Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-01-29

berry at Bonsall's clothing store; where
he kept the stolen goods in his barn COW
cred up with hay for nearly a week. It
would be a good thing for Timothy
Barker to understand that somebody
else besides me knows about that bust
ness, and if you bring it in right it will
fetch him around sure.'
81 kept quiet for minute or two, and
then l said:
Mr.. Spotkirk, this Is an important
business. can't touch it under a hun
dred dollars He looked hard 1T me,
and then he said:
g''Do it right, and a hundred dollars
Is yours
"After that 1 went to see Timothy
Barker, and had a talk with him. Tim
othy was boiling over, and considered
himself the worst-cheated man in the
world. He had only lately found out
how Spotkirk made his Boiline, and
what a big sale he had for it, and he was
determined to have more OF the profits.
"'Just look at it, he shouted, when
Spotkirk has washed out my gravel it's
worth more than it was before, and he
sells it for twenty-five cents load to put
on gentlemen's places. Even out Of that
he makes hundred and fifty per cent.
profit
81 talked q good deal more with Tim
othy Barker, and found out good many
things about Spotkirk's dealings with
him, and then in an off-hand manner
mentioned the matter of the stolen
goods in his barn, just as II I had known
all about it from the very first. At this
Timothy stopped shouting and became as
meek as . mouse. He said nobody was
IS sorry as he was when he found the
goods concealed in his barn had been
stolen, and that II he had known it be:
fore the thieves took them away he
should have informed the authorities;
and then he went on to tell me how he
got 30 poor and 80 hard up, by giving his
whole time to digging and hauling gravel
for Spotkirk and neglecting his little
farm; that he did not knoY what WAS
going to become of him and his family
If he couldn't make better terms with
Spotkirk for the future. and he asked
me very earnestly to help him in this
business If could.
Now, then. I set myself to work to
consider this business. Here was rich
man expressing poor one, and here
was this rich man Offering Eae one hum
dred dollars, which in my eyes was a
regular fortune, to help him get things
30 fixed that he could keep on depressing
the poor one. Now, then, here was a
chance for me to show my principles.
Here was a chance for me to show nv
self what you, madam, call rigid; and
rigid was. I just set that dazzling one
hundred dollars aside, much as I wanted
IT. Much as ] actually needed it, /
wouldn't look at it, or think OF it, I
just said to myself: If you can do any
good in this matter, do it for the poor
man. and 1 did do it for Timothy Bar
ker, with his poor wife and seven chill
dren, only two of them old enough to
Aslp him In the gravel pit, ] went to
Spotkirk and talked to him, and let
him see that If Timothy Barker showed
up the Boiline business, as he threat
ened to do, it would be a bad day for the
Spotkirk family. He s-:s ,,. nard To talk
me over to his side, but was rigid,
madam, was rigid, and the business
ended in my getting seven per cent. of
the profits of Boiline for that poor man.
Timothy Barker and his large family
and their domestic prosperity is entire
ly due-I say it without hesitation-to
my efforts on their behalf, and to my
rigidity in standing up for the poor
against the rich"
''Of course" here remarked, "you
don't care to mention any thing about
the money you squeezed out Of Timothy
Barker by means Of your knowledge
that he had been receiver of stolen
goods, AMI suppose the Boiline man
gave you something to get the percent
age brought down from ten per cent to
seven"
The tall burglar turned and looked at
me with an air of saddened resignation.
''Of course, y said he, sit is OF no use for
. man in my position to endeaver to set
himself right In the eyes of one who is
prejudiced against him. Ny hope is that
those presentwho are not prejudiced will
give my statements the consideration
they deserve
Which they certainly viii dc" I con-
tnued. Turning to my wife and Aunt
Martins: sAs you have heard this fine
story I think it is time for you to retire. -
Il do not wish to retire. promptly
Aunt Martha II was never