The record-union., 1894-10-31

| Or wander of IN some sweet dream
| 10 where things are not what they seem.'
Sreaking OF Dreams, the Athlete said
| stretching himself upon his bed
our STRIPPING friend here is lad
That Oft, III wager such has had.
| suppose, he turned upon the youth,
suppose you tell us one just now
! a vision OF your soul-fOrsCoth,
| A oet's dream" The Stripling's brow
! Was quickly heated with the rush
| or Modesty's hot-footed blush
| That swiftly spread, till neck and ear
| Were warm and red. 81 almost fear
am not equal to the thing.
| Besides, twouId be more interesting
| TO hear OF something live and real
wherein man may think and iecI.
Ana poets dreams, ii seems to me-
| Are not just always SUCH" Thus he
| 20 Muse! he was then but a boy =
cast on his love much obloquy
Rather than sing where ears could hear
| VI that which was to him so dear!
! The scribe thus having slipped the task
| The dogged Athlete turned and asked
| a story OF the Hoosier who
a snoke-Wreath from his cOrncob blew
And then, with brief nod of assent
| Prosaic to this story went:
day:
common kind of little ad, and not much in
Its way;
| But known' all that Law behind that nd YER
tisement there,
l seemed to read, between the lines, a message
of despair
| 1 knowed young Harry when he came to To-
cate on the land
| That lay next mine; in fact l gave the hov n
helpin' band,
| And helped him build his little shack and
| loaned my mules SPELL
iii ne had broke some ground and then
helped him dig his well.
And when he proved up on his land I was a
| witness there
And bet you could take my oath that every
thing was square!
| Well, Harry worked from sun to sun: in fact
SO did the rest,
For lazy farmers never are with fame and
! fortun' blessed;
| And every one of us had come for the oood
! health of the purse
| And knowed that il we didn't work we'd be
| so much the worse
| Well, Harry worked-you bet he worked
! And soon in consequence
| He didn't have bit of land that WANT in
closed in fence,
And in the, valley there was not better
house than his,
And finer crops and bigger ones no other
And then it finally got out that Farmer Cross
had nerve,
| And so when fall election came we Elected him
TO serve
AS Sheriff of Twowollopee And when young
| Cross got In
Each thievin' greaser had to get to save,his
pesky skin!
There want no foolishness about this officer
of the law;
! There want no other chap around with more
sand in his craw;
| There want no Sheriff honester, more punct-
|
| That kept his records from Conviction evi
| deDce lacked
And so it happened naturally the man we all !
admired
| Was mentioned to succeed himself when his
term should be expired.
| So when convention night came round and
German rose to say:
| ''Young Harry Cross for Sheriff." there was a
loud hurray
And dozen voices seconded young German
with a shout
| And for a while it seemed as if Oh Bedlam was
let out
| Then suddenly there rose a form from down
nigh the door.
/ The Chairman wrapped and sternIv said
. "The Sheriff hez the floor"
| The cheering ceased and every eye was turned
| toward where q light
| Threw ali Its power upon a face grown
/ strangely drawn and white.
The Sherin spoke. His even tones rang out
clear and distinct,
| So clear ii seemed as If I heard some rinoino
metals ciinlxed.
"You honor me. my friends" he said, "be-
| cause you think me brave
You do not know me as ana coward and q
| knaYe;
| You do not know that he who wears this sa-
The most unfit of all that it could ever shine
| uponr'
He got no further, for there rose a cheer that
echoed back
To every corner of the room and made the
| ceiling crack.
The Chairman couldn't stop them-they
thought it such q joke,
Till the Sheriff called to them to stop as once
again he spoke
This time there want no question but he
meant it every word
And almost every heart was stopped by the
story that they heard.
! He told them how he'd killed man-they'd
| all heard of the crime,
| Twas in New York-and how he'd kept from
Justice for time;
| And how at last they captured him and sen-
fenced him to DEATH
And how he tunneled through wall escap-
Ing by breath.
And then he showed a telegram from, the
Sheriff of New YORK
A-tellin' him about himself but sayin' "Billie
Dork,"
| And asking that the man be held "if he 10
found to be
Living, as Pm told he is in old Twowollopee. -
"And now" the Sheriff erimly said, 81 tele-
graphed tonight
And told the Sheriff of New York that I'd his
man all right,
And that, as 1 was comm back on visit
would bring
The murderer myself, as I would like to see
! him swing. y
Well what has this small ad to do with all
this lengthy tale?
Why. nothin', 'cept it tells me that the Cross
| place is "for sale.''
'Crime," the Professor said. "must ever meet
4 punishment, though It be slow or fleet;
But penitence cannot ofttimes atone
| The SIN that turns thy brothers heart to
stone,
| Your SherIn tried hard to regain his nlace
| But stern man could not give the murderer
| grace"
| This comment made, the Professor asked
tale
| OF that man who, meath different flags of sky
| Had said, "Ahoy!" TO many curious sail
That on Lies sea went swift or slowly bv
And so they bent To hear the sailorman
Who, with artistic fingers, aptly drew
A sketch OF that strange life he so well knew
And with the simple words, II knew the man.
he was q seaman bold, a mate most true,
| Began upon his tale, which this wise ran.
Blue was the wide wide ocean
That silently isled us round
Wide was the blue, blue heaven
From center to furtherest bonnd
NO snip put our own on the ocean
On the sky not a cloudy fleck,
When Death, walking over the waters
CLIMBED up 10 our quarterback
| Brave were the hearts Of our seamen
To repel the foeman's van
When over the weather-rail leaning
They fought them man to man:
And never was a foe so stealthy
But they heard and fought in a brestb-
But not an ear heard this foeman
Not a voice challenged Death
He came in an ominous silence
| And stood thus close by our side.
| We only knew he was near US