Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-02-14
HE DowNEo THE OLD GUARD.
Timely Arrival in a Street Car OF q Young
Man From the Feather Factory.

Man From the Feather Factory.
He was middle-aged man with
white mustache, silk hat, diamond
stud in his shirt front, and fine air of
dignity about him. He was sitting
near the front end of the State street
car with friend equally well dressed
and dignifed beside him.
A tall young fellow came into the
car and sat down in the narrow space
between the two. The old man with
the white mustache shook his g1oved
hand in the face OF the intruder.
You're a hog he said Only as he
said it it was somewhat more forcefu1
and infinitely more profane.
The young man was apparently deaf,
dumb and unconscious. A couple of
pretty women across the car blushed
and tried to look unconscious.
The old guard returned to the as
sault. The glove barely grazed the
immovab1e nose. Such flood of loud
profanity was poured out as sent all
the women in the car scurrying out to
the back platform. The conductor
came in He was faded young man
with the general appearance of in
validism. He tried to make up for it
by using the voice of mountain lion.
"Yous'n have to stop cussin er I'll
thrun We off'd the car he roared.
The old man with the white mus
| tache got up and shook both fists, one
under the nose of the conductor and
| the other under the still immovab1e
nose of the cause of all the trouble.
| Meanwhile he was swearing at both
men at the same time, if such a thing
is possible. And his assortment of pro-
family was exceedingly large and we'll
selected.
The conductor laid one hand on his
shoulder. One of the d-gloved hands
went round towards his pistol pocket.
The conductor suddenly remem bered
that one of the rules of the company
required him to remain on the back
platform while not collecting fares.
The young man who started the row
went with him, and the old fellow sat
down to glare about him with pro-
fame and alcoholic air of victory.
Just as the distur bance began slen-
der, stun tied, poorly-dressed man of
perhaps twenty-five had come into the
car. Gradually he had worked his way,
hanging on to the straps, to the seat OF
active hostilities. When the conductor
and the tall young man beat their
mastery retreat he sat down, deliber-
ately and with great force, in the exact
spot which the volcanic old man had
been to so much pains to get vacated
For moment the aged warrior was
speechless with wrath aud amazement.
Before he could recover himself the
little fellow turned and cool1y, in z
shri1l, metallic little voice delivered
himself thus:
you're an old bluff. You haven't
got a gun and if you had you'd be afraid
to use it. If you swear just once at me
I'll fill you full of holes. Besides that
you are drunk. Now lay quiet"
The old fellows face blazed fiery red.
He fairly gasped for breath.
'sYou cub!' he spluttered. ''Whc
are you, anyway?'
''Heres me card, see? And there
what 1 done last night. Now shut up.
The old fellow took the profferet
newspaper and read the headline:
which were pointed out by disdainfu
and dirty finger.
''Horrible Murder" they read. ''The
Market Street Gang Shoots Two Saloon
keepers in Cold Blood"
''Dat's me; understand" continued
the dwarf. ''Now git off de car"
They got off at the next crossing
the conductor took the names and ad
dresses of all the passengers, and thu
self-confessed desperate smiled in
sad sort of way.
ST work over there in the feathe
factory" he said, $50 1 guess I've got {
right to call man down."-Chicag(