The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-06-16

didn't know anything about. I had
to make up facts and figures as l
went along; but 1 wasn't going to
let them think the North was run
ming behind, so I generally put
them high.
The president asked if we built
any new road this year.
"Ah, yes," says,I.
"How many miles have you
built?" says he.
"About three thousand miles"
II want to know" says he, and
they all looked pretty well laid out
at that.
After awhile the president asked !:
Between what points did you
build this new road you speak of?'
Between Kalamazoo and School
craft" says I.
remembered as soon as | said
it, that those places weren't more
than twelve miles apart. But | had
to think quick, and / gave the first
names that came into my head.
They were just getting out a map
to look up the route when in comes
the peanut boy and says:
"is Mr.. Wells in here? Cause
if he is there's man in the other
car wants to see him right away"
I went, back and found Parks
reading a paper. He showed the
paper into my hands and said:
"Read that"
/ read:
SPECIAL DIsPATcH-A warrant is
issued for the arrest of Giles Hay
ward, president of the Lake Shore
road, Hezikiah Wells, secretary of
the same, they having skipped the
country with large sums of money
belonging to other parties. A re-
ward Of five hundred dollars is
offered for information of their
whereabouts.
| looked at Parks and Parks
looked at me.
"What does it mean?" gasped I.
sit means that we have to get out
of this mighty quick" says he.
We got out of that. We shot off
the train at the first station, just as
the real presidents gray hat was
seen coming through the car door.
Twas little place called Dusen-
berry corners. We hung around
for couple of hours till the inhab-
itants began to take US for suspi-
cious characters. So we made out
that we were going to start real
estate boom, and then they took us
in carriage and drove all over the
village. We as we'll as bargained
for half the corner lots in the place.
At last freight train came along
and we got on and went back to
Atlanta.
We were dumbfounded that Hay
ward and Wells should cut such a
caper. Parks thought they might
at least waited till we got back.
But he said:
"It shows that you can't trust
anybody nowadays"
We struck out for home after
that, and you can bet we paid our
fare the rest of the way. We bought
a couple of new hats in Atlanta so
that we should not be recognized
by anybody that met us going
down. And we packed Hayward's
valise in box and sent it home by
express for fear it should be found
in our possession.
But, would you believe it, the
first person we met when we got
home was Giles Hayward, and the
next was Wells. And it turned out
that the whole story about their
skipping the town was put-up job
Somebody'd done it to make us
trouble. Parks bet twas that Ken.
/ lucky conductor that knew Hay
ward, but we never found out fol
certain.
"Did Hayward ever find out about
the notice in the paper" asked some
one when Mr. Blossom had finished
"No," said Mr.. Blossom, We nevel
told him. We were afraid he nigh
not see the joke. Of course, as i
turned out, nobody was hurt, bu
after this when I travel on fre'
pass it has my own name on it,