Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-08-02
my friends, that 1 shall be here next Sunday

my friends, that shall be here next Sunday
afternoon Perhaps before the cold weather
comes we can get hall or church built
1--WE don't want no hall, nor no church.
nor no parson," said Burke. If You try TO
shoot of in this part of the country again,
you'll De sorry, that's all have to sayl'
IF do, what then!'' inquired Arthur.
Only this; shall knock few of your
teeth down your throat to sorter choke you
off 70
All this time none of the couple of hun
| dred men assembled uttered a word, though
once or twice the women cried Shame on
! ye Jerry!' o. Give the parson a shown
Arthur SIZED up the situation in mo-
| ment. He saw at once that his would be
prosecutor was a bully, so often found in
communities of ignorant men, and under
stood that Burke must be summarily dis
posed of if he hoped to stay and do any good
in 1ronvale. Now if there was one thing
Arthur May had been proficient in at col
lege it was boxing and wrestling. Still, he
was not powerful man. and weighed less
by fifty pounds than Jerry Burke. So the
resolution at which he arrived was a risky
one.
"Boys," said Arthur, ''this man says he
will lick me if l stay in Ironvale. Now,
am going to stay and he may as well lick me
now as later on. l don't much believe in
fighting never saw any fun in it; especially
it looks bad on Sunday and in preacher.
Sometimes, however, it is necessary. Il is
necessary now, think, and 1 guess you
boys will stand of and see that stranger
gets fair playa
Of came Arthur's coat and stepping down
from his impromptu platform of rough
stone he walked briskly over to Burke, VINO
was at that moment the most completely
surprised man in Ironvale.
'I'll take that licking now, Mr.. Bully,"
Burke had no coat to throw off, as he was
already standing IL his shirtsleeves, but he
replied by giving Arthura Dack-handed slap
in the face
Well, some of the Ironvale men tell. to
this day, how it was the 'prettiest'' thing
they ever saw-''the way that the parson
knocked out Jerry Burke,'' who, in ten
minutes from the time he first interrupted
Arthur, had as much as he could do 20 sneak
off like whipped cur.
From that time on, with the exception of
half dozen malcontents like Burke, every
man, woman and child in Ironvale was
Arthur Mays warm admirer. AS for Jerry
Burke, he found it vastly more pleasant to
reside in a neighboring town.
Yet, although Mr.. Burke removed from
Ironvale, he by no means relinquished his
various schemes for bringing about strike
at Spriggs and Company'5. But, in view of
the fact that thousands of men in adjoining
districts were idle, Burke and his coadju-
tors did not find many of the men very en-
thusiastic about striking; and when Spriggs
and Company, getting wind of the efforts Of
the Burke gang, voluntarily raised the
wages ten per cent, the professional GROWERS
felt that they might as well withdraw from
1ronvale. Burke was the angriest and most
disappointed man in Western Pennsylvania;
all his chronic i'll will and bad blood was
focused in determination to wreak VEN
gence, first on Spriggs and Company, and
then on the ''poor fools" who could be pac- |
fed with ''paltry ten per cent. sop"
Somehow or other Arthur May got to |
know that Jerry Burke occasionally found |
his way to Ironvale, and certain sly and
underhanded actions of the fellows made |
Arthur suspect that Burke's motive in visit |
ing his old haunts were other than ordi- |
nary, so he resolved to watch him closely.
One night, about two months after Arthur |
Mays first appearance in Ironvale, the par |
son las every one called Arthur and as he |
rather liked to be called) was making his |
way to his humble lodgings. As he passed |
Spriggs and Company's engine house-the |
only building belonging to the firm which |
could lay any claim to substantially or |
architectural beauty-he noticed man steal |
up to one of the windows, which he opened |
and entered. He noticed that the man car
ried small package. A minute later the man
emerged from the same window, minus the |
package, and Arthur then saw that it was
jerry Burke.
Now Arthur, for prudential reasons, car
ried small revolver and this Mr. Burke |
suddenly found within about two yards of |
his eyes.
Burke, you are up to no good!'
whats that to you.''
Now, my lad, you know you can't bluff |
me. You ought to know am not afraid of |
you at even odds. With this weapon alb
solutely command you to explain your
presence here"
Il don't have to. Pity man can't move |
about without telling his business to a
ID preacher!'
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