew Jim and his
peculiarities, but the devil got into
them, and nothing would do but an
inquest and all that sort OF thing. So
mortgaged my house and let my boy
have several hundred dollars, and he
went off out west"
"Is he getting along well?" l asked.
"1'm afraid not. People don't un-
derstand Jim. Thy don't make al
lowances. He's as kind-hearted MS q
baby, but he won't be imposed upon.
Once ont in New Mexico Jim borrowed
a mans toothbrush. and when he re-
turned it to him what do you think
the fellow bid? Why, he actually
threw it away. Yes, he did; he threw
it away. Jim was in for peace, but he
couldn't stand that. He drew his pis-
tol and blew daylight through the
man, and then he had to move again.
| think he's gone to join Joe. Ever
hear of Joe?"
mumbled somethingnon-committal.
"You ought to know Joe. He's as
kind hearted as Jim and as honest
and true hearted as Tom. But Joe's
forgetful. That's the great drawback
with joe"
eyes. that's what's the matter with
Joe. People don't understand it, and
SO they've got him indicted in five
states for bigamy."
"What has forgetfulness to do with
that?" asked.
"Why, sir,a great deal. You see, Joe
travels a heap. Among new scenes and
new acquaintances he forgets things.
After being away from a wife several
months he foreets all about being mar
ried, and so gets into new entangle-
ment. Instead of making allowances
for him people get fighting mad and in
dict him for bigamv and nearly worry
the life out of him. It's mighty
wicked world, anyhow"
"You have three boys, thcn?" said l
to walk on.
-Four. sir, Jour-" replied the old
man briskly. There's Jerry, you
know. Jerry, think. is the best one of
all. He's in the penitentiary now az AL
bany, but think he'll be pardoned out.
They can't be cruel enough to keep him
there. The fact is he didn't do any
thing but kill revenue officer, and
everybody knows he wouldn't have
done 1t il the officer hadn't been mon
keying around his still. Oh! 1 think
he llget out soon."
/ started to continue my walk, but
old man Baxter held me back.
"You must dropin again, he said.
''It's such comfort to me to talk
about my boys. They are the best
and most affectionate sons q father
ever had. you don't know how l love
them. 1t is all that keeps me alive.
Now, it l had bad, undutiiul boys,
such as some fathers are cursed with,
believeit would kill me. But it wor-
ries me to have the boys imposed up
on by every body. That's my only
! tore myself away. Perhaps it is
blessed thing that old man Baxter