The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-21

would sometimes spend a long AFTER
noon swearing at each other. but Sim
mons was afraid Of Losson and dared
not challenge him to a fight. He
thought over the words in the hot, still
nights, and half the hate he felt toward
Losson he vented on the wretched pun
kah cody.
Losson bought parrot in the bazaar
and put it into a little cage and lowered
the cage into the cool darkness of well
and sat on the well curb shouting bad
language down to the parrot. He taught
1t to say, Simmons, ye so-oor. which
means swine and several other things
entirely unfit for publication. He was
big, gross man. and he shook like
jelly when the parrot caught the SEN
tence correctly. Simmons, however,
shook with rage, for all the room were
laughing at him-the parrot was such
disreputable puff of green feathers
and looked so human when it chartered.
Losson used to sit swinging his fat legs
on the side of the cot and ask the par
rot what it thought Of Simmons. The
parrot would answer, "Simmons. ye
so-oor. Good boy" Losson used to
say, scratching the parrots head. aye
ear that, SimT' And Simmons used to
turn over on his stomach and make an
swer ~ ear Take 'eed you don't ear
something one of these days"
In the restless nights. after he had
been asleep all day, fits of blind rage
came upon Simmons and held him till
he trembled all over, while he thought
in how many different ways he would
slay Losson Sometimes he would pic
ture himself trampling the life out of
the man with heavy ammunition boots,
and at others smashing in his face with
the butt, and at others jumping on his
shoulders and dragging the head back
till the neck bone cracked. Then his
mouth would feel hot and fevered, and
he would reach out for another sup of
the beer in the pannikin.
But the fancy that came to him most
frequently and staid with him longest
was one connected with the great roll
of fat under Losson right ear. He no
ticed it first on a moonlight night, and
thereafter it was always before his eyes
1t was fascinating roll of fat. A man
could get his hand upon it and tear
away one side of the neck, or he could
place the muzzle of rifle on it and
blow away all tine head in flash Los
son had no right to be sleek and con
tented and well to do when he, Sim
mons, was the butt Of the room Some
day. perhaps, he would show those who
laughed at simmons, ye so-oor, Joke
Int k.,
held a man $ life in the crook of his
forefnger When Losson snored. Sim
mons hated him more bitterly than ever
Why should Losson be able to sleep
when Simmons had to stay awake hour
after hour. tossing and turning on the
tapes, with the dull pain gnawing into
his right side and his head throbbing
and aching after canteen? He thought
over this for many nights, and the
world became Improbable to him He
even blunted his naturally fine appetite
with beer and tobacco, and all the while
the parrot talked at and made u mock
of him
The heat continued and the tempers
wore away more quickly than before
A sergeant's wife died of heat apoplexy
in the night, and the rumor ran abroad
that il was cholera. Men rejoiced open
ly, hoping that it would spread and
send them into camp. But that was
false alarm.
1t was late on a Tuesday evening,
and the men were waiting in the deep
double verandas for last posts, when
Simmons went to the box at the foot
of his bed took out his pipe and slam.
med the lid down with bang that
echoed through the deserted barrack
like the crack of a rifle. Ordinarily
speaking the men would have taken
no notice, but their nerves were fretted
to fiddlestrings. They jumped up, and
three or four clattered into the barrack
room only to find Simmons kneeling by
his box
GOVT It's you, is it2" they said
and laughed foolishly 1--WE thought
twas -
Simmons rose slowly If the accident
had so shaken his fellows, what would
not the reality do2
"You thought it was, did your An
what makes you think2" he said. lash
ing himself into madness as he went on
"To hell with your thinkin, you dirty
spies
Simmons, ye so-oor, chuckled the
parrot in the veranda sleepily recognize
ing a well known voice And that was
absolutely all
The tension snapped. Simmons fell
back on the arm rack deliberately-the
men were at the far end of the room
and took out his rifle and packet of
ammunition. Don't go playing the
goat Siml said Losson put it
down But there was a quaver in his
voice Another man stopped, slipped
his boot and hurled it at Simmons
head. The prompt answer was "a shot
which, fired at random, found its billet
in Losson 5 throat Losson fell forward
without "A word. and the others scat.
tered