Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-02-10

ORDERED ME TO THROW UP MY HANDS.
halt. Then my captor, who had been
following behind, stepped around to
face me and said:
Nov, then, let's see what you've got
that's worth taking!'
1t is my duty under the circumstances
to inform the reader that l was a tramp
printer-an all around man, who could
write fair editorial on the political
situation, pick up local news, work a
hand press, set up any sort of handful
or circular, make up form and run
weekly paper during the temporary alb
sence of the editor. The woods used to
be full of such men-a careless, happy
go-lucky lot, who didn't care to work
more than two weeks in town and al
ways moved from one point to the other
by the kings highway. l was just four
dollars ahead when left Joplin, bound
for Neosho, which is close to the Arkansas
line. wasn't oversurprised at the APP
pearance of the highwayman, as | had
been held up two or three times before,
and | wasn't much ratified as l headed
into the woods to be despoiled of my
small capital. did happen to- have on
pretty good suit of clothes, and had
another in the satchel, and l probably
appeared to be well to do traveller in
his eyes.
This won't be much of a haul for you,"
| replied as | began emptying my peck
cts I've got suit of clothes in the
satchel, and the extent of my cash is four
dollars and few cents"
In placing the money on the ground |
dumped my pockets of their contents. l
had key, knife, compositor's rule,
rabbits foot and other odds and ends.
He stopped over and picked up the steel
rule and asked:
Are you printers"
eyes"
Where did you work last?"
SIN The Banner Office at Joplin"
"And where are you going?"
Down to Neosho."
"Got the promise of sit there"
mo; going to chance it,"
He stood his gun up against tree, sat
down on log near by and looked me over
for half a minute before he said:
Put your stuff back into your pockets.
1t may surprise you to learn that l, too,
belong to the fraternity"
you don't sayv
I'm not only an old print, but I'm ex-
editor and ex-proprietor of The Weekly
Echo over ut -"
I've heard of that paper. 1t busted
last year"
Yes. busted itself. busted me, busted
all my relations who could raise a dollar,
and the sheriff cleaned me out. bel eve
somebody up in Iowa bought the outfit
and moved it away"
"And now you-you"-
And now I'm not occupying the
editorial chair any more" he dryly re-
piled. I'm good printer, but think
| made mistake in mounting the tripod.
Editorial work was too combining, and
there isn't any show in this county for
my peculiar style. | think | was too
Shakespearean for this section of the
county. When | wasn't too Shake
spearean was too much the other way
given to calling a man a scoundrel and a
horse thief and of having to lie out in
the corn field behind the Office for three
or four days at a time. My esteemed
contemporary always vigorously insisted
that was no editor, and reckon he was
right"
And isis hunting your line now?'
asked with considerable hesitancy for
fear of hurting his feelings.
1t is" he replied, THE spot l call
- my Office is quite tramp from here
but I've got temporary one not fan
AWAY. Are you in any hurry to gel
nlong?"
Not at all"
Then come along. and Wen have an
Did fashioned visit. Hang me, but
haven't met a representative of the fra
ternity in months and months, and il
does me good to see one!''
We struck farther into the dense
woods, and after going about mile We
came to his temporary camp among {
mass of rocks on the side of hill. HI
had an army blanket. ponchO, two Oh
three cooking utensils and some bacon
-four and coffee.
!, Il got here yesterday" he said as HI
y, threw some limbs ON the smolderins
fire. land things are not very shipshap'
yet, Here's box of pretty fair cigars
and Wen have something tie eat late
on"
May | ask how you came to drift int,
this liner Iqueried after we were com
fortably settled.
Because it seemed to be about tn