The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-27

hourss. u tscy oniy dresscd q. propsriy.
yantasr il .ociesy. hat with osr pEs.~ns
not make much Of . success." And Tom
Bobbins looked az one Of his tibiss with .
Then / beean tn weep over the lot Of
these poor old skeletons, and i imagined
all their suffering as they lie moulding i'm
for a sclottische or a c%osiilion. and ] made
a.prc.scnt tn Bohbin: Of 2 pair of Odd far
eicys., and an embroiasfss I'd ws'"sco~'
that he was hecominR vfcious In propor-
s pissc ~ re cas%sa T on. SSSS,n ! s'a and s" "s
burst out with the joliiest skeletons laugh
possible. Bobbins' bones tinklcd like
bells. i'm a manner that was extremely re-
joicinR. In this excessive hilarity ! mo-
ticed that he was becoming human again,
and I began tn he afraid. Tom Bobbins
had not his equal when he was living for
fastening upon you % package of stock
certificates for the exploitation Of mines
of colored 9'ianO in RostOcostolados, ana
half N dozen such speculations had no diff:
ficuity i'm eating up your income. He lad
also q way OF enEaT'nS you y" an no',t sS
end. He relieved you of your coin at
poker with AN easy and elegant grace. IL
you were not satisfied he willingly pulled
your nose and then processicsi to carve
you with his bowie knife.
observed then this strange phcnosue-
bosbs y W "l "9 81 -
ghosts. that 1 was afraid of seeing Tom
Bobbins, tine skeleton, come to life again.
in "a couple OF times. And because my
friend. Tom Robbins, in old times was
very dcxterous will, the knife. Because.
i'm fact, i'm u moment Of distraction he had
given me ~ slight cut i'm my right thigh
And when ! SAW that Tom Bolbins was
Tom Bohbins and had no longer anything
of the skeleton about him. my pulse he
gan tai beat so fast that IL seemed tai heat
continuously. and l hadn't the courage to
Then Tom Bobbins planted his bowie
knif. ON the table, according tn his GUS
tom. and proposed that we play a game
sirs.s. He began tn play with the luck of
- hanged man. do not think, however,
tina, I"m eve. kicked from a =snliows; hs-
contrary to ALI the talcs of sl.ctrcs, I'll.
gold that I won fr .n Tom Bobbins did
for the very good reason that I didn't win
any. and that he swept away all l had i'm
my pocket. Then hc hegan To swear like
stories and corrupted all the Innocence l
had left. He stretched out his hand to-
drop. did not dare to make a gesture 70
restrain him. Because I knew that the
next moment I should have had his knife
him, precisely because he had no intes-
tines himself. Then he inquired after my
wife will, IL terribly vicious air. and for a
moment l wanted to mash W that little nose
hc had. I curbed this deplorable instinct,
hut resolved internally that my wife
should not send him the knit waistcoat.
Then he took my ~rrespOntleftc from
my ovcrt,ost Dockcts and began to read
the letters Of my friends with various
ironicai and Offensive remarks. Really
Tom Bnbbins, the skeleton, was very en-
durable. but, divine GOODNESS! Bobbins i'm
flesh and blood was absolutely terrifying.
When he had finished his reading | VEN
tur.d to remark gently that IL was Z
"'clock in the morning; and asked him IL
he were, not afraid of being late. He all
severed me in AN absolutely human FASH
ion that, IL the guardian of the cemetery
was rash enough tn say u word to him he
would lead him a. pretty dance. Then he
looked. at my watch with n wanton AIR.
put il quietly in his fob. Then he took
his leave, Int hef. re- going Inc put two
candicsticks i'm his pocket, coolly un-
screwed the head of my cane and asked
me. without a. shadow Of rcniorse. IL I
co,ld not lend him one ar two louis. ! an
swereh linn that unfortunately ! had no
pleasure i'm sending him some. He gave
me his Address. hut il WAS such u mixture
of ratings and tombs and crosses and
vaults that 1 have forgotten IL: There
but il proved too heavy for him. When
hc told me his desire to leave by way of
the chimney was :" To SEE, l''' r.
not make "a move to- restrain him. With
"a joyful tranquility I listened to him as he
crawlesl aud climbed through the pipe.
although ! WAS charged i'm my bill for tine
amount of SCOT consumed by Tom Bob
bins in his passage.
ann disg'ist.sl with the society of skele-
tons. Ttcrs. il something human about
them that il profoundly tn me.
The next time that Tom Robbins comes l
shall have drank my, groG; l shall not
light and my fire. Perhaps he will come
back with the vcritable manners of ghosts,
shaking his chains and shouting satanic
curses. In that case we will sec.