Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-03-04
MIR. PRODDY'S PRODIGY.

slowly nlled the hot bowl. HIS bushy
white eyebrows were drawn hard
down; his red rugged old face was
steraly 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 blew 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 u public
house and sticking knives into his
legs
Il dunno" he said. II dunno
Animals is moro peculiar than mon.
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 / got her.
on 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 pig l never saw. She
were sorter thin. for the old 'un didn't
like her an rooted her Off in a corner
and the other little 'uns wouldn't let
her feed much. They were another
'un that liked the looks-a sort OF
chunky fellow with a black splotch on
his neck-but when | grub for him
the old 'un she bit me at the wrist
to the Vaughn. called her the
Duchess cause she was that modest
you never saw. Lord! them nights
when / 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 | was with the Skeleton and tbs
Clogs in the Vaughn! The old wheels
goin creek and creek like The rain
devils dancin on the roof an the wind
a whimperin'! 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 a pan he's all bad.
bone an marrow an eatin' meat-all
bad. wish I'd killed him some OF
them times, but | never done it,"
He swore vigorously for a long time
while filling his pipe. The gurgle in
the curve of the stem and the mist OF
the curling smoke made him silent for
q time.
She was that clever!" Mr.. Prodigy
continued after a 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 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
liner than silk on rollin' barrels an
toPble on the tight rope. But that
amt eddication-that's only art. So
l set to an learned her tho alphabet.
Lor', how quick she were! An |
never welted her. Me a smokin' an
laughin' an she o 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 l come in
an seen her weepin'.
" What's the matter Dutch?' saws
L She JUS sorter blubbered an
rocked herself like a woman whose
hush has died sudden like an |
couldn't jib pothin Outen her till l
looked at her alphabet blocks an seen
they were all mixed up-an' \ where
b orter BIO. an u where T Orter to be-
an then I heard Clogs a snOrtin'.
Well, she laughed when she seen mo
lam h m. but wish I'd killed him.
. seen that tao duchess was a-gOin'
to grow If didn't look out an there
not bein' any room for that in the
Vaughn, / nachully give hor 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
learnin! Readin-she knew them
blocks bcttern me. and fggerrin'
want nuthin to her. She were tol'ble
on card playin', on'y she were allus
tryin to zee my hand, fur We can't
teach female to play fair.
'Lor', mebbe she want proud fust
time she went on mebbe! Pink stock
ms and pink cloth shoes and q bally
gals skirt and Gxin's. pink gloves an