Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-08-26
"JEDGE" wiLlET'S VISITOR.
Why a New Hampshire Town Is Not
Troubled with Peddlers.

Bascomb Flagg, Familiarity known as
"Bask," was the postmaster in small
town of northern New Hampshire, and
having lived in one place and held one Of
flee for over thirty years he knew by heart
most of the town history and that of its
Individual Inhabitants, and was ready to
reel off anecdotes on slight provocation.
rs the tramp law strictly enforced here?''
! inquired a stranger who had been stopping
at the inn for few days, and lingering for
a little chat with ''Bask" after the morn
ing meal was distributed.
IN tell We n leetle somethin bearin on
tibet pint eff we want l should" said Mr..
Flagg, settling himself in an easy, unofi-
cial attitude on the broken backed chair
which he commonly occupied in times of
relaxation.
"Just what 1 hoped you'd do" replied
the other, seating himself comfortably on a
three legged stool, known as the ''visitin
seat
I'VE amt had tramp inside the limits
o this taownship fer above six years" be-
gan the postmaster impressively. And he
added after a slight pause: THE last one
was n Teller thet's known amongst every
body in this region es '.Jedge Willet's
visitor Ye see. it come abaout this way:
''Ther was this man come ter the Centre
Village one day, and hedn't s. much es a
box o. stove polish ON him ter sig Nifty tibet
he he'd any reg'ler calm. He was a tur-
rible ongain1y, GURUS appearin chap, too,
an his cloth what Their was Of 'em, was
considduble the wuss fer wear. But he
did cuttinly not look ter be hungry. I
suspicioned tibet he'd he'd a squar' meal
overt the Wilder Sparkins', In tn East
Village.
"Well, twas n kind OF a coolish day,
long in the fore part OF September an
KEEP the man engaged in conversin while
my son Abe he stepped over ter the jedRe's
an fetched him over here. An es the fell
Ter couldn't give no 'caount Of himself tibet
was what ye might call anyways likely,
an seemed inclined ter be kind OF ugly an
fisty, an twas gettin toward night, and
he warn't seeminly inclined ter move on,
why Abe an the jedge they jest clapped
him inter the lookup.
''Well, naow, We see" said Mr.. Flagg
with appreciative chuckle, the jedge
was a master hand ter fergit. an the mex
mornin, bright an early, he'd planned an
laid aout to take his family ter Spotville
ter spend the day with his brothers folk;
an they went, and the jedge took the lock-
up key in his pocket never give a
thought ter tibet tramp
"'Twas a fair day eS ever was, an the
Willetses come home by moon, singin es
lively an pleasant could be. But es the
jedge was gettin aout o. the kerridge he
ste my <ADc loittrlu dlOlS Oh III OtueT sue
o. the road, an then he minded 'baout tibet
tramp. He was kindly man then, es
naow, an always lib'ral; an he jest throwed
them reins at Nathan Gibson-he was
hired out ter the jedge tibet year-an tore
fer tibet lookup, Abe runnin alongside, es
ye may say.
'It was in kind of an ut-o'-the-way
spot, quite a piece up tibet lonesome mill
road, and when they come near they could
hear tibet man groanin, Abe said, like
ev'rythin. Well, they unlocked the door.
an the jedge sent Abe back ter the haouse
ter tell Nathan ter fetch the HOSES over,
an they kind o. half h'isted tibet man inter
the kerridge, an driv him straight to the
jedge's. An the jedge, he he'd him right
inter the dinin room, an fed him up. an
lodged him in a good spare room over night,
an give him q good breakfast an a dollar
in the mornin, an sent him of.
1.-THE man 'llaowed he he'd a leetle
mudgin of q dinner ct the Wilder Sparkins'
tibet fust day, 'baout II in the mornin, but
he seemed all wilted daown an peaked.
An howsomever he managed ter spread tn
word nobody knows" concluded Mr.. Flagg
meditatively, but tn fact remains tibet
we amt he'd q tramp sence tibet day.
Zone AFTERNOON Their was kind of a ped
dler come in-two years or SO back-but he
asked, casual-like, eff Jedge Willet lived
here, an when / told him yes he said !,
must be pushin on ter the Corner, fer it
looked like rain, an he was gone fore 1
he'd time ter ask him any questions. y
Youths Companion.
The Republican policy Is to protect