Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1892-03-04
MR.. PRODDY'S PRODIGY.

white eyebrows were drawn hard
down; his red, rugged old face was
sternly set as he sat looking into the
fire. The little room was brown and
smoky and bare The floor was COW
cred with tan bark and sawdust. An
old bed was in the corner and on each
side Of the little open stove was an
overturned biscuit box. On one of
them sat Mr. Prodigy. The window
was half open and the wind blow in
the reek OF the city streets.
Mr. Proddy was an old angular
man. tough as nails and very wicked.
When he was angered he swore won
derfully The night they hanged
Red Mickey Carney he cursed loudly,
put his big hairy hands over his face
and wept. When the Duchess died
Mr.. Proddy's show went to pieces and
he took To dram drinking. which is
the worst thing to which one can take.
He made little money in those days
by sitting in the corner OF a public
house and sticking knives into his
legs
Il dunno" he said. Il dunno.
Animals is more peculiar than men.
Men is peculiar enough, animals is
more peculiar. Now the Duchess was
that peculiar I'd almost trusted her
with anything, but / dunno She
were JUS week old when i got her.
an all white with pink belly.
an pink joints an pink eyes that she
winked at me. with her little snoot
alyin' in my hand. She were that
modest fur a pig | never saw. She
were sorter thin for the old 'un didn't
like her an rooted her off in a corner
and tho other little 'uns wouldn't let
her feed much. They were another
'un that liked the looks-a sort OF
chunky fellow with black splotch on
his neck-but when | grub for him
the old 'un she bit me at the wrist
So i TUX the little un and went back
to the Vaughn. | called her the
Duchess cause she was that modest
you never saw. Lord them nights
when l was driving the Vaughn the
old mare agoin' with her head down
an asleep the stars shinin' nice an
quiet in the sky, an Duchess lynn
there on the seat awinkin at me. an
a squeakin' an laughin' when she
seen me tryin' to light me pipe an
the match goin' out
20. Lor', O. Lor'. and them nights
when Red Mickey Carney was drivin'
an l was with the Skeleton and tn,
Clogs in the Vaughn! The old wheels
goin' creek and creek-like. The rain
devils dancin' on the roof an the wind
whimperin'l Me an the duchess
lynn an talkin'. An when Clogs,
who were an aggerwatin boy sleep or
wakin'. I'D roll agi'n' me an I'd welt
his head with my boot-O. Lor how
she did taught"
The old man chuckled hoarsely
down somewhere in his hairy chest.
She never liked him. An if fe-
males don't like pan he's all bad.
bone an marrow an eatin meat-all
bad J wish I'd killed him some OF
them times. but never done it."
He swore vigorously for u long time
while filing his pipe. TIE gurge in
the curve of the stem and the mist OF
the curling smoke made him silent for
a time.
She was that clevcr!' Mr. Prodigy
continued after while. Il amt no
believer in female eddication. Women
amt men, is they? noways. Then
what d they want with eddication?
That's what says an allus will say.
But l went again my principles when
found that the Duchess were that
clever. She was gettln' on in age an
when she was 2 months old she was
finer than silk on rollin' barrels an
topble on the tight rope. But that
amt eddication that's only art So
/ set 10 an learned her the alphabet
Lor. how quick she were! An
never welted her. Me smokin' an
laughin' an she laughin' an learnin
an gettin pieces o sugar which she
liked uncommon. One night we was
pitched at little town an was dom
me act an the Duchess she was back
In the dressin' room studying her
alphabet AFTER while | come in
an seen her weepin'.
What's the matter. Dutch?' says
L She JUS sorter blubbered an
rocked herself like a woman whose
husb'n has died sudden like. an /
couldn't jib nothin' outen her till
looked at her alphabet blocks an seen
they were all mixed up-au' Y where
Il orter be. an II where I orter to DO
an then / heard Clogs u snortin'.
Well. she laughed when she seen me
lam him. but i wish I'd killed him
seen that the duchess was a-goin'
to grow II didn't look out an there
not bein' any room for that in the
Vaughn. ] nachully give her GIN. So
every mornin' an every night while |
was learnin' her, she an ne drank
our gin together an she never grow
much. Lor, how she did git on in
learnn ReadIn-she knew them
blocks bettern me- and figgerrin'
want nuthin to her. She were to'ble
on card playin'. on'y she were allus
tryin to see my hand fur we can't
teach female TO play fair.
'Lor'. mebbe she want proud fust
time she went on-mebbei Pink stock