The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-20
Cast a Dark shadow Over Life
That Promiseda JOY to It's
Liver.

| from it's naturel helpmeet, comb, for
the tresses bore long evidences of a
! long separation from anything akin
/ TO attention. His toes peaked out
| from the ends of his shoes like half
Matched chickens peering from their
shells, only the toes had been out
longer. The reporter sat down close to
| Billy, and Billy moved over. Dyspep-
! tics never want to talk or be sociable.
| The reporter pursued Billy to the end
of the truck, moving few inches at
time and when the end thereof was
reached, Billy glared savagely at his
| pursuer.
well, what do you want?" he
| growled. There were about four cans
of Budweiser in his voice.
II want to talk replied the scribe.
Suppose you do and suppose I don't,
what then?" asked Billy.
That's a simple proposition. I will
do the talking, and all you will have
| to do will be to answer. How's that?'
What be you, a con man?''
mot on your life," replied the re-
| porter.
| "a drug clerk?''
Nope"
"a railroad MANI"
Nope. I am reporter"
Worse and verse / thought you
were an honorable man." suggested
Billy. There is no hope for you. I
really cannot talk to such as you"
And he moved away modify, as if his
| tatttered garments would be tainted
| by the presence of a newspaper man.
Don't fetch me. L am holier than
| thou
"Your. clothes are certainly, but I
inclinations soar to plane of. ethereal
purity whichTis any loftier than mine,
sir. Will yousgo and have a drink"
Always. Now you lift yourself out
OF your surroundings and become a
! gentleman quoth Billy, with, the first
ray of interest i'm his v1ice.5lssIs take it
you have money inn yoaIrf jeans. How
/ much ?"
huff for both.e What makes you so
down in the mouth, Billy? You seem
perpetually perturbed. Are you out OF
coin or are you a silverite"
mot so bad as that, but bad enough.
I have got dyspepsia. Got it in Min
neapolis trying to live on faith and
handouts. Oh, am not tramp, don't
| be frightened. am simply railroad
man who has been communicated
from consecutive service. 1 was a
| gatekeeper once myself, like that fellow
Swan Anderson over there, but I lost
my voice and the natural loneliness of
my disposition answering questions.
This brought about internal dissen-
| sions, and the gastric juices refused to
| juice. The food mill donated me by ma
| ture betrayed it's trust, and here, kind
who can't eat can't sleep, can't read,
| sir, you have a fair example of a man
| can't even swear with that thorough
| abandon Of JOY which is the heritage
| of a healthy man. Please take notice
| that 1 have one pleasure left. I can
| drink. Did you just ask me to have
another? Thanks, will"
Brace up, old man. brace up, t.
| you heard the gentleman, barten-
der? He told me to brace up. He ex-
| poets me to drink again, and 1 will be
obliged to please him. Thanks, kind
man, you I'LL me with gratitude and
booze Say, don't you think If you
should brace up yourself. take a firm
hold on life, start out all over again,
you could get over this terrible habit
| Of being newspaper man." asked Billy
with sudden interest. Do it for the
| sake Of those you have done"
| ANY insinuations in that last re-
mark" asked the scribe, as If he was
| hurt.
4 your awful past" replied Billy. cit
| does not do for one to completely for
| get his past. passed once and lost
whole pot of money. Say, do you want
| to hear about mye checkered, tattered,
| battered, career, which started from
| the moment was handicapped by be-
| ing born?"
"Will the story reach my heart or my
| purse?" asked the scribe in doubt.
Don't be alarmed about the purse
| You see have relieved you Of that al
ready" said Billy exhibiting the ar
ticle with sad smile. you are too
extravagant, sir, and feel it my duty
to take care of your funds. But to my
| story. Once / was q man, but now, We
gods, cast your optics over me. I am
! wrecked, telescoped, side-tracked and
| burnt out like a cast-off yard engine
| Even my headlights are marked bad
| order II my tank was all right
might still run as an extra now and
| then, but the lining rs rusty and full
| of holes. can take on fuel and water
easy enough, but dyspepsia stops fur
| Their action. It's no use to send me to
the shops, for I tried it once and the
master mechanic put chalk mark on
me and told the yardmaster I was no
good. Rather depressing conversation,
! isn't it? Have one on me this time.
now have money to burn.
| when I was rated A I had q fine
shift. l was gatekeeper, as I said be-
fore, and worked day times here in the
union depot. That was a long time
ago. Must have been seven or ten
years ago, at least The town was just
| as populous as it Is now, only there
were not SO many people in it. BY peo-
pie I mean people, and not idiots.
| Everything went well until the fall
| and then the grangers came in to at
tend the state fair. It was my first ex-
perience with a crowd. I didn't mind
| the regular daily rush, for the kind Of
people who travel around every day
know enough to get out from behind a
1 street sprinkler. But the kind Of folks
that come to the state fair were my un-
doing. My first symptoms were cramps
! in the place which aewise providence
allows you to protect from the cruel
world with gold watch or two, and a
| pocket full of lead pencils. In other
| words, my stomach.
"And to think that q stomach which
once digested fish plates, could not now
take care of SPOON full Of matted
| milk. Why Mr.. Newspaper Man,
| could not get up steam enough to run
a handcar the length Of a pickax
These molars of nnine which used to
i bite sIv rails for a zUastfrne now never