Richland beacon., 1888-03-03

"G'lang. g'lang. drawled the driver,
as he looked over his shoulder with a
curious mingliDg of pity, contempt or
wonder on his dusty face. More and /
more spitefully snapped the swinging
whip as the slow Yated oxen toilcd mile /
after mile under Hhc heat of \ Septem- |
Der sun. And there in the road trudgcd |
Armstrong behind the wagon; slowly, |
YEARLY, thoughtfully, hut not silently. !
He was a man who always spoke his
Thoughts.
This serves you right, Armstrong.
ANY man who will fool his money away
at three card monte deserves TO walk in
the dust"
1T will spoil these clothes"
"Well, don't you deserve it,"
"Thc dust fill my eyes"
"Yes: any man who gamb'cs all his
dust away at three-card monte deserves
t. have dust in his eyes-and alkali dust
al that
The dust chohes me.
"AIl right; any MIN who will buck at
monte deserves to be choked. Keep the
road. sir-the middle of the road close
up to the wagon. Do you think yGu
Will ever DuCA ~ ihoh'0 "S"",
strong"
And so the poor culprit, self-arrcsted.
SELF. lf.condemned, coughed and sneezed
and chokcl and walked ond talked,
nile after mile, hour after hour, while
the great wagon groaned and creaked.
/ the d yer bawled and swung his whip,
/ the pat ent oxen gave their shoulder to
/ the woke, and the golden sun Of Sep
tember sank wcarily toward the west.
The shadows OF evening were beElnnin"
to fall when the wagon halted at tn
place called Packers ROost, on the
luba.
..Here we rest," sighed Armstrong,
Just above his lreath, as he looked at
the stream. "No you don't" answered
the head of the firm "lou buck your
money away at monte and talk about
rest. Now, Armstrong, go right down
the bank. >ir, into the river. AS the
command was peremptory anu a
spirit of obedience SIC ned the safest,
Armstrong obeyed without pirley and
down he went, over his head and ears,
store clothes and all, into the cold noun
ia n stream. 1t was 4 long time that he
remained in the water and under the
, water. He would come to the surface
, every little while To llk, you understand
r Ii was impossible for Armstrong to for
, bear talking. ",h, yes, he would say
. as he came up and snufIed the water
, from his nose, you'll buck your money
, away at three card monte, will you! How
. do yoa like the water cure" HIS words
t we. C, of course, duly pnnctuated by IT
, rcgular plunges and catchings Oh the
breath.
1t S, happened that the man who KEEP
n the shanty hotel at the Packers Roos
: had a woman for wife. She, being 8
t kind hearted creature, besought her lore
t to go down and ''help the poor Graz.
r man out of the W ,cr."
o "Pshaw," said the OK driver, 'h
e amt a crazy man; he's fool. III
;. walked behind my wagon aud talked t
S himself all the wa from Scrabble
" town"
e Thereupon arose lengthy discuss!o
IS about the difference between a crazy ma
e and fool. But after while the land
lord and tltc OK driver went down to tn
G bank and agreed to 90 Armstrong; s.
!. curity agdi st bucking at monte IN II
Ie future if he would come out Of the waite
D, So he came out and went up to II
:, house.
& "Will you have a cup of tea or co
!. fee." said the woman, kindly.
d "Yes, madam said Armstrong,
II will take both"
le uHe is crazy, sure as can be-" said Il
n woman. But she brought the two Gu
c ouired, kindly as before.
IN NO, madam, mustard and red pc
is per-" answered Armstrong.
a II do believe he is a fool said 4
a woman, as she went Tor the pepper al
r. mustard.
st Armstrong, with deliberate coones
is nut a spoonful of red pepper into the
W and a spoonful of mustard into the ct
If. fee. Then he poured the two togetf
d. into tin cup. Then the old conflict rag
a, again, and high above the din of rattli
n tin cups and pewter spoons, sounded
gh stern command: Armstrong drink
s'r-drink it down" A momenta
ice hcsit,tion and few desperate gulps a
d. it was down. "Oh. yes" said our he
re- as his throat burned and the tears r
Ike down his eyes, "you buck your mon
elf away at threc-card monte, do you!'
Now, the Thompsonian dose, abe
IT. described, yepy nearly ended the bat
ng with poor Armstrong. He was sil'
ot- for quite time, and everybody else v
l.. silent. After a white the landlord W
ell tured to suggest that bed could
re. proyided if it was desired. No" S;
in Armstrong. IN sleep on the flo
He You see, stranger" said he, eyeing
of landlord with peculiar cxpress
he .'this fool has been sluandcring &
, q dust at monte-three card montc-a
does not deserve to sleep in bed"
& So Armstrong cndel the days bal
md bv poiug to bel on the foor. III
ost came the dreams. He first dreamed t
he he was Sleeping on the North Pole
the his head in the tropics, while all
ing miners in Yuba were giOund-sluiclng
,ra- his stomach. Next, he dreamed that
by had swallowed Mount Shastl for sup
ng. and that the d mountain had sudde
ces- become an active volcano and was VI
the iting acres and acres Of hot lava.
ng. Then the scenes shifted, and he secr
be- to have found his final abode in p
and of vile smells and fierce flames, poll
rm, called the antipodes of heaven. 4
hes while he writhed and groaned in sl
I'M less 2ony a fork-tail field was sayinl
hite him in a mo king voice: You b
was your money away ut thrce-card monte
the you-heyl" But even this troubled S
d to had an end at last. and Armstrong ar
When he looked at himself in the bro
;. looking glass that hung on the wal
to thought his face bore traces of wis
that he never saw there before. s.