Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-07-21

uO1ldrS- MANY got Out eleven Cali
spend" said Squar' Brown, land the
fare to Pomeroy is fifty cents; and
there's two or three things we've been
saving up to get when goa porcelain
kittle for one. 1 can't give but eight
There's the picture of it Good rubber
plate for eight dollars"
"Yeup," said Vet He ran his thick
finger along the lines as he read them.
Squar' Brown rubbed his hands, his
face in mild glow.
i've been wanting 'em, Sylvester,
he said. 'for ten years, about Ought
to had 'em ten years ago-I needed 'em.
Anybody that's got their teeth don't
know nothing at all about it. hain't
had much comfort, you might say,
since my teeth begun to go. Can't
| recollect when I've fairly chewed any
food. When they begun to come out
them that was left would be so sore
| couldn't hardly eat. They've all been
gone but two for good while now.
and I've had to chew on my gums 1
! hain't ct what I've wanted for so long,
now, 1 don't know how it'll seem. I've
| had to pretty near let meat alone;
sometimes I've fairly gone hungry.
| But hain't seen the time I could get a
set, and l couldn't now if 'twan't for
Henry Hustled giving me some work
| want neutrality-suspicious. and
one thing another. | don't know how
it'll SEEM" Squar' Brown repeated, the
| simple pleasure in his face warming to
exultation, ''to have teeth to eat with. !"
! He put the carefully-refolded circular
back in his pocket and got up. his art
| less object ended. He had few idle
moments.
| you'll look like another teller,
Squar," said Vet, whiting a rail-
| splinter.
81 amt thinking about the looks, :"
said the squar. Il want to eat some
thing besides spun-victuals.'
''Gosh!' said Vet, Shaping his leg
with a guffaw, ''Td know you was
clean took up something er other,
squar. You hain't said nothing about
Iowy ner Oregon"
The great episode of Squar Browns
life had been a journey to the Pacific
coast twenty years ago. The business
which had been his object had failed,
but the trip had been to him a piano.
rama of keen pleasures. "reminiscences
of it were still a large part Of his talk.
Vague things reminded him of it, and
when nothing served he introduced the
subject barefacedly.
''Well, no, hain't, Sylvester" he said,
rubbing his chin. in enjoyment of the
! joke. There.was an odd warmth of fell
| lowship between them, founded on a
kindred kindness of heart or humorous
sense-or on their human brotherhood
alone.
Vet whitfield on when Squar Brown
had gone, sitting with his feet sprawled
apart and his elbows on his knees. his
horse, looking to be the worthier,
standing patient Vet worked only
when he could not keep clear of it. He
lived with daughter and an unwilling
son-in-law, and spent what money he
could get for whisky.
Squar Brown vent up the road.
Meeting neighbor on gig he made
| an excuse to step over the ditch and
speak to him.
I'm going to Pomeroy next week and
| see about getting my teeth" he said,
and got out and spread open the cir
cular.
few days later the news went
through the neigh borhood, not the less
| briskly for its being an old story, that
Vet Sawdey had gone uptown and got
drunk again; and in q short space the
details became known.
The limitations of the country spree
are narrow. Vet Sawdey's usual Gus
| tom, and his were the BLACKLIST trans
gressions the region knew, was to drive
up town with a horse of his Son-in-
laws, point for the one saloon, and
there drink as much strong stuff as he
could pay for; to stagger around the
street little, with incoherent talk and
loud laughter; later, his alcoholic in
sanity rising, to mount his buggy and
drive up and down the main street at
such speed as Intellectual mad flashing
at his horse urged her to; to give forth
senseless whoops and squeals; to be a
grisly object of terror to children and a
serious warming to all.
All this he had done this time, and
more. He had arrived at the quarrelsome
stage and, DESERVING his buggy, had at.
tackled an observant group boisterously,
offered to fight them each or all to-
gether, and made a shaky attempt at it.
And there the marshal had interfered
having been watching for his first ex
cuse; he had opportunity for arrests sell
dom, and this was welcome. Men look
upon pitable things and smile, with i'll
conditioned pride in the ability so to do
the general sentiment was one of graft
fcation. A crowd of little boys, eyine
Vet as a chained tiger, had followed
him and the marshal to the lookup; and
the editor of the town paper had writ
ten paragraph. using his unvaryine
formula for such cases, to the effec
that Vet Sawdey had come to town
got outside of too much of the ODE
joyful. and been landed in the cooler.
Squar' Brown heard the news and tn,
particulars, and went over tow art
night to see Daniel Leach, Vets son
in-law. He was chopping wood in tn,
: back yard.
"Yes, sir, Squar', he's been right at i
again. he said. Wasn't but fiv,
weeks ago, the last time. 1 wasn't t,
home, that's how it happened. H,
wouldn't have got off with my hors
and buggy another time, if hat
been"
II heard they'd got him in the lock
up" said Squar' Brown.
HE was getting frisky-wanted t,
fght-and they run him in," Leach re
Joined. land tomorrow they'll hazel hin
up and fine him again. Shouldn't won
der if twas ten dollars this time III
struck his ak into the knot and hi
fists together. 81 don't go near him