The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-13
BILLY, THE FOOL.

almost as gnarIed and old fashioned as
himself. They were happy in their own
way and fond of each other at heart, but
to superficial observers their life was one
long discord. BiIIy's satiric tongue de-
lighted in teasing the too susceptible ma
ture of his spouse. But the true bone Of
contention between them was, if I may so
express it, the sugar bowl The bane of
poor Mrs Billy's days was the effort to
keep a supply of sugar in the house. Bill
ly's one great passion was sugar. He
would go through fire and water-aye
through brimstone-for sugar Hide 1t
where Mrs Billy would, he would find it
out for no pressman had ever such a nose
for news as that same Billy had for this
delectable dainty.
He had one bright accomplishment
which made him a prime favorite. He
could Tilt tunes as well as any man in
Munster. How those boys and girls-and
old stagers, too-could have the heart and
strength to whirl through the sets and
step dances as they did, after long dag
Of toll in the boys and kitchens and gar
dens! But in one house or another, ono
yard or another, they mustered on most
evenings and showed, as set succeeded
"set, - what airy and youthful natures they
preserved through all the labor of life
And no one entered into the spirit of it all
with such zest as Billy. His voice almost
made the welkin ring as he lifted, in most
perfect time dance tune after tune that
made the best flddlers envious.
But trial day came in his life. Thus
it arose: In the winter of each year he
scraped together the rent of his little hold
ing through the sale of few slips of
pigs that had been fattened in the previous
months. One particular winter he and his
spouse had been harshly pressed by cir
oumstances. Truth to tell, in the long
evenings when he lifted his best for the
"boys. . the poor fellows hunger was such
as would have appalled, them had they
dreamed of it. Indeed on one occasion
when he was bringing out Follow Me
Down to Carlow" in a style that fairly
broke his record he suddenly changed color
and fell to the floor in a SwOOn. He had
been fasting since morning, save for a
small portion of sugar-there was littlo
left in those days-that he had stolen, as
usual But he and Mrs. Billy had every
hope that the great winter fair in their
county town would leave them with tidy
sum as the proceeds of the "slips' - sale,
that it would pay the rent and leave some
thing in hand for the black winter
1t was bitterly cold time, and Billys
good spouse had knitted rough pair of
gloves to save her lords hands from win
ter's chilly terrors. Billy stoutly opposed
the idea, for he despised gloves land such
frippery,' but the "vanithee" had her way
this time So, gloves and all, he started
out in the freezing wintry morning and
''made' for the fair
Alas! that day of days he fell before the
devil and temptation. He sold the slips
at good bargain, but he had "a glass too
much" After the late hunger liquor
played the mischief with him. He came
home, lifting such tunes as the boys never
heard lin all their born days" He threw
his gloves into corner with a gesture of
contempt and swore he would never take
them up again. He stepped up to Mrs
Billy and rolled to the floor. He was dead
drunk for the first time in his life, and
oh tragedy of tragedies he had not SIX
pence in his pocket. The price of tho
"slips' was lost or squandered or gone to
the devil.
Mrs Billy tainted and when Billy
came to something like his senses he al
most tainted too. The years great item
of income was gone. Black ruin stared
them i'll the face. That night and many
nights after they went to bed supperloss.
Billy and his spouse were proud. They
kept their poverty from the neighbors
knowledge But they suffered sorely And,
no rent being forthcoming, the day came
when they were to be turned out of the lit
tie home chat they loved, that was so sweet
and the world was black for them The
sheriff aud his minions turned up at the
appointed hour to evict them. The trag-
cdy of their days had come.
AS they turned to go out forever, Mrs
Billy's eye caught sight of the dcspised
pair of gloves in corner. She took them
up listlessly and opened a pocket to receive
them. She gave u strange cry.
In every finger of either glove shin %
sovereign was found. Yes, almost
whole price of the slips, . placed thor
Billy i'll whimsical hour of that di Il
drink day, and, of course, utterly forgotten
when his senses returned.
No one was more pleased than the sheriff
at the new Development Billy got q ter
rible lecture from his spouse that evening,
but she overlooked all his depredations in
The matter of sugar for full week after
ward.
Billy and his spouse are prosperous now,
and he Hits for the 'boys" as much as
over. But he is never allowed to go alone
to fair or market. Exchange