Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-09-20
was picked up about 80 miles from
here, but 1t wasn't ever satisfactorily

was picked up about 80 miles from
here, but 1t wasn't ever satisfactorily
identified.
Captain Martins house happened
to he planted in such way that one
corner of it projected few inches on
to the highroad and he was able to
get ont of window and into the road
without coming on to my property.
However, he didn't feel easy to leave
the house alone, for fear that might
NEEDLE with it, so he staid ut home for
the best part Of week. when his pro-
visions or his Whisky or some other
necessary run short. and he had to
walk over to Lucullus to lay in fresh
stock. This was what l had been wait
ing for, though I never limited it to
him. He used to come out on his We
randa and remark in general way,
without addressing himself to me or
any one else. that he was nightly
pleased with his new location and
wouldn't change it for any other build
ing lot in the whole state. never said
anything to him, except to remark, al
60 in general sort of way, that if any
rascally old sailor should set foot on my
land he would have hole bored
through him SO quick that he would
never know what hurt him. Neither of
us felt that it would be judicious to
quarrel, you understand, and 80 we
confined ourselves to remarks that
neither of us was obliged to take any
notice of.
II waited about an hour after the
captain had gone, thinking that he
might turn back in hopes of catching
me in the act of meddling with his
house. At the end of an hour I felt safe
enough, for it was certain that he must
have gone on to Lucullus, and that he
couldn't get back before dark. So I
called the men that We're working on
my house, and we lacked Martins
shanty up with the hydraulic jack and
had her on rollers in next to no time.
Then l hitched the oxen to her with
double OK chain and started her toward
the road. In the course of an hour
had her planted square across the mid
die of the road. SO that nobody could
possibly get by her, and had my fence
put up again and the ground smoothed
ont where it had been cut up by the
rollers, and then / sat down and waited
for the captain to return.
'It was 10 o. clock. and the night was
pitch dark, when l heard Martin com
ing along the road and singing. knew
from his style of singing that he had
filled himself up with whisky, and l
calculated that he would be consider
ably surprised when he found out what
had happened. He never saw the house
till he had walked bang up against it
with considerable Of crash. Presently
he says to himself: Here's house an
chored right in the fairway and with
no riding right displayed Thishyer's a
pretty state Of things Then he halls
the house in his loudest voice and wants
to know how she is, and where she Is
from, and where she is bound to. and
what sort of an everlasting fool her
captain might call himself Not get
ting any answer, he swore he would
climb aboard and wake the anchor
watch with Delaying pin. But after
fumbling around for some time and
hammering on the door and smashing
few panes Of glass new idea struck
him. 'Thishyer's derelict. That's
what it is. said he .Ill just stand by
her till daylight and see if salvag.
job can't be made out of it.. That was
the last that heard of Captain Martin
that night. He lay down in the road
close alongside of the house and wan
asleep and snoring the snore of the just
in less than minute. Then went to
bed mywslf. considering that there
wouldn't be any more performances
that night.
1.-The captain woke up before did
the next day, and when / came out Of
the tent be was nowhere to be seen,
having unlocked his door and gone into
his house. About noon he came out on
the veranda. looking pretty savage. and
remarked to one of my men that no.
body but born fool would put his
house in the middle of ile public road.
for he would be certain to be fined for
obstructing the road. Martin didn't
say anything, which sort Of riled me,
SO said to the man who was nearest
to me that wanted him to go straight
up to Lucullus and tell the sheriff with
my compliments that Captain Martins
house was standing directly across the
road, SO that couldn't get by it with
the oxen, and that it was the sheriff s
duty to see that the road was kept
clear. The man naturally did as he was
told, and in the course Of the day the
sheriff rode down and investigated
things and ordered Martin to take his
house out of the road.
"tI didn't put it in the road, said
the captain. and there amt no posi-
BILE way Of taking it ont of the road
without putting it on the property Of
that there individual standing along
side Of you.
'Heaving cuss words at one of onr
leading citizens says the sheriff,