The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-04

ridicule through the sheer force and sin
cerity of their convictions, this numerous
neutral boy was the loudest and most Of
fensive in his outlaw. Who can imagine a
greater temptation to sermonize? Yet /
refrain, though it break my heart.
The Yarn Man.
He never philosophical in his life. His
face, with it's wide cheek bones, half closed
eyes and sandy mustache, was as common
place as you please, and was subject TO as
little change of expression as is that of a
COW. Yet. without being able to tell it, he
was, with a refreshing lack of self-con-
seriousness, a thorough and successful stu
dent of human nature and knew like a
book the disposition of each boy that was
worth knowing.
The Yarn Man enjoyed this study. i have
seen him sit on the stone step next the
top one at the terrace in front of his board
ing place, while the little fellows sat all
around and all over his legs, on the steps,
or lay, stomach downward, on the bright
green terrace, their elbows on the ground,
while the reversed palms supported their
chins and three or four unemployed fingers
beat a tattoo on white teeth. And when the
Yarn Man leaned back, put his elbows on
the step back of him and threw a sug-
gestive glance about the group, breathing
grew shorter, for a preposterous yarn was
on the verge of presentation.
Many a time | have watched them there
in the shadow of the house and the big
sugar maple, the wine showing the white
sides of the leaves over their heads, the
mellow afternoon sun falling in rare flecks
on the green carpet about the rustic urn of
geraniums, nasturtiums and candytuft,
while near by were the white of the steps,
rL4 % Jy@ - 4L~ ~
mans big figure, the neutral color of the
boys clothing and the ruddy glow of sun
burned faces, hands and legs.
The Yarn Man was a jobIess mechanic.
and had ample leisure to sit on the steps
and tell yarns to the boys. Afternoon was
his favorite time for romancing, and when
the boys had no particular excitement on
hand the Yarn Man played to a full house.
One of the Yarns.
One warm afternoon, when the girls with
white dresses. bright sashes. tan slippers
and flying hair were lazily playing tennis
under some trees across the way, the Yarn
Man was sitting in his usual place, chewing
vigorously and whiting on a new cob pipe.
Charley. one of the ~round-eyed variety of
boys, jingled his rickety tricycle. into the
shade beside the steps. dismounted and
said in a challenging way:
What you MAXIM
What you reckon"
Il don't Know
Maxim a cannon
Charley's eyes grew bigger, but at that
stage of the game Jimmy, one of the thin
Tipped lads, fell over the ~embankment in a
chase after a ball. righted himself, wiped
the perspiration from his face, glanced
casually at the work in progress and said
briefly:
Cob piper
"'Tain't neither said Charley, its a
cannon, hain't it. mister?"
You two fer it, said the Yarn Man. cor
maybe we'd better leave it to this weather
cock comm here For Pete. one of the
opinionIess ones. was limping along toward
the group, with a rag tied around the mid
die of one chocolate-colore foot.
Don know" said Pete. "What'd Jimmy
say it was?"
Cob pipe" said Jimmy.
course it is said Pete. 81 knowed it
ali the time
For a minute or two there was the LATEST
silence one could imagine. and when at
last Charley spoke it was as indolently and
as motiveless as the response of a knot
hole to a passing gust of wird.
My, what a big mouth it's got!"
Another lazy pause, and Jimmy said:
Never saw a gun with a bigger muzzle'n
that. / bet!'
The Yarn Man stopped his whiting for
a few minutes and remarked:
Never any of you seen a gun with's big
a muzzle's the one l had wunst when /
was a boy"
All the boys settled down for a listening
spell, and two others, who were eating
scraps of ice from the rear of a passing
ice wagon FASTENED over and joined the
expectant group, with the irreverent adj
monition, Let 'er go. Yarny.' Even the
most doubling said nothing to prevent the
story: the credulous were all eyes and
lower lips; and the neutral ones, in the
general muInness, We're unable to learn
what the others were thinking, so the ST.
lence was unanimous.
The biggest muzgled gun ever had
was a shotgun. u smooth bore"
"What is a smooth bore?f asked Charley.
Interruptions were always in order, and
never confused the Yarn Man.
"One with the barrel all smooth inside
or said Charley, as if he understood
but he didn't.
1T was a smooth bore shotgun. an it
had a mighty big muzzle-"
"Bigger'n that piper This from Charley.
SHUl up, sass DON. CT / II quit an let you
tell it yerself. 1t wuz a smooth bore shot
gun with a big muzzle. as I've said a couple
O. thousan' times. an it wuz a mighty
good gun. One day 1 wuz out a squirrel
huntin' with it. an i see a bushy tailed
Teller UP in a black oak bout forty foot
high. an 1 shot at it,
A the tree?"
the squirrel. loony. An / hit it. 1t
wuz on'y crippled. though, an it fell part
way an grabbed the tree trunk an hei'
on 1 wanted that squirrel mighty bad, an
they wuzn't any low limbs could git holt
of from the groun'. / leant my gun up
agin that tree an used it to climb up by.
/ clambered up to the end of the barrel an
wuz standin on 1t, when / slipped an fell
clean in, all doubled up-feT right smack
down into the gun barrel. kicked around
an yelled like d Injun, but t didn't make
nobody hear. / fin'lly knocked the gun
down SO I the barrel laid right acrost the
cart track
How'd you get out?" asked anticipating
Charley. whose eyes by this time were in