Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-04-20
shsags Experience Of Oy. Common.
BY J. LrzroRD BRADY.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cy Common never Intentionally hurt
the feelings of any man or beast. He
was so tender of heart that he would
pause to allow grasshupper to get
out OF his way if The buckles insect
happened to cross his path. M, per-
chance, he crushed it with his big
boots, hours of uncomfortable con.
science followed. Now, this man was
no more without his faults than with.
out his virtues. He was large con.
tribntor to the gaiety of miniature
nations and good nature Of his com.
munty by the workings of most
fearful and wonderful imagination.
Cy also had the faculty of assimila.
ton and its acuteness was developed
by constant practice. He was a sort
OF Information sponge; things seemed
to adhere to him and in time he mis-
took them Ear his own property. He
would hear a thrilling story told ana
persuade himself, rarely others, how
ever, that he was the hero of it and
the re-telling always found him safe
ly established as such. The most
pleasing characteristic of this man
was his ability to be always enter
tanning. He rarely told story twice
and had it recognized as an old one,
He was an artist at extemporaneous
variations. In the days when Cy
Common flourished there were not so
many people in Kansas as there are
now. and his goings and comings
meant more to the little community
around Monticello than would be sus
pected. 1t meant, among other things.
a delightfully."- refreshing time of solid
entertainment in listening to the tales
of adventure he invariably had to re-
late.
AT the opening of this story Cy had
been off on hunting trip and had
been gone out on the plains longer
than common. There was no one to
be worrying about him, but there was
sort of goneness that could only be
filed by his coming. When the wan.
derer returned the news spread fast,
and every man and boy who could
manage it repaired to the store to
hear the tales that were sure to be
told.
For some reason Cy was not com
munica,.ve that night. 1t took adroit
questioning to get him started.
"Any luck, Cy?" asked the post
master.
"Not much,' was the reply.
There was silence broken by Col
Payne, the legal light, who asked him
in an authoritative tone il Cy had
anything to tell, adding, if not, the
men might as well go home. Now
there were not enough oxen in Month
cello township to have drawn these
men home without hearing from the
returned hunter. At last, reticencs
could be maintained no longer. Cy
cleared his throat, relit his pipe, but
did not smoke.
'I was just thinking" he began
slowly, chow much better off you peo
pie here are than those where have
been, and am only sorry you do not
appreciate your advantages. There
was an ominous pause and the crowd
began to fear that for the first time
Cy was going to fail them. He was
only meditating, however, and soon
resumed.
81 have been in a strange land and
have lived among people so different
from those here in johnson county
that YOU would not recognize them as
fellow descendants from Mother Eve.
I left here. as you know. last spring
You people do not act as If you be-
lieved it, but there are others besides
YOU. met and lived with race OF
people but little darker tnan some OF
the people around here. They pos
sessed a high order of intelligence,
and a government, ruled wisely &C.
cording to their light. were married
and died as we do,
at was night when ! reached the
village. applied al the door of every
house, but met with much the same
excuses that you people would give
did a stranger come 10 your door.
At last entered a home just out OF
town, without being hidden. Fatigue
oyercame me. and | slept on rude
lounge that was in the front room
How long | slept ! will never know.
Upon awakening. the Zone occupant
of the house had placed some food IN
a bowl by my side. ! ate it raven
ously and then began asking questions
about where | was, and the kind OF
people had fallen among. II was all
so strange that | felt dazed. ] soon
learned that | was the unbidden guest
of a poor widow. whose only support
in life was a horse. COW and hog.
I arranged TO do what work she had
TO do and plant her corn pro
gresed beautifully and doubtless
would have been on that humble farm
vet. had not an unseen destiny driven
me on to narrowing experiences and
awful situations,
zone morning the horse was found
dead. thought TO make the best OF
a had case and skinned the horse. II
was no easy job to sell the hide, ! ped
died 1t all over the town and had 10
give up in despair. On my way home
/ sat down to rest on the stile OF tine
kings church, for you must know
that in that country the king owns all
public improvements. After resting
for a time 7 cast my eye about and
saw The image of the king that stands
in every churchyard in that country