The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
PILGRIM JOE.
He Meets Un with Absalom's Brother
and Gives Him Particulars.

a plum tree, on the road 10 the tON1 o.
Last Hope. when a critter Gums ambli1'
up OF a spotted hoss and looks me over
fur 4 mint before he asks:
Might yer name be AbsalOm Johnson.
Of the state of Injisnny2"
ut moueht be-" says /. but IL don't
Jest happen that way on this occashun.
Then We amt pTOmenaGtn' around the
kentry in s'arch of a long-lost brother
whose front name ar Meses?'
Not skassly. stranger I'm sorry VI I've
Iis2ppilted ye, but [ never mad brother
Moses. and I'm not travelin about to hunt
up the lost sheep of the family. Lemme
take advantage of this opportunity tn OBJ
Sarve:
"Conksr yerself before ye set out 20
drive Il hog to market.
''The man who seeks to draw water in
basket will allus be thirsty,
Never give man full credit fur gooG-
ness till We hev seen him fall over
wheelbarrer."
Might that be preachin? ?'' asks the
stranger as he gifts down and takes seat
On the grass beside me.
1T might" says I. but I'm no preach
er. I'm lest a humble-minded CTi:ter with
a mishun. I'm travelin' around and payin
my own way and speakin' softly and SYM
pathetically to those who sOrTer In other
words. I'm carryin' a pail o the milk 0
human kindness DER the tTackless desert
O. life, and lettin' leetle slOp over her
and there"
And what's the grasshopper a-doin' in
the bOttle?''
Jest stayin' thar. l kinder wanted com
panionship on my travels, and so l picked
him up I'm also studyin' him as we go
along. I'm beiieYin' the SrasshoPper
would hey got along better in this world
if mankind had understood him better.
Hath any pertickler sorrer OF yer own Jest
at present.
Il can't say as l hev." he replied. I've
run away from my Old woman, lodged the
sheriff, and got hOss for $50 ahead or the
game. 1t don't appear 10 me that I've got
any pertickler sorrer to sorrer over
Then might give ye one" says /.
LAS to how?'
AS 10 yer brother AbsalOm. | was with
him in his last hours yesterday.
Yer don't mean it?'
Fur sure. | was repOsin' on the grass
on 'tother side of the town of Golden Hill
when he Gums along with a saddle on MS
back ard bride in his hand. | didn't
make no mistake or yer brother AbsaioEl.
That is. | didn't take him for stray
hoss. lie wasn't loOkin' none too peart
as he sits down besides me, and so l
seeks to hearten him up by sayin':
Thar may be Il difference between
crow meat and buZZdTd. bat if the feller
who is eatin' don't complain, the rest Of
US shouldn't kick.
III natur' had given a hog fur instead
of bristes, she'd hev b,n obleeged 70 give
sartiu folks four legs instead of two.
1t takes just as long to tumble down a
well as il does TO fall upstairs. but som
folks never stop 10 fgger on those thin.
We might jest ss well hey lad oranz.
trees in place of crabapple, but there
would hey bin jest as much cJmpidiuiE
after me first year.
"Them'- he sayin's that I 81 . . y,-
brother Abs t.Um, and his face -r sol
eHed and he kinder b9aced Ly arg /
think NJ was tryin' TO shake Of lis scrr-r
when he was interrupted. \ crowd Of
critters salloped up over the read he lad
cum, and they wasn't mint iayEI hands
on yer brother"
And what was the nafur' Of their re-
marks" asks the stranger
They melshurd that AbsllCm had
stole q boss and that they was prepared
10 pull MIN up TO a limb of the nearest
tree in good shape and free OF all extra
expense. As the hOss lay dead about
mile away, and as he had the saddle and
bride with him, il didn't seem necessary
fur yer brother AbSalom 10 waste uucn
breath over tryin' to prove his inner
cense"
But ye did yer best 10 chirk him up.
take it?"
4 did While they was fixin' the rope
ana selectin a tree, l patted yer brother |
on the back and spoke encourage gingIy of |
the prospects Of gittin' cut Of the kentry |
On deadhead pass. As IL was a cool IA, !
and ne seemed 10 be suf1erln' with cbpfs /
II cum in handy 10 guarantee tba, bs |
would md the next climate a hotter on, |
les, l did All l could to chirk AbsaIor /
up and make him believe the change wac /
Iur the best, and he seemed thankfyI - /
ne" -
Yes, Absalom was a grateful l,uss - !
unused the stranger, and / hey no doph- 1
ne ne tnousht well OF ye. Did he deny steal |
l tnink he said he simply borrowed r." /
AZ, ~ was Ike him again. He never |
dld admire harsh terms. And did r., /
marks iNSl Ie-
They gave him FIVE minute. brt d.,
think he used over three. n Iook,., - - /
as II ne didn't want 70 DELAY m. - I
any longer than Necessary TO cys- s,-,r,, /
man Of en- nigh and low and ten en- - /
90 ahead and DO their durne!est I cqo.r |
say tAaJ his language belonged N rre
Classics. but It weighed Is ounces 70 tsa |
pound and was plainly Understood by an |
When ne got through With the crowd he I
asked me fur sum Of my saviu's 10 bern I
G'tase - place he was goin' TO slide on I
On. and stepped forward and said.
II lsn whether man IL hung OF dies /
IN his bed, but What his friends engrsye 4
N bis tombstone that he j. remembered /
by
Most men travel farmer and use rno,.
powder 10 kill rabbit than TO bring dow
a lion.
- naA inc ass whO first mistOok his |