The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-09-24
lcated that he was just as brainy as 10

dicated that he was just as brainy as 10
could be.
For time let him sit there. Then
stepped out and passed the time of day
with him. He answered rather in a
brief and distracted way, but finally
asked my name. told him what it was
and he took my hand. He said he had
been frequently taken for me. was
glad Of it. did not care if he had been
taken for me, only why did those au-
thorities who took him for me let him
60 again?
Finally he said he knew some Of my
folks l said that might be. My folks
never did seem to learn anything by ex-
perience. Some Of them. said, were SO
kind hearted that they couldn't be un-
kind even to bunko man. He laughed
. sad laugh, like one who breakfasts
with the president of the United States
on the list day Of April and cuts into a
Canton flannel cake.
But at last he interested me in him
self. He was here for his health, he said.
He had air cells in his lungs, think, or
something Of that kind. He also had q
letter from my brother. It was letter
Of introduction from my brother. AS
read 1t could almost see how he suf-
fered as he wrote it. Probably this man
had supported him when he ran for Of
fice last fall, and now he had paid the
debt BY giving him letter Of introduce
ton to me.
Taking him by the hand, said: "Sir,
you are my guest. A letter from my
brother will be honored at all times,
never mind what happen to be doing
ct the time. The letter seems to be gen.
uine. and my brother has failed to put
In the cipher which means to do you
mp So Judge that he means for me
to throw myself. You are now my
guest. Come with me and l will show
You where they are going to build the
new bridge across Craig-y-Nos creek"
He rose and we went away together.
Az we passed the store invited him in
and we got some secgars. At our store
here we have nice, smooth scegar, with
MANILA wrapper, which is . free smoker,
and il kept well tipped up SO that the
filler will not sift out affords much
pleasure to the user. We lighted these
seegars, which are called the Belle of
Tailholt, Indiana, and as we pulled them
along the road we seemed somehow to
warm toward each other. and told him
that | knew where we could get some
calamus root il he liked it and some
mushrooms-at least they looked like
mushrooms He said he was passion
ately fond Of calamus root but still more
90 Of mushrooms. So we gathered some
Of each and had the latter for dinner.
None Of the rest Of the family would
eat any Of these mushrooms. for never
gathered any before, and to be o good
mushroom gatherer one should have
killed OF camping party or two for the
experience. But my guest ate heartily
Of them. He ate them all My wife
winked hopefully at me as my doppel-
Qanger ate the last one and carelessly
ran . slice of bread around over the
platter and breathed long, delicious
dgh.
After dinner said, "Come on; we
will 60 up on the top of Mount Busbee
From there we can see almost to Ashe-
ville." Really, my object was to get
him of the place before he died. hate
to have guest die in the house, and if
I can help it will see that it never oc-
ours, especially when he has letter of
introduction from some one know.
We climbed the hill through the swell
tering heat, and he see-ued to hold
up under it quite well. All at once,
like u clap of thunder from a clear
sky, came the terrible thought, "Oh,
heavensl oh. heavensl After all, per-
haps they were really mushrooms"
The thought maddened me SO that as
/ pushed my way through the under
brush ahead of my guest pulled back
hickory sapling and let it fly back with
such force as to knock him across the
gothic oat farm of General West, of this
place But my guest did not mind it at
all. for he came up later with a glad
smile and humming bit of an old love
song
That evening he took from his valise a
puzzle and gave it to my children. They
tried to do It. but could not. We were
smoking couple of store cigars and the
butler was burning a rag. Finally the
children brought the puzzle to me. 1t
looked simple, and as am great hand
to work out difficult things, like mathe-
NAUTICAL sums and social problems. told
my colored amanuensis to keep my cig@r
going for few moments and would
show the children how to do it.