The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-01-07

KING SOLOMON THE HORO'

. + KIM SUhUMUN THE HURUE
Wood was bum-a common bum
or rather an uncommon one, for he re-
tanned some traces Of gentility to the
last. The other knights of the road j
used to call him King Solomon His
table manners We're actually good, and
the hobo phrase, Let's go toss see King
Solomon eat beans, which snfei ant, s
LET us go over to Uncle Doe s for q
stew arose from the circumstance.
I Uncle Does lunch house vas ind
Gated to the knowing eye by the sugT$$
gestive words, Still Live, ~ sur.
mounting price list Of stews, cofned
beef and cabbage, and other similar.
! substantial dishes AS the curve of
prices never rose above the 5-cent
mark many a pnilanthropist's nickel
was distorted from its channel saloon
ward to fill Does till. II.
Wood was a favorite with Doe to
the extent that Doe had actually trust
/ ed Wood for several platesxof beans 1ss.
Whether this was done that the aboys5
might have chance to t.see King Sol
ONION eat his beans is an even ques-s
4 ton. But no one denied that it Was
pure kindness of heart that caused Doe
TO let Wood sleep off several cases Of.
delilinm tremens in the back room of
the 81 Still Live eating house. Solo
! mon was never violent when he had
4 the horrors, never saw snakes or othef
reptiles-indeed, it would have been
4 better for him had such been the case.
When the spasms came on he Wouiu
|lay his sin marked forehead on the OIL
i -L-.11 80 sro4 %
and sob incoherently about ''the chill
dren singing that sad song so sWeetly:.
Over and over again he would say:
ooh The children sing that song so
. sweetlyv' Never another phrase came
from his purpled lips, as the dirty Iin-
gers locked and unlocked in his hair
Each spasm would end in a flood OF
useless. drunken tears. Doe would
| give liking Scion on'' ten cents for
LIQUOR. and the liking" would leave,
vowing to reform.
Wood had not been in Boston since
his annual trip South, and Doe-lf he
: thought of the tramp at all-probably
;. supposed him dead, when ore day the
ssKing'' entered the Il Still Live eat
J, ing house. There are degrees, even to
) WTetchedness, as Uncle Doe confessed,
when he noticed Woods appearance.
!. The s.King'' was the raggedest, the
dirtiest mortal imaginable.
''Well, Solomon, are you just about
ready to reform again." said the eat
ing house keeper.
, sNope, uncle; I am not going to re-
$ form any more. Just going straight
J. to the devil. Here is the price OF
$ bean feed. I got it from a softly up
e the street.. responded the ''King,' pro
L ducing the coin.
t While the king was eating his
I dashed by the place. i.
e ''Wot ails those mugs?'' asked Uncle
K Joe. 'sThis street is closed, so they'll
q only have to come back" I -
S The ''King'' walked to- the door in
I time to see little child run across the
q street ahead of a lady, who called
y s'Come back, Gertrude" The little one
a stood irresolute, then gave a shrek OF
8 terror as the king grasped her il
q his arms
IS s.Here, you, Gully, don't try any
q Charley Ross business here!, yelled
3 policeman, running up, as the skiing
L. put the terrified child on the sidewalk
81 thought the fire wagon was com
ing back" he said, humbly, to the pc
e liceman, by. way of explanation. Tia
" worthy refused to be Modified, how
. ever until the eating house keeper-ex
= planned matters. 49,
K .sYouse ought to knowed de stree
n was opened to-day grumbled the blue
It coat. A.
= ssThank the gentleman, Gertrude,
=, said the child's mother. The little on
III shrank back the more. -.
E. The ''King'' noticed the motion, no
W did he fail to observe the sheer OF tn
u copper" at the word gentleman.
a. cit was just like you'd hit tn
N 'I<ing'' with beer mallet," said Uncl
id Doe, in nara ting the event. The XII
d. looked at him like he was snake, an
IS down he went. I dragged him into tn
a. shop and got some whisky into him
n Then he. went off into one of thos
TX heard de kids sing spasms. 'Hea
p 'em, Doe! My little girl is the on
De with the low, sweet voice, de King
it would say. JUS like he was Begin m
th to help him enjoy it. Don't you Sc
I'd the little ones under the trees. l mus
IL be goin',' them was his last words
'Stead Of crying, like he always did q
the end of horror, he laid his heay
on the table-and OATS ALL"
English and American Skaters
be 1t has been said that there are n
skaters on ice in the world as gracef.
On as the American girls. This may /
OF due in measure to the difference
method between the skating Of til