The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-10

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II of no manner OF
account. His father was just the same;
SO had been his father, and people said
they hadn't 4 doubt that the whole
stock Of Hevills on the male line had
been SO from their first start, and
would continue TO be so till the end OF
time.
The family some years before had
drlfted from somewhere, and after a
few years more had drifted to some
where else Nothing was heard Of
them until one day there came back
Tom, then a grown man. Every body
knew him because, although three
times as big as when he went away. he
had the same old face, and the same
old sauntering ways. All the things he
brought. besides what he had on, were
pair OF socks in his coat pocket and
two extra shirts tied up in a handl1er-
chief. He had just come back, he said,
to see once more the old people and
the old place, and protested to feel
gratitied to find everything holding its
1 own so we'll He gave it out, while sit
ting in the piazza of Thompson's store
that he was not expecting to stay long
err tran week, or a fortnight, or
some such matter Being not unin-
teresting tallier, they were not dis
pleased to see him, and when night
came, some body of course must invite
him to meals and lodging; for hospital
lty was regarded a sacred duty by
every body, rich and poor, without re-
/ gard to the quality of people needing
/ it. Tom knew that well, else he would
have felt less secure in coming there
/ without dollar in his pocket Divid-
! ing himself fairly among old acquain-
tances during the promised fortnights
/ sojourn, and continuing to do SO for
several weeks beyond. suspicious be-
I gan to rise that his expectation was to
stay there forever.
Now the question rose, and, even
among the best church-memb ers, be-
gan to be discussed, as to whether or
not the Bible in enjoining hospitality
meant that people were bound to ex
tend 1t not only indefinitely but with
prospective endlessness to one single
guest who was known universally not
to be worth as much as the salt he was
allowed to sprinkle over his victuals.
One day leading citizen, even a
deacon of the church, on whom Tom
had foraged most renorselessly,
quoted, in his hearing, although not
at his own house nor addressing him
personally, the saying of st. Paul: 'If
a man will not work. neither shall he
eat" Tom cordially conceded, and
looked as if nobody could get ahead of
him in contempt for any such worth
less low-dOwn trash.
In time familiarity in several house
holds made invitations which had
ceased to be extended seem entirely
unnecessary; and SO ne kept resorting
promiscuously to various families, and
acting as if he were a cherished mem
Der in every one Of them.
In the town were three persons
whom it seems we'll to introduce in
order to help in the illustration of This
case. These were DR.. James Reeder,
his wife's cousin, John Bush, Esq, and
Squire Jacob Bracket. The first was
a young physician who was making
nearly enough to live on; the second
was young lawyer who hoped to do
the same before very long; and the
third was justice of the peace, ex-
tremely fond of the costs and fees of
his Office, and of such notoriety as he
could get. Reeder kept a small house
on the edge of the village, living per-
haps too generously, considering his
limited incipient practice and the ir-
regular payments Of John Bush, his
one boarder. Tom Uevill fell in there
more often than elsewhere, partly be-
cause they all three had been school
fellows, but of late particularly be-
cause of increased intimations received
at the other houses that his room was
thought as good as his company-at
some even better.
In time hints were thrown out as to
Squire Brackets apparent ignorance
of an important section of the penal
code, by which such person as Tom
Hevill was deemed a vagrant, and on
arrest by warrant of justice of the
peace was liable, upon failure to give
sufficient security for his good be-
havior and future industry for one
year." to be consigned 20 the peniten-
tiarv. His attention being called to a
duty of which Heretofore he had been
ignorant, Squire Bracket decided to
make movement
rs there such a law?" asked Reeder,
one day at the dinner tatle. Il didn'.
know Of it"
"Oh, yes" answered Bush: land
Bracket is fixing up his papers as well
as he can find out how"
"Penitentiary. Cousin John?' ex-
claimed Mrs Reeder. Il thought they
sent there only rogues and such as
that"
Martha" said her husband, with
profoundly solemn face, you'd better
try 20 find out what law there is against
hsrboring vagrants- If there should
be any we'd better look out for our
selves Then he went TO carving his
meat with great vigor.
II don't know what on earth you
mean, husband But her alarm sub
sided after hearty laugh from John
Bush. and she said:
aren't You ashamed 20 Du. Cousin
John in the same 10. with poor Tom
Hevii,.'
- never put him there, sakes knows
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