Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-05-01

jes steal you whisky an you cloe's an
-Marse Nat, eff you le' me off di:; time
I DON nuver steal no mo- o. you clo'es.
er you whisky, er muffin. Marse Nat,
you wouldn't. shoot POI ole good-for-
muffin George Washington, whar fotch'
cp wild you?"
Major, sternly. II am going to give
the word and" he raised the pistol
once more.
toward him. stOh, Lordy! Marse Nat,
Please, sub, dom pint dat thing at me
dat away-hits loaded! Oh, Lordy!" he
shouted. The Major brandished his
weapon fiercely.
''Stand up. sir, and stop that noise.
One-two-three," he counted, but
George Washington was fat on the
ground.
''Oh! Marse Nat, please, sub, don't
Use feared o dem things" sudden
idea struck him. '.Marse Nat, you is
about to loss q mighty 'aluable nigger,"
he pleaded; but the Major simply
shouted to him to stand up and not dis
grace the gentleman he represented.
George Washington seized on the word;
it was his final hope.
'.Marse Nat, don't ripresent nobody,
sub; nobody at all, sub. I amt muffin
but good-for-nuttin', wuthless niger,
whar brung de box down hear cuz you
tole me to, sub, dat's all; an I'll teck
off you coat an weskit dis mint eff
you'll jis le' me git up off de groun,
subj" He lay spraddled out on the
ground as fat as a field lark. but at
Jef's sudden appearance, he sprang be-
hind him. jeff, in amazement, was in
quiring the meaning of all the noise he
had heard, when Lawrence appeared on
| the scene. The Major explained briefly.
s1t was that redoubtable champion
believing. AS our principals failed to
appear on time, he being an upholder
| Of the code, suggested that we were
bound to take the places respectively of
those We represented"
''Nor, sub. dom ripresent nobody"
| interrupted George Washington; but at
a look from the Major he lodged again
behind jeff. The Major, with his eye
| on Lawrence, said:
''Well, gentlemen, let's to business.
We have but few minutes of daylight
left. presume you are ready?"
Both gentlemen bowed, and the Mai or
| proceeded to explain that he had loaded
both pistols himself with precisely SIM
liar charges. and they were identical in
| trigger, sight, diff and weight, and had
been tested on a number of occasions,
when they had proved to be excellent
weapons and remarkably accurate in
their fre." The Major stepped off the
| distance himself, explaining to Law
renee that ten PAGES was about the best
distance, as it was sufficiently distant
to avoid the unpleasantness of letting
a gentleman feel that he was within
touching distance" and yet ''near
enough to avoid useless mutilation."
| Taking out a coin, he announced that
he would toss up for the choice of posi-
ton, or rather would make "a disin-
| terested person" do so, and, holding out
his hand, he called George Washington
| to toss it up. There was no response
until the Major shouted: George
Washington, where are you-you ras-
cali"
| sHeah me, suh." said George Wash
| ington, in a quavering voice, rising
| from the ground, where he had thrown
himself to avoid any stray bullets, and
coming slowly forward, with pitiful:
"Please, sub, dom pint dat thing dis
away"
The Major gave him the coin, with an
order to toss it up in tone so sharp
that it made him jump; and he began
to turn it over nervously in his hand,
which was raised little above his
shoulder. In his manipulation it
slipped out of his hand and disappeared.
| George Washington, in dazed way,
looked in his hand. and then on the
ground. eli! whar' hit?" he muttered.
getting down on his knees and search
ing in the grass. ibis heah place is
evil-sperited."
The Major called to him to hurry up,
but he was too intent on solving the
problem of the mysterious disappear
ance of the quarter.
81 aim nuver like dis graveyard bein'
right heah," he murmured. ''Marse
dis thing"
The Majors patience was giving out.
George Washington, you rascal" he
shouted, do you think 1 can wait all
night for you to pull up all the grass in
the garden? Take the quarter out OF
your pocket, sirv'
''Tain't in my pocket, sub" quavered
George Washington, feeling there in
stinctively, however, when the coin
slipped down his sleeve into his hand
again. This was too much for him.
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