The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-15
SYMPATHY.
What He Wanted, and Why He
Went to the Mayor.

well. what do YOU want?" asked
the mayor. as the old man finally
looked in the door. He had been pass
ing and repassing in front of the office
all noon. oscillating in INDIGESTION. He
was from the country-a thin old fell
low. with small blinking eyes and
wrinkled face. His limp red hair had
attained sort of uncertain gray. In
and out the burrows OF his shallow chin
a sparse beard tristied. leaving quite
bare spots here and there where he had
rubbed off the hair, rubbing with such
hard. horny hand. year after year. in
moments of indecision-eviden the
majority of the moments OF his lie.
His mouth had been shaped by a pipe.
which. drawing down the corner Of it,
drew all the wrinkles of his face into it
as into drain.
You the mayor of this town."
The words slid without infection or
emphasis on to a thin. drawing. nasal
voice.
les. w Hsil no YOU NdNts
"Nothin'. sir; nothin' in particu-
lar"
There was pause. as If cogent
reasons in his mind were giving him
another warning. He fastened his
eyes on the mayor face rs if he were
examining Seeding potatoes.
81 only want sympathy. sir-sym-
pathy."
He closed his mouth suddenly, all to
the pipe hole, and began rubbing his
chin again The solution OF his doubts
this time resulted in his conveying his
communication in 4 monotonous nm
dertone TO himself. waving all claims
to hearing, which rested entirely in
the volition of the mayor. The small
eyes impartially looked unmeaningly
into space.
..Its only that boy o mine. I've
had powerful lot o trouble with that
boy o mine. I've missed him. I've
tended him. I've labored with him,
and Live prayed over him: 1--we
PRAYED over that boy o mine" He
looked At the mayor for some expire s.
sion over this last item.
'-Oh. your boy in troublc?"
He was tuck up to-day. and jedged.
Hes locked up over there He
stopped rubbing his chm 10 point in
the direction of the town jail.
Locked up. eh9 VIVA: was the mat
ter?r
Resisted the perlice. they call it.
A Teller tried to rest him. He knocked
him down. my boy did
Resisting the police; Ell? resisting
the authority Of the laws Well, I'm
very CAD he's locked up You coun-
try people think vou can come into
this town and run it jus: as You please.
No. sir; if you all don't like this town.
you can stay away: but if you DO come
here, You Come on our terms and
you've got to behave yourselves. The
mayor very generously rcissucd this
fragment of the pcroratiou Of his
mornings decision.
You're right. sir; you're perfectly
right. ! amt sayiu' nothin'; amt
complainin'; l only come for SYM
patty. They told me You was gentle
man. ST. l amt got no.hin' to say,
sir; l only come for sympathy. I'm 4
s>-angcr here myself; amt been
here before in twenty year-aot sence
before the boy wuz born. I've nussed
that boy. I've tended him. and I've
prayed over him-relapsing into
audible meditation. ..Iie rs goods
ha.i no mother. l helt him with one
hand while l stritched' her with
t'other-my old woman. She died the
fust thing after he WIZ born. my old
woman did. He WIZ that puny and
tiny and red. there wuz no tellin'
which eend from tothcr 'cept by the
squallin'."
well. reckon he'll never learn his
duty 10 the law younger"
..rhe old woman warn't much Of a
help or eemfort either" without MOTTO
ing the interruption. Il don't know
As old women ginerallyi is Always a.
quarrelin' and a-cump.ainin' and n
settin' by the fire. But she LEI the
boy to me. the old woman DID. ef she
did die herself-l-I--i've prayed over
that boy; YES. sir. I've prayed over him
We was a-goin' back home this even
in
One night IN the lookup won't hurt
him"
NO. sir; that's trae. II won't hurt
him: if wont hurt him i mite-one
night in the lookup He fout, an
cusSed. an kicked, an scritched. like
apain;er. my boy did He didn'twant
to 60 to the lookup. that's fact. He
tarec round consider hle."
How much fine was it besides"'
twenty-five dollars. sir"
Twenty-Five? Well. l can't let him
come down here and clean on. the
town and invalid the whole police
fcrce for less than that
There's. always something hap
PENN to that boy ever sence the old
woman died. The fust time / washed
him he most drowrded in the picgin
o. water. He could scarcely crawl
fore he went to waller in the fire. He's
fell down and broke his arm. He's
aaot hisself accidental Hes cut his