The daily morning Alaskan., 1900-07-06
FOR JERICHO'S HONOR
HOW 'LIsH BILLINGS UPHELD HIS
TOWNS GOOD NAME.
Old squar' Henshaw Thought He Had
nm Easy Time, but Pluck and STRAIT

Old squar' Henshaw Thought He Had
an Easy Time, but Pluck and STRAIT
esy Proved n Little Too Much For
Him.
copyright, 1900 by C. B. Lewisl
Fur year or more old Squar' Hen
shaw of Goose Greek had bin comm
over to Jericho once week to make
trouble. He was known as the great
est checker player in four counties, and
men had come hundred miles to play
with him and been downed. That's
whar he hIpt our feelin's. He'd drap
into the postoffice in keerless way
and talk about the weather and butter
and eggs, and bimeby, jest as he pear
ed to be goin home, he'd pull up and
say:
"Oh, by the way. mebbe this town of
Jericho has got critter who knows
checkerboard from a corn shelter"
We had a few checker players, but
none Of 'em dared tackle the squar',
and the way, he Dragged and blowed
and trod us into the dust was painful
to bear One day he bore on harder
than usual. After his usual bluff he
turns on the crowd and says:
"Mebbe thar's one man in Jericho
with one drap Of patriots blood in his
body-one man and one drap. Mebbe
that man would hev fit ag'in tyranny
IL he'd been Twin in 1776. Mebbe that
man, bein as he wasn't alive in 1776,
but Is now, is willin to pour out that
one drap of blood fur the honor of this
town. II thar be sich critter here.
let him speak up"
We all knowed that he meant check
ers, and thar was an awful silence fur
a mint or two. Then 'Lish Billings
keerfully picks cobweb off his hat
and softly says
I've got that blood, and I'm willin to
shed her fur Jericho as ag'in Goose
Creekw
you don't mean it~ gasps the
squar'
But do
"And you'll play me game of check
ers?'
81 will"
The squar' spected to win that game
in half an hour. He kept gruntiA and
gurglin, like hog scratchin his back
on a barbed wire fence, but bimeby
that balmy look went off his face.
'Lish was boldin him right to it and
not even breathin hard. Thar was a
bet Of bushel Of turnips ag'in bag
of carrots as to who would git the fust
king, and long about noon, when Lish
got it, SIGH cheers went up from the
Jericho side that the water in some of
the town wells riz foot higher than
was ever known before. Deacon
Spooner couldn't be held. He went out
doors and waved his cane with one
hand and his hat with the other and
sobbed:
Its pint In favor of Jerichor'
The game had skassly more than be-
gun up to noon. The squar' then made
up his mind that he had a job on hand,
and when play was resumed after din
ner he kept talkin to 'Lish in keer-
less way to confuse his mind. He
asked him about that Alaskan bound
ary dispute, the Darwin theory, the
surrender of Burgoyne and heaps of
other things, but 'Lish just sits there
with his tongue out leetle farther and
newer let's on to hear word At 6
and as they stopped the game fur sup
per the town of Jericho was wild with
enthusiasm. When they begun ag'in,
Squar' Henshaw started up that grunt-
in and gurglin. We seen it was meant
to make 'Lish nervous, and Deacon
Spooner calls half dozen of the boys
outdoors and says:
"The squar' is maxim a pint, and
we've got to offset it. Do any of you
know what 'Lish's favorite tune isl"
Its the Sweet Bimeby,'" says Enos
Johnson. "'Lish has bin singin that
hymn fur the last 20 years. He sings
1t to his cows and hens and sheep and
hogs, and it allus Gains him like a
cold fiatiron laid on his spine"
''Then go in and hum it," says the
deacon. Every time the squar' grunts
and gurgles you hum that tune and
Offset him."
Enos did so, and 1t was wonderful
to see what the effect was. 'Lish had
begun to sweat and git red in the face,
but the mint he heard that "Bimeby"
he grew as calm as sand and jumped
another of the squar's men. After ten
minits thar was no more gurglin. The
gquar realized that it was up agin
him, and he quit. Long about mid
night when the game was about half
finished, he said he was willin to wait
till the next day, but 'Lish wouldn't
let so. He said he'd play right on till
Saturday night without sleepin, and
they went ahead They was thar
when daylight come. and they was
thar when noon come, and all the time
'Lish was gittln leetle the best Of 1t.
About 8 o'clock In the afternoon we
seen that things was comm to a eli
max. The squar' realized that he must
do somethin or go to the wall, and he
suddenly begun gruntin and g,Irglin in
that same old way. Enos Johnson was
not at hand to stop him. and Lish got
confused and lost a king. 1t was a
critical time, but Deacon Spooner
saved the day. He rushed out and
got Abner Jones. and Abner come in
and started up that "Bimeby'' at the
top of his voice 'Lish fetched a long
breath and settled down ag'in, and ten
minits later he had the squar's last
man penned up, and the game was
won. He tried to crawl out of It by |
sayin he had a lame leg and his farm |
was under mortgage. but ii was no |